Bonus issue for HDFC workers
Workers at the HDFC bank protested on Friday in front of the Ministry of Finance over the non-payment of the annual bonus. Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
SriLankan Airlines gets Rs.25.2 bn capital infusion from the government
SriLankan Airlines, which is scouting for a partner to either manage or invest in the debt-ridden state carrier, has received Rs. 25.2 billion through a capital infusion by the government in December 2025. Advertisements have also been placed to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nuttall stepped down at [...]
Biggest labour reform in decades, aims to modernise economy
The government is undertaking an ambitious overhaul of labour laws this year, with the objective of modernising, encouraging investment, and enhancing productivity. Key reforms in 2026 include introducing four new, consolidated labour acts replacing 14 existing statutes focusing on trade unions, occupational safety and health and manpower/termination of employment, a senior official of the Labour [...]
Japan-backed trilateral corridor to drive Sri Lanka’s growth
Sri Lanka is actively pursuing a transformation into a strategic export-oriented economic corridor designed to deeply integrate the country into South Asian and regional markets, with significant collaboration from Japan. This initiative is centred on leveraging Sri Lanka’s geographical proximity to India to foster a manufacturing hub, particularly for components that feed into the larger [...]
Four Colombo Port workers die within 14 months
The Colombo Port has in the past 14 months recorded deaths of at least four of its workers with the latest incident reported this month. Officials at the port believe it to be due to the negligence of the vessel operators to maintain a proper protective fence. On February 6 this year a signalman Sarath [...]
‘Jai Jai’ or ‘Bye Bye” ICC?
The trio, waiting at the gate, was surprised when Aldoris, the choon-paan karaya came along in his tuk-tuk playing a ‘papare’ tune. “Mokakda mae Aldoris (What’s going on Aldoris)?” asked Serapina. “Okkoma kreeda gena nae madam mae davas wala katha-karanney cricket (Everyone is talking about the cricket matches these days, Madam),” said Aldoris. “Ah, mama [...]
Opening the floodgates of growth
Two hundred and fifty years ago, Adam Smith – often called the father of modern economics – wrote the following passage in his famous book, The Wealth of Nations (1776): “As it is the power of exchanging that gives occasion to the division of labour, so the extent of this division must always be limited [...]
W. Asian banks bullish on SL
Many foreign banks are eyeing Sri Lanka, positively to strike partnerships and extend credit lines, bankers said. This is especially true for West Asian-based banks in Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia and also the US, one banker said. “This is true primarily for two reasons, one being that our banks are governed well, and the other [...]
Hayleys Chairman’s Awards drive innovation and business excellence
Hayleys Group celebrated groundbreaking achievements of its teams at the Chairman’s Awards 2025, recognising national firsts that advance global priorities in energy transition, food security, resilience and social impact. The event, now in its 13th year, reinforced people-led innovation as a driver of resilience and long-term competitiveness across innovation, ESG, quality and lean management and [...]
MAS, Selyn Foundation unite to combat ‘Period Poverty’
MAS Femography, a global leader in FemTech apparel solutions in partnership with the Selyn Foundation in Sri Lanka, are taking forward their continued efforts in combating period poverty with the #BleedGood initiative for 2026. The milestone partnership reflects the shared mission of Selyn and MAS Femography to uplift women’s well-being and advance climate-conscious menstrual dignity [...]
SEC’s legislative move to enhance Sri Lanka’s start-up ecosystem
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is formulating the required legislation to remove the cascading taxation for venture capital (VC) funds, in a bid to bring in foreign capital into the Sri Lankan start-up ecosystem and retain the intellectual property (IP) talent in the country. Explaining the challenges in the start-up ecosystem and the way [...]
Reforming interest deductibility in Sri Lanka’s tax policy
Sri Lanka’s economy stands at a crossroad, recovering from a profound crisis that exposed vulnerabilities in fiscal management, external debt, and growth strategies. Amid these challenges, one often-overlooked aspect of tax policy is the limitation on interest deductibility under Section 18 of the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017. This has emerged as a [...]
