Pan Asia Bank, CPM Sri Lanka to empower 500 entrepreneurs across the country

Accelerating its strong support for the Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) sector in Sri Lanka, Pan Asia Bank partnered with the Institute of Chartered Professional Managers of Sri Lanka’s practical programme titled, ‘We support you to achieve your business goals’ to upskill 500 entrepreneurs from all over the country. The inaugural event was held on 17th January at the BMICH in Colombo with the participation of hundreds of entrepreneurs at d

CCC partners with Academics Group to offer Miami Ad School’s Skill-Up Programmes

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce announced a partnership with Academics Group, to deliver Miami Ad School’s Skill-Up programmes designed to enhance employee skills and drive innovation in the business landscape. The Ceylon Chamber together with cross-sector education think-tank Academics Group will bring transformative skill-up programmes to professional development and creative excellence in Sri Lanka, delivering programmes designed around the big

Nebula Institute drives transformative educational shift

Recognised for offering world-class educational solutions in building Sri Lanka’s knowledge economy, the SLT Training Centre (SLTTC), the education arm of SLT-Mobitel, has transformed into the ‘SLT- Mobitel Nebula Institute of Technology’, providing students with a greater competitive edge in becoming future-ready IT and engineering professionals while bolstering the country’s training and educational sector. The unveiling of the new brand resona

FTZMA partners with MAS to tackle plastic pollution in Negombo lagoon

Free Trade Zone Manufacturers Association (FTZMA), a sole trade chamber of BOI companies in Sri Lanka has collaborated with the MAS Foundation for Change, which is an independent non-profit organisation under MAS holdings, to address the issue of plastic pollution in two locations in the Negombo Lagoon area. The MAS Foundation for Change actively works to overcome the pressing social and environmental challenges of biodiversity loss, ocean pollu

First Capital celebrates double win at SLIM Brand Excellence Awards

First Capital Holdings PLC has achieved a significant milestone by clinching two awards at the SLIM Brand Excellence Awards 2023, marking its debut at the award ceremony. The company’s outstanding brand performance in the capital market sector was recognized in the B2B Brand of the Year category, earning the Silver award, and the Turnaround Brand of the Year category, earning the Bronze award. The SLIM Brand Excellence Awards is a distinguished

Grand 7 Hotel & Restaurant shines at Pinnacle Awards

Grand 7 Hotel & Restaurant and its proprietor Chinthaka Jeewantha Wijesekara were adjudged as the Best Hotel and Restaurants Chain of the Year 2023 (Large Scale) and the Best Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 (Hotel and Restaurant Sector) at the Pinnacle Sri Lanka Awards 2023 held at Galle Face Hotel. The Grand 7 Group operates two Tourist Board classified star class hotels serving foreign tourists and Sri Lankan clientele. The chain’s continental r

Heritance Hotels & Resorts unveils ‘Trails of Bawa’ Tour

Heritance Hotels and Resorts, the premier flagship brand of Aitken Spence Hotels, unveiled the Trails of Bawa Tour during the Galle Literary Festival held recently. This captivating journey was unveiled at the session titled ‘Preserving and re-narrating modern Sri Lankan cultural histories’, featuring the insights of Channa Daswatte, Sunela Jayewardene, and Johann Peiris, proudly sponsored by Heritance Hotels and Resorts. The tour, Trails of Ba

Bairaha Farms secures double victory at Global Brand Awards

Sri Lanka’s leading chicken processor Bairaha Farms PLC clinched two awards at the recently concluded Global Brand Awards 2023 held in Singapore cementing its reputation as a trailblazer in the field of Agriculture and FMCG. This remarkable achievement underscores Bairaha Farms’ unwavering commitment to excellence and innovative practices. Bairaha Farms PLC emerged victorious in not one but two significant categories; a testament to the company’s

98 Acres Resort & Spa marks 12th anniversary

98 Acres Resort and Spa, an elegant luxury boutique hotel, that stands on a scenic 98 acre tea estate, surrounded by a stunning landscape in Ella, commemorated its 12th anniversary recently. 98 Acres Resort and Spa, a trailblazer in showcasing Ella as a top-tier destination, has also transformed the landscape of the region, creating jobs and setting a trend of sustainable luxury. To commemorate the property’s 12th anniversary, an event was held w

Purpose-driven brands critical for ‘RUPTered’ world, says reputation mgt. specialist

A perceptive foretaste of the reputational challenges that await businesses and brand builders in a world that is Rapid, Uncertain, Polarised and Tangled (RUPT) was provided to a corporate audience in Colombo at a thought leadership forum organised by the Public Relations Association of Sri Lanka (PRASL). The presenter was the globally-renowned reputation management specialist Ashwani Singla, the Founding Managing Partner of Astrum, India’s first

Vessel calls at HIP surge 132% YoY

Over 300 oil and gas cargo vessels visited the Hambantota International Port (HIP) in 2023, recording a 132 percent increase in vessel calls compared to 2022.

