Fewer train commuters on Wednesday
Owing to the compulsory, fuel-crisis-related government holiday declared every Wednesday, there were just a few commuters at the Colombo Fort Railway Station. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Fuel Crisis: Market pricing, targeted subsidies ahead
Sri Lanka’s long-troubled fuel sector is once again under scrutiny, as policymakers and energy analysts push for a decisive break from the QR rationing system and loss-making price controls. A new reform model centred on market-driven pricing and targeted cash subsidies is emerging as the most viable path to ensure stability, equity, and fiscal discipline, [...]
Profit-taking, portfolio adjustments weather Gulf geopolitics
While panic retail selling is often blamed for immediate volatility in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), institutional selling, especially by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), is often the primary driver of major declines in highly capitalised stocks. Foreigners have steadily been net sellers on the CSE, with net foreign selling exceeding Rs. 51 billion in 2020 [...]
Hormuz closure threatens SL’s food security
Sri Lanka is facing a critical fertiliser crisis, as well as food and commodity import issues due to the Gulf conflict and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This situation has triggered severe shipment disruptions and rapid price spikes for essential agricultural inputs and food imports. Sri Lanka could be among the worst [...]
Tourism eyes marketing push as “economic crash” looms
With the tourism industry seeing around 25 per cent cancellations the industry wants to project the country as a safe and secure destination for business or leisure as the sector braces for a fallout from the war in West Asia. Former Hotels Association President M. Shanthikumar said they have received cancellations amounting to around 25 [...]
Colombo Port bunker fuel supplies steady
The Colombo Port is said to be closely monitoring its bunker fuel supplies as the price in the world market continues to rise and supplies remain tight amidst global tensions as a result of supply route blockages. Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake said the bunker fuel supplies at the tank farm [...]
An unwinnable war!
Uncertainty! That is the frightening scenario Sri Lanka and many countries are facing, this time unlike Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic meltdown, as no one can predict – apart from US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – when the war in West Asia will end. In 2022, Sri Lanka’s economy was shattered [...]
External shocks and internal buffers
Storms do not strike everyone the same way. For a strong and healthy person, a sudden downpour may be little more than an inconvenience—a sprint through the rain, wet cloths, and a story to tell. But for a feeble and sick person, the same storm can be exhausting, even dangerous, leaving the person shaken long [...]
Fuel rationing
A worker seen at a fuel station in Colombo. Sri Lanka has resorted to fuel rationing owing to a global fuel crisis. Pic by Akila Jayawardena
Crypto fraud storm faces regulatory overdrive
The Government has taken significant steps to regulate crypto currency, primarily to address money laundering and financial crimes ahead of a 2026 international mutual evaluation by the Asia-Pacific Group (APG) on money laundering, Finance Ministry sources confirmed. A specialised integrated data system is to be developed linking the Central Bank, Sri Lanka Police, and the [...]
Digital service provider selection next month
The Information and Communication Technology Agency’s Request for Information (RFI) submissions for the procurement process in selecting the Managed Service Provider (MSP) for the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity project ended recently, with the evaluation for the MSP being within a month, top officials said. “We hope to select an MSP within a month,” Chief [...]
Oil, Inflation and the QR System
Recent unrest in West Asia has raised concerns that Sri Lanka may face a shortage of oil supply. Because oil plays such a central role in the economy—powering transportation, construction, electricity generation, and many other activities—many observers expect that such a shortage will inevitably lead to inflation. This expectation is commonly explained through the idea [...]
Commercial Credit and Finance PLC 1st place in K Seeds ranking
K Seeds Investments has identified Commercial Credit and Finance PLC as the best performing finance company under the 1st category among the 30 listed finance companies in Sri Lanka through a ranking carried out based on their financial performance for the third quarter of 2025/26. The report segregates the finance companies based on the size [...]
People’s Bank launches SL’s largest Rs. 25 b debenture
People’s Bank has reached a significant milestone with the successful completion of Sri Lanka’s largest debenture issue, mobilising Rs. 25 billion through a Basel III compliant, Tier 2, Unlisted, Rated, Unsecured, Subordinated, Redeemable Debenture. This issuance represents the highest amount raised through a debenture issue in Sri Lanka, across both senior and subordinated instruments, whether [...]
Selvern Trust introduces spoken English learning app
A new digital learning initiative aimed at strengthening workplace communication has been launched with the introduction of SELVE, a spoken English application developed by the Selvern Trust. The app uses artificial intelligence (AI) to guide users through interactive conversations designed to improve confidence in spoken English. SELVE is now available for download on both the [...]
Why the Israel–Iran conflict matters to Sri Lanka’s trade
The escalating confrontation between Israel and Iran is increasingly becoming more than a regional military crisis. Its ripple effects are beginning to reach global trade networks, maritime transport routes and energy markets. For a trade-dependent island economy like Sri Lanka, the consequences of a prolonged conflict could be significant. At the centre of global concern [...]
ComBank – Patron of two Working Groups of UNGC Network Sri Lanka
The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has taken a leadership role in advancing key sustainability priorities of the United Nations Global Compact Network Sri Lanka by becoming a Patron of Network Sri Lanka’s ‘Diversity & Inclusion’ and ‘Water & Ocean Stewardship’ Working Groups. The bank formalised this landmark commitment through the signing of a two-year Memorandum [...]
