Shopping galore!
Come sun or rain, Sri Lankans love shopping – that is the middle and affluent classes! Others, unable to afford high prices, throng shopping malls, resorting to window-shopping (seeing-not-buying). The long line of shoppers outside the One Galle Face Mall in Colombo on Friday is a reflection of crowds at new malls which emerged this [...]
Bold review of copyright laws pertaining to music and book publishing
Sri Lanka’s intellectual property authorities are planning bold reforms and possibly new legislation to strengthen copyright laws in Sri Lanka in the music industry and, at the same time, examine the copyright regime for the book publishing industry. Seeking public opinion and views, the National Intellectual Property Office (NIPO), operating under the Ministry of Trade, [...]
Sri Lanka enters 2026: Cyclone shocks test growth and resilience
Sri Lanka steps into 2026, focusing on economic recovery with forecasts of 5 per cent growth driven partly by post-cyclone reconstruction, leveraging its ports as regional hubs, developing its tech/AI sector, Finance Ministry sources said. The government is optimistic in introducing national strategies and rebuilding tourism with strategic plans for sustainable, purpose-driven travel, while managing [...]
Industries lost in the land shuffle
The government is planning to simplify land allocation, to attract potential businesses and industries with the help of the Land Registry Commission and related agencies, a deputy minister said. “We will bring the available land in the country into one particular registry and will have a particular policy to allocate to them,” Finance and Planning [...]
GovPay in final two provinces next month
Sri Lanka’s national digital payment platform, GovPay, will be launched in the final two provinces, Uva and Central, in January, said Udaya Kasthurirathne, Lead – Digital Government and Digital Economy at ICTA. Adding that ICTA plans to further enhance GovPay’s functionality to make it more convenient for government officers to use, while improving the overall [...]
65 SOEs to go public
With the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Act for the proper management and maintenance of SOEs coming in the 1Q next year, certain such entities have agreed in principle to go public on the Colombo Stock Exchange, a deputy minister said. About 65 SOEs have agreed in principle to go for listing. These entities are for a [...]
Defining Sri Lanka in 2025
As Sri Lankans prepare to move into 2026, three significant events that defined and shaped Sri Lanka this year were parliamentary polls (in which the National People’s Power – NPP secured a landslide victory); the continuation of the IMF’s extended fund facility by the ruling party contrary to expectations that it would be abandoned; and [...]
Problem, that’s not a problem!
Last week we focused on a development problem that China has faced with and discussed how the Chinese government has been serious about dealing with the issue: Too many people are trapped in the rural sector and in farming communities! How could it be a problem? How much the people who live in Colombo long [...]
FTA committee report by end 1Q next year
The Cabinet-appointed committee to evaluate ongoing free trade agreements (FTA) and explore potential new ones is slated to come out with an evaluation report by the end of the 2026 first quarter, Secretary for the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security K.A. Vimalenthirarajah said. Aiming to create a national strategy that emphasises diversification into [...]
Quiet New Year: Hard reset for Sri Lanka’s economy
With the calendar turning to 2026, Sri Lanka enters the New Year-not with bursting firecrackers-but in contemplation and resolve. Thrifty households across towns and villages have been conditioned through experiences of economic shock, natural disasters, and stringent policy correction This New Year’s Eve will be quieter than usual, but beneath the subdued atmosphere lies a [...]
Technocity offers Rs. 50 m to support for SL’s relief efforts
The Technocity (Pvt) Ltd, the leading authorised IT distributor in Sri Lanka for globally reputed brands such as HP, ASUS, MSI, Lenovo, BenQ, Raidmax, Kaspersky and more, has provided a Rs. 50 million relief initiative aimed at assisting impacted children and schools in the most severely-hit areas affected by the recent cyclone. The contribution, according [...]
Sarvodaya Finance’s new solution for on-demand salary access
Sarvodaya Development Finance PLC (SDF), in collaboration with Fintechnology Asia Pacific Lanka Pvt Ltd (FINAP), has officially launched CIXOR PayDay, a next-generation digital WageTech platform that enables employees to access a portion of their earned wages in real time, while giving employers a structured and capital-efficient way to offer this benefit. Positioned as a financial [...]
