Sri Lanka’s Santani Wellness Resorts to expand to Oman

Sri Lankan retreat brand Santani Wellness Resorts has joined forces with the Oman Tourism Development Company...

March arrivals cross 40,000 mark in six days

Tourist arrivals for the first six days of March crossed the 40,000 mark. Provisional data from the Sri Lanka Tourism...

New transactions registry to boost financing for SMEs

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka are set to benefit from the newly established Secured Transactions...

Opposition should meet bond holders: Harsha

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Harsha de Silva yesterday said he only called for a meeting with bond holders to discuss the external...

Sri Lanka explores mining opportunities in Central African Republic

High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Kenya, Kana Kananathan, engaged in a significant meeting with the President Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic at his country residence recently .

International Women’s Day 2024: Inspiring inclusion

In the never ending search for prosperous economies and a thriving planet, achieving gender equality and women’s wellbeing in every sphere of life are paramount.  Yet, a major challenge looms: a projected US $ 360 billion annual deficit in gender equality efforts by 2030. Shedding light on this issue is the International Women’s Day (IWD), with the 2024 campaign theme being ‘Inspire Inclusion’. The overarching theme is ‘Invest in women: Accelerat

Tea auction sees improved offering, demand and prices

Overall offering at the Colombo Tea Auction were marginally higher this week and totalled 5.2 M/Kgs. According to Forbes and Walk

Ceylon Curry Club showcases culinary brilliance at Ambani family pre-wedding

Sri Lanka’s culinary expertise took center stage last week with Ceylon Curry Club catering at one of the most anticipated events of the year—the pre-wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. Ceylon Cur

EFL 3PL expands to India with US$ 5 mn warehousing facility

EFL 3PL, a subsidiary of EFL Global announced this week the launch of its flagship Grade A warehousing facility in Bhiwandi region of Mumbai. This strategic expansi

China registers jump in foreign trade

CNN: China registered a surprise jump in foreign trade at the start of the year, partly because of strong demand from Russia, India and emerging markets in Africa and Latin America. Exports from the wo

Experts renew call for increased focus on global trade

For Sri Lanka to remain competitive in the global market, stronger efforts are needed to explore and leverage agreements strategically to be competitive with countries such as Vietnam, Thaila

IMF second review kicks off on a positive note

In kicking off the second review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme yesterday, IMF highlighted that Sri Lanka’s economy has started to turn around with policy decisions taken under the programme translating into tangible outcomes. In the opening mee

Prima KottuMee-Treats partner Battle of Blues

As the excitement peaks in anticipation of the Battle of the Blues, Prima KottuMee and Prima Treats prepare to take on the role of ‘Specialty Food Partner’ for the 15th year running.

MAS holds Eco Go Beyond Awards Ceremony

MAS Holdings, South Asia’s leading apparel tech company, reaffirmed its dedication to sustainability education with the completion of the Eco Go Beyond Sustainable Schools Programme 2023 Awards Ceremony, held at MAS Athena in Thulhiriya, re

Oceanswell-Greenpeace South Asia conduct cetacean surveys

Greenpeace South Asia and Sri Lankan marine conservation organisation Oceanswell have just returned to Colombo following the successful completion of cetacean visual and acoustic surveys in the high seas of the Indian Ocean, aboard the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior. The scientific survey wa

Lumala introduces Eco Hauler e-bike carts

In a sustained commitment spanning over three decades, City Cycle Industries Manufacturing (Pvt.) Ltd, better known as Lumala, has consistently led the eco-friendly innovation charge in Sri Lanka’s bicycle industry. A testament to its innovation an

IMRA honours for outstanding women

The All Ceylon Muslim Women’s Association (ACMWA), a venerable organisation with a 71-year legacy, proudly hosted the inaugural IMRA Awards to recognise the exceptional accomplishments of Muslim women in Sri Lanka. Held on March 3 at S

Posts Department aims Rs.21bn revenue for 2024

Sri Lanka’s Posts Department said it is hoping to record a revenue of Rs.21 billion for 2024 and operate as a self-sustaining institution that is independent of Treasury funds

Salary hike exaggerated to erode independence: Dr. Weerasinghe

The recent uproar over the Central Bank’s salary increases has caught widespread attention and according to Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, this controversy is a deliberate attempt to undermine the institution’s autonomy.

