Sri Lanka has managed the health and safety aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic in a commendable way.

This article attempts to draw out the practical implications of the law on the capital markets industry rather than delve into an analysis of the legal provisions.

Two major events happened during the past few days in regard to possible changes in the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals in the near future.

There’s mounting opposition from the entire tourist industry against the government’s plan to change the existing Tourism Act, as seen in the media. Having been a member of the team that helped draft the current act around 15 years ago, I felt th

We view that Sri Lanka is at a critical juncture whether it can remain as a potentially growing country with the trust of international community, or otherwise.

No gas, no diesel, no electricity, no milk-powder, no vehicles, no spare parts, no raw materials and the list goes on and on. Everywhere you see people on the road screaming and cursing the government to resolve these issues. The reason being no doll

Democracy, by its very definition, calls for the representation of all citizens. Hence, women in politics are essential for representative governance.

Sri Lanka obtained its first-ever Geographical Indication (GI) certification on 02 February 2022 for ‘Ceylon Cinnamon’ from the European Union due to untiring efforts during the last nine years.

One of the most famous women in history once said: “Within crisis, are the seeds of opportunity”. The source of such a powerful truism? Marilyn Monroe, a woman who clearly possessed great wisdom, but is unfortunately remembered for her physical b

Early January of 2022 is marked by anticipation of things to come. Global economies are gearing up to put the pandemic behind them and face the uncertainties of a world whose normalcy has been altered beyond recognition.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine deepens the existing global economic woes-persistent supply chain bottlenecksand associated rising inflation- clouding the prospects of a smooth global economic recovery from the pandemic.

Progressing on previous work on tax revenue leakage and illicit markets, the Research Intelligence Unit (RIU) launched its latest report on the economics of tobacco taxation providing a macro-level overview of the tobacco industry in Sri Lanka, inclu

Tea is a drink with endless variations – whether you like it with a serving of scones or spiced, like Indian Chai or infused with mint like Moroccan tea or even Japanese Matcha. It’s the most popular drink in the world after water, with a stagger

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has very ambitious plans for the country’s economic transformation, including an economic growth expectation of more than 6 percent during the five-year period of 2022-2027.

“Tourism has been described as the world’s largest transfer of resources from rich to poor, dwarfing international aid.” - Salli Felton, CEO, Travel Foundation

The intention of the government was to reduce imports and encourage exports. The policy document ‘Vistas of prosperity and splendour’ page 36 refers to reducing the trade deficit and going for import substitution and encouraging exports.

The motivation that made me pen this was a proposal made by Dhammika Perera through the sister paper Lankadeepa. Proposals to improve the higher education quality are ordinary but rarely one suggests the development of the higher education industry.

On January 13, 2022, the Station Masters Union launched a 24-hour token strike cancelling over 200 scheduled trips. As a result, the commuters heading back home from Colombo, long-distance travellers, tourists (both local and foreign) were all inconv

Countries worldwide are navigating their way out of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, while facing the adverse effects of climate change. The world needs innovative approaches to build back better, mitigate and adapt to the biggest development challenges

As we near the two-year mark of the ravenous coronavirus pandemic, it is positive to see that many businesses worldwide have stepped up to the challenge, adjusting their businesses both to safeguard their employees and to continue serving their custo

Despite the enhanced trade partnerships in South Asia, intra-regional trade is far from reaching its theoretical potential. Similar production patterns and competitive sectors can be the causes.

Although Sri Lanka has a meagre track record of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), data indicate that the very little FDI Sri Lanka receives yields good profits for the investors.

The new bill titled Special Goods and Services Tax (SGST) was published by a gazette dated January 7, 2022. The SGST was originally proposed in Budget Speech 2021 but was not implemented. Once again, it has been presented in Budget 2022.

In 2016, Sri Lanka ratified its Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and in 2017 a secretariat was established for the National Trade Facilitation Committee to drive the much-needed trade reforms in the country.

Sri Lanka has a whopping 527 state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The 55 SOEs classified as ‘strategically important’ alone employ 10 percent of the public sector workforce or about 1.9 percent of all workers.

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) is planning to revise the calculation methodology of All Share Price Index (ASPI) by changing the constituent weighting method from full Market Capitalization to free float-adjusted Market Capitalization.

Despite having faced down another tumultuous year, the Sri Lankan apparel industry has shown remarkable resilience in 2021,

Sovereign debt restructuring can be pre-emptive or post-default. A default is inherently costly, as it can result in a sustained loss of access to capital markets. That leaves pre-emptive restructuring when a country deems itself unable to service ou

As Covid-19 turned off the supply of customers for many Sri Lankan businesses, merchants turned to the internet and the opportunities of e-commerce. Since the pandemic began in early 2020, the number of merchants moving their existing businesses onli

The available foreign reserves of the country can be used to either repay foreign creditors or to finance imports of essential goods and services required by its citizens.