Message by the High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Major General (Retd) Muhammad Saad Khattak on the occasion of Independence Day of Pakistan 14th August 2021

On the occasion of 75th Independence Day of Pakistan, THE DIAMOND JUBILEE, it gives me great pleasure to convey greetings and best wishes from the government and people of Pakistan to the government and friendly people of Sri Lanka.

Trade gap widens for fourth consecutive month in June

The trade deficit continued to widen for the fourth consecutive month in June on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, as imports grew at a faster pace, driven by consumer and investment goods, surpassing the pre-COVID levels, despite a decline in the fuel import bill and import restrictions in place.

ICC appoints Dinal Phillips as Int’l Court of Arbitration member

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) recently appointed Dinal Phillips PC to serve as a member of the International Court of Arbitration for the period 2021-2024.

Sri Lanka pavilion takes shape for Expo 2020 Dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai, one of the largest and most prestigious global events of its kind originally set to take place last year, is now rescheduled to be held for a period of six months starting October 1, until March 31, 2022.

Softlogic Life coasts to 9.2bn GWP in first half with 43% growth

Softlogic Life recorded a superior first half performance in a pandemic-affected business landscape, posting a gross written premium (GWP) of Rs.9,183 million during the six months ending on June 30, 2021,

SLT-MOBITEL’s ‘The Embryo’ to build digital solutions for Sri Lanka

SLT-MOBITEL, the national ICT solutions, telecommunications and mobile services provider, recently established ‘The Embryo’, the SLT group’s pioneering research and development initiative.

Supreme TV broadens telecast islandwide

Supreme TV, Sri Lanka’s latest Sinhala TV channel, has expanded islandwide, joining the fight against COVID-19’s adverse impact on the nation’s education sector.

Tourism industry shares proposals with govt. on Act amendment

The tourism industry stakeholders shared with the government this week proposals to take into account when amending the Tourism Act, so that the sector does not take another hit.

Cargills reaffirms pledge to environment through ‘Breath of Life’ campaign

With the sustainable wellbeing of the environment at heart, Cargills (Ceylon) PLC launched the ‘Breath of Life’ campaign and pledged to plant as many trees as possible within Colombo and across the country.

News Publisher pledges to plant a tree for every new client

News Publisher, a modern era Corporate Communications Agency, driven by industry veterans who have mastered the pros of an agency offering, announced the partnership with ‘Breathe’ to facilitate reforestation in rural areas around the island-nation of Sri Lanka.

Empowerment of women and youth to enable positive social change through social enterprises

The ‘Enterprise’ project is funded by the European Union and implemented by Care Germany in partnership with British Counciland Chrysalis.

Grit Foundation changing lives of people in need in Sri Lanka

Grit Property Group Australia is a licensed property consultancy company with its Head Office located in Melbourne, Australia and its international branches located in Sri Lanka and India.

Unidil makes donation to Covid Intensive Care Unit of Gampaha District Hospital

Unidil, the largest corrugated carton manufacturer in Sri Lanka, in yet another community support initiative has made a donation of Negative Pressure Ventilation System to the Covid Intensive Care Unit of Gampaha District Hospital at a cost of Rs. 1.2 million.

IREX/MEND Spotlight Program on Investigative Journalism – Applications open now

IREX’s Media Empowerment for a Democratic Sri Lanka (MEND) Program will support a limited group of senior journalists to conduct investigative reports on issues of ethnic, religious, or regional importance, promoting reconciliation and peace. IREX/MEND’s Spotlight initiative hopes to bring attention to untold stories and create a network of Investigative Journalists in Sri Lanka.

NDB felicitated at International Finance Awards 2021

National Development Bank PLC (NDB) was awarded Best Islamic Finance Bank – Sri Lanka 2021 and the Best Project and Infrastructure Finance Bank – Sri Lanka 2021, at the International Finance Awards 2021.

KPMG SL recognised as LMD Most Respected Entity financial services sector winner

KPMG Sri Lanka has been recognised as LMD Most Respected Entity – sector winner for financial services sector.

Sampath Bank offers rates up to 7% through Special Deposit Account

Inviting individuals and organisations around the world to invest their foreign currency savings in Sri Lanka and earn greater returns, Sampath Bank is offering highly attractive rates of up to 7 percent through the Sampath Special Deposit Account.

Fitch Ratings affirms DFCC Bank’s National Long-Term Rating at ‘A+(lka)’

Reflecting DFCC Bank’s unparalleled positioning as one the strongest contenders in the banking and financial services sector of Sri Lanka, Fitch Ratings has affirmed DFCC Bank’s National Long-Term Rating at ‘A+(lka)’.

Hela plans Rs.4bn IPO on CSE to fund growth here and Africa

One of the fastest growing apparel manufacturers in Africa, Sri Lanka-headquartered Hela Apparel Holdings plans to raise up to Rs.4 billion (US$ 20 million) by offering 20 percent stake in the company through an initial public offering (IPO) on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) to fund growth initiatives in Sri Lanka and Africa, including its immediate expansion into Egypt.

BOI seeks private-sector professionals to its newly formed specialised unit

The Board of Investment (BOI) has commenced recruiting professionals from the private sector on contract basis to a newly formed specialised unit with a view to gain much-needed competitive strength against leading regional international promotion agencies (IPA) to secure targeted foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to the country.

Sugath Gunasekera bids farewell to Bank of Ceylon

Bank of Ceylon’s General Manager D.P.K. Gunasekera better known as Sugath Gunasekera to his peers in the banking industry is to retire from Bank of Ceylon upon reaching mandatory retirement age.

Debutant JAT Holdings share closes below offer price

The debutant JAT Holding share yesterday failed to impress investors as the share closed below the issue price.

Poultry producers struggle with shortage of feed and sharp rise in costs

Demand for poultry produce such as chicken rebounded faster than expected since the end of lockdowns last year, boding extremely well for the large scale poultry producers’ top and bottom lines, but they now contend with scarce local feed and sharper cost rises in imported poultry feed among others, which have threatened their margins and profits.

Aitken Spence records strong 1Q with significant contributions from non-tourism sectors

Aitken Spence PLC made an impressive comeback in the first quarter ending 30th June 2021 (1Q22) by recording a 145 percent increase in profit before tax (PBT) of Rs. 1.2 billion compared to Rs.513 million in the previous year from the non-tourism sectors.

ComBank 2Q profit soars despite surge in loss provisions

Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC pushed growth with more vigour during the three months to June 2021 (2Q21) as the largest private sector lender gave more loans, improved asset quality and margins to deliver some robust financial performance.

Fresh EU review on Sri Lanka’s GSP Plus facility next month

Sri Lanka’s compliance to the conventions laid out by the European Union (EU) will come under fresh review next month as a mission is scheduled to arrive in the country to ascertain whether Sri Lanka has done enough to retain the GSP Plus concession.

Bitulink Emulsion celebrates 15th anniversary

Bitulink Emulsion (Pvt.) Ltd, a leading supplier of bitumen and related products needed for road development projects, celebrated its 15th anniversary on June 22.

CBL and UNDP Sri Lanka enter into MoU with farmers at heart of green development

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CBL Investments Limited to support and encourage private sector stewardship and innovation on green development, towards operationalising a green recovery.

Samsung Sri Lanka launches 2021 Neo QLED 8K line

Samsung, Sri Lanka’s leading consumer electronics brand, launched its 2021 Neo QLED 8K line-up, which features technological breakthroughs that deliver immersive and true-to-life viewing experiences like never before.

Sparklink Travels achieves 42 years of travel excellence

Sparklink Travels celebrates its 42nd anniversary of providing travel excellence in Sri Lanka.