JKH, BYD open SL’s largest body shop
BYD and its authorised distributor John Keells CG Auto have opened the country’s largest purpose-built body shop and accident repair centre dedicated exclusively to BYD, and their premium sub-brand DENZA, located at Seeduwa, just north of Colombo (see picture).
Ceylinco Life’s Pranama Scholarships reach 25-year milestone
Ceylinco Life has announced the launch of the 25th consecutive edition of its flagship Pranama Scholarships programme, marking a significant milestone in the company’s long-standing commitment to recognising and rewarding excellence among the children of its policyholders. Under the 2026 programme, the life insurance market leader will present scholarships with a total cumulative value of [...]
NDB renews membership with Parenthood Global Association
NDB Bank has renewed its membership with the Parenthood Global Association (PGA) for the second consecutive year, reaffirming its strong commitment to fostering a workplace culture that supports, empowers, and understands the needs of working parents. This renewed partnership underscores NDB’s belief that an inclusive and equitable work environment must make space for the realities [...]
Kiruwanaganga Tea Factory certified as a Green Building
Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC (TTE), a member of the Hayleys Plantation Sector, has announced that its Kiruwanaganga Tea Factory has become Sri Lanka’s first Green Building certified tea factory, achieving a Gold rating under the Green Building Council of Sri Lanka’s GreenSL framework. The certification takes into consideration all measures taken by the company to [...]
People’s Bank’s ‘draws’ with winning Bangkok Tours
People’s Bank recently conducted the weekly draws of its ‘People’s Remittance Vaasi Kotiyai 2025 – Send and Win Bangkok Tours’ campaign, selecting four winners for the period December 3 to 31, 2025. Each winner will be awarded a Bangkok tour under this special initiative, designed to recognise and appreciate the invaluable contributions of Sri Lankan [...]
SMEs demand financial help to survive
Sri Lanka’s Small and Medium enterprises need the financial support and push from the government to sustain itself as the sector continues to be sidelined by banks for loans as most are found to be in debt. Small and Medium Industries Chamber (SMIC) President Prof. Rohan De Silva said that even loans that were specifically [...]
United Motors reports Rs. 2.4 bn profit in 9-months-FY25/26
United Motors Group (UML) has reported a year-to-date Group Profit after Tax (PAT) of Rs. 2.4 billion for the nine months ending December 31, 2025, up by 5,315 per cent compared to the same period last year. At the company level, UML’s profit increased to Rs. 1.1 billion, a growth of 537 per cent compared [...]
First Capital Holdings PLC net income drops in 9-M FY2025/26
First Capital Holdings PLC, a subsidiary of JXG (Janashakthi Group), recorded a Total Comprehensive Income of Rs. 3.23 billion for the nine months ended 31 December 2025, compared to Rs. 4.53 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year, but witnessed a drop in profitability. For the third quarter of 2025/26, the group reported [...]
Sunshine Holdings’ revenue rises marginally in 9-M FY26
Diversified conglomerate Sunshine Holdings PLC has recorded a consolidated revenue of Rs. 48.9 billion for the nine months ended December 31, 2025 (9MFY26), reflecting an 8.1 per cent year-on-year increase. The period unfolded in a more demanding operating environment shaped by sector-specific challenges and external disruptions, with the group maintaining focus on disciplined execution of [...]
hSenidBiz achieves profitability milestone
hSenid Business Solutions PLC (hSenidBiz) has announced its financial results for the third quarter of FY2026, marking a transformative period as the company achieved profitability and surpassed the US$ 5 million exit Annualized Recurring Revenue (ARR) milestone. Total revenue for the quarter reached Rs 547.6 million, reflecting year-over-year growth of 27 per cent in LKR [...]
Sri Lanka’s debt reset faces crucial investor test
Sri Lanka has moved to reinforce fragile global confidence with a high-stakes investor briefing centred on its Debt Report released on December 31, 2025, signaling a transition from crisis management to structured financial recovery. The investor call, organised by the Finance Ministry this week, was directed at holders of the country’s newly issued “Step-Up” bond [...]
