A working economy and a healthy growth in loans would keep the credit costs and non-performing loans (NPLs) under check, as the banking sector in Sri Lanka has largely shown its resilience before the adversities thrown in by the pandemic last year.

The lockdown, isolation and quarantine may have restricted access to food outlets but they certainly did not stop locals from making Sri Lanka’s very own ‘yellow rice and chicken’ the most sought-after meal in 2020.

Funded by the United States, Sri Lanka@100 (SL@100) selected its first round of seven high-potential companies to receive cutting-edge business advisory services to accelerate their growth. SL@100, a private sector-led platform focused on the growth

Responding to concerns raised by some sections on the potential of interest rates to increase towards the second half of the year, the Central Bank said the consumer prices, which is the often-used gauge to guide interest rates by the Monetary Board,

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain will resume direct operations to and from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with two weekly flights starting from February 15 on its new Airbus A320neo aircraft.

LOLC Holdings yesterday announced a plan to raise up to Rs.10 billion via a listed debenture issue.

Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd, a unit of India’s Aditya Birla Group and Singapore-based Agricultural Resources and Investments (Pvt) Ltd.have secured tenders to supply chemical fertilizer to the Ceylon Fertilizer Company (Lak Pohor

The Cabinet nod has been received to review the trade pacts that are under negotiation, and to explore possibility of entering into new bilateral and multilateral trade pacts.

The European Union (EU), Sri Lanka’s second largest trading partner, yesterday called on local industries to step up efforts in competing with regional peers to retain the market share of the 27 member states, and stressed greater focus is required

REUTERS: Sri Lanka’s government bonds tumbled on Tuesday as warnings that the country was at increasing risk of default continued to mount after a turbulent couple of weeks for Colombo.

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain will resume its direct operations to and from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with two weekly flights starting from 15 February 2021 on its new Airbus A320neo aircraft.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday made an inspection visit of the model stalls that are being built for the vendors at Galle Face Green. Built by the Sri Lanka Navy, these stalls are expected to enhance the beauty of Galle Face Green.

The local banks have begun to show some reluctance towards lending to new borrowers, as they grow wary of the interest rates, which they deem too low for them to make money, while a case is building up for a possible uptick in rates in the near futur

State-owned entity Lanka Sugar Company (Pvt.) Ltd (LSCPL) has embarked on an ambitious endeavour this year, with plans being actively rolled out to venture into ecotourism.

The Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka (CMA) will conduct a webinar on ‘The Sri Lankan Economy: Challenges and Prospects’ today, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, via Zoom online platform.

Oil prices rose yesterday to their highest in just over a year, with Brent futures nudging past US $ 60 a barrel, boosted by supply cuts among key producers and hopes for further U.S. economic stimulus measures to boost demand.

Balasuriya family-controlled Senkadagala Finance PLC has announced a rights issue to raise Rs.362.3 million to beef up its capital position in order to comply with the regulatory capital requirements.

Steps will be taken to set up tourism training schools at district level, in line with President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s policy document ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said.

The German government recently announced that it is ready to part finance ventures up to 50 percent of the investment in projects, in a number of sectors, which meet both commercial and development goals.

The Sri Lankan authorities have been able to achieve stable macro-economic indicators despite the severe economic dislocation caused by the pandemic. Inflation has remained well within the 4-6 percent target range and the improvement of the trade def

International migrants have historically been a driving force of the Sri Lankan economy and during the COVID-19 pandemic their remittances have helped boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

Growth and development come hand-in-hand with better governance and application of law and order. Ill-considered strategies result in leakages that will see us meandering in this constant state of a ‘developing nation’ – a poster-child of disap

The prime lending rate or the benchmark rate at which most prime customers of banks get their loan facilities approved— mostly for shorter tenors—touched a fresh low last week despite speculation that the prevailing lower rates environment would

The All Share Price Index (ASPI) has retained its position as the best performing primary stock market index in the world with the index closing trading on February 5, 2021 at 8,275.37 points, marking a 22.16 percent growth year-to-date (YTD).

The mandatory offer to purchase the remaining shares of On’ally Holdings PLC by its new controlling shareholder, Lanka Realty Investments PLC, had drawn lackluster interest with the second largest shareholder of the company, Urban Development Autho

The Maldives has recorded 92,103 tourist arrivals in January 2021. According to the Maldives’ Ministry of Tourism, the island nation witnessed a daily average tourist arrival of 2,971.

Resuming regular international flights, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) on Saturday welcomed services of Kazakhstan’s national carrier, Air Astana. The first Air Astana flight, an Airbus 321 arrived at 10.28 a.m. with 160 passengers

Sri Lanka is ranked top among the countries in Asia, which have achieved human and economic development relative to the damage done to their environment and the climate.

The government has decided to enter into a bilateral social security agreement with the Indian government, allowing Sri Lankan migrant workers employed in India to directly contribute to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), which will exempt the re