Ceylinco Life’s Annual Report wins double honours
Ceylinco Life has secured two accolades for its 2024 Annual Report, reaffirming the company’s leadership in transparent, accountable and sustainability-driven corporate reporting. At the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Sri Lanka Sustainability Reporting Awards, Ceylinco Life emerged winner in the ‘Other Financial Services’ category for the second time. Organised by the ACCA, one of [...]
Hatch concludes 2nd Cohort of Govi Lab AgriTech Accelerator
Hatch, an innovation and entrepreneurship platform, this week announced the successful conclusion of the second cohort of its GoviLab AgriTech Accelerator programme, run in partnership with the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement. The programme is designed to champion technological innovation and scale-up high-potential solutions within Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector, with a specific focus on uplifting smallholder farmers. [...]
Highest-ever profit by NSB in 2025
National Savings Bank Group (NSB) in 2025 has recorded its highest-ever profit with the group’s Profit After Tax (PAT) showing a 61 per cent increase to Rs. 28.2 billion, from 2024. “This outstanding performance underscores NSB’s pivotal role in sustaining public trust within Sri Lanka’s financial system,” the bank said in a media release. Total [...]
Capital Trust Properties’ Minoli Wickramasinghe recognised in UK awards
Capital Trust Properties Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Minoli Wickramasinghe, has received the ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Real Estate Industry’ recognition at the House of Commons, Parliament of the United Kingdom in an event organised by the World School Summit and Cluster of Achievers. “This recognition is a reflection of the standards our teams hold [...]
Colour Coating Lanka conducts technical session
Colour Coatings Lanka Ltd, which represents WACKER METROARK -Gmbh (Germany) in Sri Lanka, organised a technical session recently at Water’s Edge with the participation of more than 80 research & development heads (R&D) and owners of construction and coatings industries in Sri Lanka. It was conducted by Dr. Saliya Udapitiya, fellow member of Royal Society [...]
IMF mission in SL next week
An IMF staff team will visit Sri Lanka from March 26 to April 9, 2026, to hold discussions with the authorities on the combined fifth and sixth reviews of Sri Lanka’s reform programme supported by the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF), the agency stated on Friday. The IMF team will communicate its decision at the [...]
Nestle Lanka marks 120 years
Nestle Lanka has completed 120 years of operations in Sri Lanka, marking a milestone that reflects both the longevity of multinational food companies in the local market and the changing nature of the country’s consumer and manufacturing landscape. The company traces its presence in Sri Lanka back to 1906. Over time, it has expanded its [...]
Digital transactions to help Indians in SL
NPCI International Payments Ltd is enhancing the acceptance of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Sri Lanka to enable digital payments for Indian tourists and propel the local digital economy. UPI is a real-time payments platform which facilitates instant interbank transactions for fund transfers and merchant payments. With over 700 million QR touchpoints in India, [...]
The Iran war could trigger a global food crisis
MEXICO CITY/ WASHINGTON, DC – Since the start of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, only a handful of the 100 vessels that once transited the Strait of Hormuz each day have managed to pass through. Now, with Iran reportedly laying sea mines in the narrow waterway, the possibility of its closure lasting days – or [...]
EV Batteries vs ICE Engines
As Sri Lanka’s largest electric vehicle portfolio provider, Evolution Auto has initiated a fact-based national conversation around one of the most critical aspects of electric vehicle ownership: battery health and longevity. Consumers who are switching from petrol and diesel vehicles remain hesitant, despite the growing interest in electric mobility. How long the battery will last [...]
HNB celebrates triple wins at Effie’s
HNB PLC secured three accolades at the Effie Awards Sri Lanka 2026, reaffirming its position as a leader in creative, effective, and impactful marketing campaigns. The global Effie Awards are premier global accolades honoring the most effective marketing communication campaigns that drive tangible business results. In a media release, HNB said its achievements were driven [...]
Allianz Lanka joins Insurance Data Repository
Allianz Lanka has taken an important step forward in strengthening industry-wide data governance and risk intelligence by joining the national Insurance Data Repository initiative. The company formalised its participation through the signing of the Insurance Data Repository subscription agreement with the Credit Information Bureau of Sri Lanka, under the guidance and oversight of the Insurance [...]
DFCC, Chrysalis to help female entrepreneurs
DFCC Bank PLC (DFCC Bank), through its women-focused proposition DFCC Aloka, has partnered with Chrysalis to expand financial access, business capacity, and market opportunities for women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises across Sri Lanka. The bank said in a media release that the collaboration brings together DFCC Bank’s financial expertise and enterprise support with Chrysalis’ [...]
SL flavours by 3 iconic beverage families
Three family-led beverage pioneers, with Sri Lankan roots, have come together to celebrate the island’s rich flavours and ingredients through Three Families, an innovative collaboration that recently launched in Sri Lanka with special events in Colombo and Galle. Bringing together the Rockland Group and Mr Lyan, alongside tea expertise from Dilmah, Three Families introduces a [...]