Financing gap facing small businesses
Venture capital is the fuel of innovation, disruption, and billions of success stories. From globally recognised market leaders to budding entrepreneurs, venture capitalists are the winners of the business world. But for most small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in countries like Sri Lanka, venture capital is more of a dream. SMEs are widely identified as [...]
Central Bank cracks down on domestic dollar transactions
The Central Bank this week cautioned against the rising tendency among residents of Sri Lanka to make domestic transactions using foreign currencies. This is seen as a flagrant violation of the law as highlighted by the Central Bank. In a recent clarification, it asserted, “all transactions executed between or among residents in Sri Lanka shall [...]
Keells Nexus introduces an all new Loyalty App
Keells, in a customer experience with the relaunch of Keells Nexus, has introduce an all-new loyalty app. For 25 years, Keells Nexus has been at the heart of Sri Lankan retail, pioneering coalition loyalty and even introducing mobile-based loyalty as early as 2014. The loyalty program is building on this legacy, combining state-of-the-art technology with [...]
Sri Lanka’s Mark and Comm celebrates 15 years of existence
Mark and Comm (Pvt) Ltd, one of Sri Lanka’s leading independent public relations and communications agencies, celebrated 15 years of operations last month, marking a decade and a half of solving real business problems through strategic communications. Founded in January 2011 by Thanzyl Thajudeen, the agency has built its reputation on a fundamental principle: communications [...]
Mercedes-Benz Club displays world record 635 cars
The Mercedes-Benz Club of Sri Lanka recently successfully hosted a historic gathering of 635 Mercedes-Benz vehicles, as officially verified and certified by BDO Partners Chartered Accountants, establishing a new benchmark for the largest gathering of Mercedes-Benz cars in the world in one location, at the Mercedes-Benz Pageant 2025 held in Colombo. The milestone gains added [...]
Mild Earth introduces ‘Wild Mist Water’
Sri Lanka may give the world another refreshing hot beverage, this one brewed from some of the country’s most iconic spices, that could, in time, match the country’s best-known export, tea, thanks to the vision of an enterprising young marketing professional. ‘Wild Mist Water’ unveiled at an appropriately styled ‘quiet reveal’ in Colombo 7 this [...]
LOLC Finance supports overseas employment financing
LOLC Finance PLC has entered into a strategic partnership with the Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Bureau (SLECIC), marking a significant step towards strengthening financial support mechanisms for Sri Lankans seeking overseas employment. Under this collaboration, SLECIC, through its APARA scheme, will provide a credit guarantee covering Cost of Passage Advances extended by LOLC Finance [...]
Moose merchandise partner for SL World Cup matches
Moose Clothing Company has been appointed the Official Merchandise Licensing Partner in Sri Lanka for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 now underway in Sri Lanka and India. Under this partnership, Moose is authorised to design, manufacture, and retail officially licensed ICC merchandise for the Sri Lankan market. This allows fans to access authentic, [...]
ComBank offers Google Pay for Mastercard cardholders
The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has reaffirmed its leadership in technology, innovation and the delivery of the most advanced banking experiences to customers by reaching another milestone in Sri Lanka’s digital payment landscape with the introduction of Google Pay support for its Mastercard debit and credit cardholders, in collaboration with Mastercard and Google. With this [...]
Sinopec expands fuel station network
Sinopec has expanded its fuel station network with three upgraded fuel stations and one brand-new station in Anuradhapura, marking a major milestone in the company’s nationwide expansion in support of the national Clean Sri Lanka initiative.
Re-Circle by Cleantech recognised under Best Project Sustainability Category by Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
Sri Lanka’s first ever full-cycle plastic recycling project, Re-Circle, which was launched in 2025 by Cleantech with a view of transforming post-consumer waste into 100% recycled, locally manufactured products of Dustpans and female sanitary bins, was recently awarded the merit recognition under the Best Project Sustainability Awards 2025 at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious [...]