Resignations at SLT as Board overhaul begins

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) yesterday saw its Board members resign after President Ranil Wickremesinghe directed the Treasury Secretary last week to reconstitute the Board with immediate effect.

IMF backed high tax regime could give further rise to informal economy: Dr. Palmer

A top free market capitalist this week cautioned that the current International Monetary Fund (IMF)-backed high tax regime could give further rise to informal economy​ in Sri Lanka, thereby slowing down the economic recovery and ultimately narrowing the tax base.

SMEs should embrace strategic innovation at the earliest: ACCA

As the recent back-to-back crises have left numerous SMEs in Sri Lanka fighting for their existence, with many having....

Institute of National Credit Insurance to commence operations

Small and medium-scale entrepreneurs will receive some breathing space going forward with the Cabinet green-lighting....

Adani Power company sees consolidated power sale volume surge 82% YoY in 3Q24

Adani Power Ltd. (APL), a part of Adani portfolio companies, saw its consolidated power sale volume reach 21.5 billion Unit....

Commercial Bank to raise Rs.20 bn via debentures

Commercial Bank of Ceylon said it has obtained the necessary regulatory and shareholder approval raise Rs. 20 billion ....

Authorities could go harder on those using personal accounts for business

The Central Bank gave a warning to businesses using personal accounts for financial transactions and said the practice is considered....

Banking Act amendments to be gazetted

The bill amending the Banking Act will be gazetted soon, the Department of Government Information said. The Cabinet....

Tackling trials and targeting triumphs! Sri Lanka Tourism

From the tumultuous decades of conflict to the devastating Easter attacks, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has weathered....

USAID, CCC, SLEDB collaborate to boost regional SME exports

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Partnership for Accelerating Results in Trade, National Expenditure....

Cost accounting takes centre stage with CMA

In a landmark event to highlight the importance of cost accounting, the Institute of Certified Management Accountants....

LB Finance recognised both locally and internationally in 2023

LB Finance PLC, one of the leading financial institutions in Sri Lanka, saw its annual report winning a plethora of awards....

Vallibel Finance relocates to grandeur address in Kandy

Blazing a new trail as Sri Lanka’s most respected finance company, Vallibel Finance relocated its branch in Kandy to a new....

Yara Technologies enters African market, targets rapidly-growing fintech market

Yara Technologies, Sri Lanka’s premier edfintech company, expanded into the African market by partnering with Meus....

How generative AI in construction will level-up design and collaboration

AI is a hot topic, including conversations about AI chat services, 2D and 3D image generation from text, and even AI architectural design. Interactive AI chatbots like ChatGPT show the technology’s new applications—and shows the new precision of AI. Though the mechanism has been around for some time, the fluent and natural responses of generative AI can learn data patterns and relationships to generate new content. AI is also

Alumex ends exceptional year with multiple industry accolades for export performance

Alumex PLC, a prominent player in the aluminium extrusion industry, capped off an exceptional 2023 year with great successes, clinching over 14 awards in the past year, affirming their leadership in shaping Sri Lanka’s export landscape and commitment to governance, sustainability, and business excellence. At the 25th Presidential Export Awards 2023 Alumex received the coveted title of ‘Overall Emerging Exporter of the Year 2021/2022’ and a merit

Havelock City’s final units available with exclusive HNB Home Loans

HNB PLC recently partnered with Havelock City, the premier mixed-use development project, to facilitate convenient home ownership for the limited selection of completed residential units available in its final phase. The partnership will provide exclusive home loan facilities to buyers who are interested in owning a luxury apartment in Havelock City. Commenting on the collaboration, HNB Assistant General Manager – Personal Financial Services Kanc

Land price movement at its flattest in many years

During the firm’s extensive 21 years of tracking land prices in Sri Lanka, the current period stands out as the flattest so far, an analysis by Research Intelligence Unit (RIU) showed. In the aftermath of the economic crisis, it said it noted that the anticipated rebound in land prices has proven to be a more sluggish than first expected.  The research firm that specializes in the Sri Lankan real estate market said that the average land prices i

WB-funded Financial Sector Modernisation Project in SL ends with bulk of funds unused, disappointing results

The World Bank (WB)-funded US $ 75 million Sri Lanka Financial Sector Modernisation Project has largely ended up in failure, with a vast majority of funds remaining unutilised, a completion and results report revealed. The project was aimed at enhancing financial market efficiency and use of financial services among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and individuals. “… outcome was highly unsatisfactory, Bank performance was unsatisfacto