ComBank’s Cyclone Ditwah recovery support crosses Rs. 125 m
The Commercial Bank of Ceylon this week announced a total commitment exceeding Rs. 125 million towards recovery efforts following Cyclone Ditwah, including a donation of Rs. 110 million to the Rebuild Sri Lanka Fund, to help the country recover. The bank’s contribution was presented by a representative group comprising of Sanath Manatunge, Managing Director/CEO; S. [...]
Sri Lanka Insurance supports 1000 cyclone-affected families
Sri Lanka Insurance Life and Sri Lanka Insurance General, in collaboration with the National Disaster Relief Services Centre (NDRSC), have extended vital assistance to 1,000 families affected by the recent ‘Ditwah’ cyclone. The relief initiative was carried out in two phases reflecting the company’s continued commitment to supporting communities in times of distress, the company [...]
SriLankan Airlines launches post–cyclone Destination Recovery Campaign
SriLankan Airlines has launched a one-month international destination promotion campaign from December 16, aimed at restoring global confidence in Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah and reaffirming the country’s readiness to welcome travellers. The campaign will run across Meta and the Google platforms, promoting Colombo as the gateway to Sri Lanka, and will target key source [...]
eMudhra and LankaSign make Digital Signing seamless
eMudhra, a global leader in digital identity and security solutions, has entered into a strategic partnership with LankaSign, the only Certification Service Provider (CSP) in the country that complies with the Electronic Transactions Act No. 19 of 2006, operated by LankaPay, Sri Lanka’s national payment network. The LankaSign–eMudhra partnership brings together the strengths of LankaPay’s [...]
Plastic bag charge redraws retail profits, raises policy issues
The charge for plastic shopping bags at major supermarkets, introduced as an environmental measure, is prompting growing public scrutiny over who ultimately benefits from the policy. Since November 1, 2025, Sri Lanka’s leading retail chains have been required, under Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2456/41, to end the free distribution of plastic shopping bags and instead [...]
Three shocks that shook the World in 2025
ATHENS – This was the year that the remaining pillars of the late-20th-century order were shattered, exposing the hollow core of what passed for a global system. Three blows sufficed. The first was Russia’s impending victory in Ukraine over Europe’s combined leadership. For almost four years, the European Union and NATO engaged in a perilous [...]
BRICS chamber Sri Lanka in MOU with Indian chamber
Ishanga Mahipala President BRICS Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka recently signed an MOU with Dr. B.B.L Madhukar President of BRICS Chamber of Commerce New Delhi India. Also in the picture is Kosala Wickramanayake, Hony. Secretary – BRICS Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka.
People’s Bank’s first loan to affected MSMEs
People’s Bank has extended the first loan under a special Government-intervened loan scheme introduced to support the rehabilitation of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) affected by Cyclone Ditwah. The first loan was recently disbursed by the People’s Bank Kalpitiya Branch to a leather goods manufacturing enterprise operating in the Kalpitiya area, enabling the business [...]
Elephant House Ice Cream made in Australia
Ceylon Cold Stores PLC (CCS), a subsidiary of John Keells Holdings PLC, has launched its iconic Elephant House Ice Cream in Australia. The official unveiling took place on December 4, 2025 at the Novotel Melbourne Glen Waverley, where industry leaders, local distributors, and strategic partners gathered to celebrate the occasion, the company said in a [...]
Hayleys Fentons awarded at global event
Hayleys Fentons Ltd has been recognised as the Best Integrated Solutions Provider in Engineering Services in Sri Lanka at the World Business Outlook Awards 2025, held in Bangkok, Thailand. Presented on a global platform, this international recognition positions Hayleys Fentons Ltd among the world’s leading engineering services providers, reinforcing its ability to operate at the [...]
Trump hotel to be established in the Maldives
The Maldives, one of the most luxurious destinations in the world, is surging ahead with new resort openings – in the next few years – including one from US President Donald Trump’s company, while it aims to reach all price points, not only the luxury segment. Abdulla Ghiyas, chairman of the official Visit Maldives, said [...]