Households owning a desktop computer or a laptop have continued to decline in Sri Lanka during the three years from 2017 to 2019, but the shifting to home working in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic may have reversed the trend with people se

Headline inflation as measured by the year-on-year (yoy) change in the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) declined to 3.9 percent in June 2020 from 4.0 percent in May 2020.

Sri Lanka ticks all the boxes of an irresistible tourism destination but repeated uncertainties have kept the island nation off the itineraries of its target audience on and off, for decades.

The start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in China last December sent ripples across the global economy but it certainly took time to realise that even the strongest industries would receive a painful hit from the club.

The businesses operating in the country are observed to be largely confused as to how they should chart their way forward in the post-lockdown scenario, as the relevant government authorities have failed to be clear in their directives and communicat

Sri Lanka’s listed corporates are expected to report between 15 percent to 20 percent decline in their earnings, as they prepare to close books on one of the worst quarters on record. Analysts are parsing data to understand each company’s operati

Sri Lanka’s confectionary industry yesterday said it is actively exploring the avenues to shift towards using locally produced coconut oil substitutes and move away from palm oil fats in their production processes, as directed by the government.

The country’s national telecommunication provider, Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) PLC, is likely to invest US $ 60 million in the upcoming South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 6 (SEA-ME-WE 6) submarine cable system, which is scheduled to be comp

The acute shortage of doctors, consultants, trained nurses and other medical staff, has pushed Sri Lanka’s private healthcare sector towards intense competition among the handful of players operating in the sector, leading to poaching and thereby n

Sri Lanka’s most technologically innovative bank HNB PLC reported a smooth transition to contactless remittance transactions parallel to rising demand for digital remittances and cardless withdrawals during the coronavirus lockdown.

At least six people were killed when gunmen attacked the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi yesterday, with a policeman among the dead after the assailants opened fire and hurled a grenade at the trading floor, police said.

Even though Sri Lanka’s economy has opened up, businesses are still recovering from the dual shock of the locally imposed curfew as well as the global fallback from the coronavirus. A vast majority of Sri Lankan businesses are in need of support if

Outgoing World Bank Country Director for the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough speaks about the highlights of her four years in Colombo. She also shares her thoughts on the opportunities she sees for Sri Lanka and wishes the p

The 27th anniversary of the establishment of Regional Plantation Companies fell on June 23.

Hotel Developers (Lanka) PLC, the owner of Hilton Colombo, has announced that the State-owned entity will delist its shares from the official list of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in compliance with applicable regulations and procedures.

The Central Bank (CB) yesterday announced a credit guarantee and interest subsidy scheme with a view to further accelerate lending by the banking sector to COVID-19 hit businesses in the country.

Sri Lanka has settled foreign currency loans up to US$ 1,007 million during the three months from April 8 to June 22 using foreign currency reserves as liquidity became challenging due to sour external market conditions and slower foreign earnings re

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) yesterday announced the appointment of Dumith Fernando as the Chairman of CSE Board of Directors with effect from July 1, 2020.

State-owned banking giant, Bank of Ceylon (BOC) and China Development Bank (CDB) are set to enter into a US$ 140 million long-term facility, where drawdown will be under tranches of US$ 70 million each.

Vajira Kulatilaka, who recently retired from the NDB Group, has been appointed as a Non-Executive, Independent Director of Sampath Bank PLC with effect from June 25.

The government is likely to delay the re-opening of the country’s borders as previously planned for August 1, to facilitate the return of Sri Lankan workers stranded abroad due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Income from migrant workers recorded a rebound from the depths it hit in April—may be an indication that the worst is over for the country’s largest source of foreign currency earnings— with work gradually returning to normalcy amid easing of l

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has taken measures to commence the second stage of compensation payment to The Finance Company PLC (TFC) depositors with effect from July 2, 2020.

As Sri Lanka looks for avenues to move towards a positive growth trajectory, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) stressed that an accelerated post COVID-19 recovery will be predicated on the effective execution of a public-private shared vision for

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently supported the National Police Commission (NPC) to provide protective equipment to Police officers engaged in COVID-19 tasks.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has got itself into a tussle with real estate and development company Lanka Realty Leisure Ltd, where the latter had filed for an enjoining order, which was issued by the Colombo District Court agai

Rakuten Viber, one of the world’s leading messaging apps for free and secure communication, announced it will cut all business ties with Facebook.

Asian markets bounced back yesterday from the previous day’s steep losses following a strong lead from Wall Street, but an increase in infections across the planet is fanning worries about a second wave.

Vietnam warned yesterday the virus pandemic had swept away years of economic gains as Southeast Asian leaders met online for a summit also dominated by anxiety over Beijing’s moves in the flashpoint South China Sea.

Unilever will drop the word “fair” from its “Fair & Lovely” skin lightening products, it said this week in the latest makeover of a brand in response to a global backlash against racial prejudice. Skin lightening cosmetics have a huge market