Low-level teacher capacity key barrier for ed-tech implementation

The low level of teacher capacity along with reduced affordability of hardware remains major barriers towards successfully implementing ed-tech in Sri Lanka, a recent Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) study revealed.

Auction yields take upward turn across board

The secondary market displayed buying interest during the early hours of trading, primarily at the short-end of the curve, with short tenures, including 01.02.26, 01.06.26 and 01.08.26 trading within the range of 10.60 percent-10.80 percent, whilst the bonds maturing on 01.05.27 and 15.09.27 traded between 11.70 percent and 11.80 percent. Subsequently, following yesterday’s weekly Treasury bill (T-bill) auction, a shift in market sentiment was

Sri Lanka’s second IMF review kicks off today

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will kick off the second review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme today. According to Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe, the outcome of the review will be largely positive. “Nobody should doubt the release of the third tranche. The second review is going to be better than the first. We are confident about that. Sri Lanka has achieved much of the progress required and fulfilled majority

Lower interest rates fuel recovery in constructions

Backed by the current lower interest rate regime, Sri Lanka’s construction firms are expected to see considerable relief on the borrowing costs, aiding a smoother financing for the ongoing projects, according to First Capital Research (FCR). In an investor note, FCR highlighted that the interest rate has come down in an accelerated downward trajectory. As of February 22, this year, the average weighted lending rate came down to 11.50 percent, fro

Siyapatha Finance to raise Rs.4bn via debentures

Siyapatha Finance PLC, the finance and leasing arm of Sampath Bank PLC, has announced plans to raise Rs.4 billion through the issuance of listed, rated, senior, unsecured and redeemable debentures. As per a filing to the Colombo Stock Exchange, Siyapatha Finance plans to offer the proposed debentures at an interest rate below the regulatory ceiling rate and for a maturity period of five years. The proposed debenture issue is subject to obtaining

Bitcoin price briefly tops $69,000 for new all-time high

BBC: The price of the world’s largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, briefly hit a new all-time high of more than US $ 69,000. It surpassed the previous record set in November 2021 - though by 2022 Bitcoin’s value had sunk to US $ 16,500. The new surge in price has been spurred by US finance giants pouring billions into buying bitcoins. The cryptocurrency rose to around US $ 69,200 shortly after 15:00 GMT on Tuesday, before falling back. It was trading

DFCC Bank and IIHS partner to unveil educational loan scheme

DFCC Bank announced a new partnership with the International Institute of Health Sciences (IIHS) recently. Under the new partnership, DFCC Bank will provide students of IIHS with educational loans at attractive ratestogether with many other unique benefits.  These benefits include up to 100 percent course fee funding, an extended repayment period of up to 7 years and doorstep service for maximum convenience. This attractive proposition from DFCC

Educationist advises youth to refrain from entering countries illegally

Chairman Beverly International Education and Migration Consultants, which recently received the Diamond Award for the best consultant company in education, advises the fresh applicants not to travel to a country with hopes of ‘jumping’ to another. “Nowadays youth and fresh applicants desperately try to migrate to a country with no skill or language proficiency and get into trouble”, Chairman and Managing Director of Beverley International Upul He

VIEC holds ‘Australian Education Fair’

Australian Education consultants in Sri Lanka, VIEC held the Australian Education Fair recently. Several leading Australian universities and institutes including La Trobe University, Victoria University, Kaplan Business School, Navitas, RMIT University, Macquarie University, Melbourne Institute of Technology and Curtin University, JMC Academy were represented at the Fair. During the events in Colombo and Kandy, VIEC experts offered invaluable gui

Atlas introduces Sri Lanka’s first learning membership programme

Atlas recently unveiled ‘Atlas World’, the first learning membership in Sri Lanka for children, parents, and teachers that redefines the traditional learning process in the country. The comprehensive Learning Management System (LMS) of Atlas World provides curated educational content, engaging seminars, insightful videos, and interactive workshops. It offers free online classes delivered by leading educators and provides comprehensive exam prepar

‘Mastering Greatness’ event recognises outstanding team work

In collaboration with Mastercard, Great Place to Work Sri Lanka recently concluded ‘Mastering Greatness – Brains & Brawn,’ an invigorating team challenge event aimed at sparking resilience and enhancing teamwork within organizations which was designed by G360 and Cherish. Held on February 18, the event united over 32 teams, each consisting of five members, representing a multitude of companies across Sri Lanka. The participants faced a series o