High-level Chinese delegation to visit Sri Lanka

To mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and Sri Lanka, a high ranking ministerial level delegation will visit Sri Lanka in March and April this year, Cultural Attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Colombo, Liu Dong, told reporters yesterday. 

IPS calls for index-based climate insurance products for Lankan farmers

Amid reports that two thirds of the main Maha season paddy crops this year have been destroyed due to weather anomalies, the state-run policy think tank,Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), called for index-based climate insurance products to be developed for Sri Lanka’s farmers.

Ravi K wants inefficient politicians, bureaucracy out

Professionals should not allow bureaucrats and inefficient politicians to disrupt ongoing development drive, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said.

Rupee ends slightly weaker on importer dollar demand

REUTERS: The Sri Lankan rupee ended slightly weaker yesterday as importer dollar demand outpaced mild greenback sales by exporters, while the market expects the downward pressure to continue until some steady foreign inflows come in, dealers said.

StanChart recommends SL to continue with IMF reform programme

A team of economists from the Standard Chartered Bank yesterday ‘strongly recommended’ Sri Lanka continuing with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and strengthening the country’s foreign reserve base to face turbulent times forecasted globally.  

Jaguar Land Rover Takes Centre Stage at the CMTA Motor Show

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) returns to Sri Lanka’s largest automotive event, the CMTA MOTORSHOW 2017, with the local debut of the All-new Jaguar F-PACE

Four lessons from Pakistan-China FTA for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is currently engaged in trade negotiations with China and five rounds of talks have taken place to date with the expectation of concluding discussions in mid-2017. Whilst such negotiations are ongoing, it would be prudent for Sri Lanka to examine the experience of one of its neighbours, Pakistan with its free trade agreement (FTA) with China to draw lessons before finalising the agreement. 

Trump and the United States at the crossroads in Asia

Placing his palm on the same Bible that President Lincoln used at his inauguration, Donald J. Trump was sworn in amid pomp and protest as the 45th president of the United States on January 20.

MTI releases 2017 Business Outlook Survey

For the sixth consecutive year, MTI Consulting in partnership with Daily FT, Daily Mirror and Sunday Times, has concluded the MTI CEO Business Outlook Survey, collectively outlining the Sri Lankan business community’s perception for the state of business in 2017. 

Sri Lanka-Indonesia Business Council Bids Farewell to its Patron and Outgoing Indonesian Ambassador

The Sri Lanka-Indonesia Business Council (SLIBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce organized a farewell for The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Sri Lanka,

Arpico goes green with new eco-friendly Supercentre at Kohuwala

The shopping experience in the Kohuwala area is scaling new heights following the opening of a spanking new, environment-friendly hypermarket in the heart of the suburb by Arpico.

Singer Sri Lanka tops LMD’s Trading Company category

LMD business magazine ranked the performance of Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC, as First in the Trading Companies category for the year 2015/16 (year ended December 2015 and March 2016).  The ranking was released in December 2016.  

SLIBC bids farewell to outgoing Indonesian Ambassador

The Sri Lanka-Indonesia Business Council (SLIBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce organized a farewell for the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Sri Lanka, Harimawan Suyitno, at the Hilton Colombo Residences recently. 

Abans introduces new range of toxic-free, space-saving furniture

The unique Otello collection at Abans provides the perfect toxic-free solution for homeowners who desire both modern, eclectic style and extra storage space in their living rooms. 

Bodyline remains greenest group of apparel factories

Marking its fifth year as a CarbonConscious company, Bodyline - Sri Lanka’s leading apparel group, renewed its certification making it the first sustainability milestone under its new leadership. The company recently appointed Dinesh de Silva as CEO to spearhead Bodyline’s operations, and joining him on the directorial board is Surath Chandrasena, who has been appointed as Director Finance & Sustainability of Bodyline. 

BOI scheme to engage outstation job seekers shows great success

The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Ministry of Strategic Development and International Trade, District Secretary office, Kurunegala and the Export Development Board organized a job fair at Sir John Kotalawela College in Kurunegala recently. 

Bodyline Remains the Greenest Group of Apparel Factories

Marking its fifth year as a CarbonConscious® company, Bodyline - Sri Lanka’s leading apparel group - renewed its certification making it the first sustainability

Monetary Board to probe EPF’s G-sec dealings

The Monetary Board of the Central Bank yesterday announced that an internal inquiry is underway to look into the transactions made by the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) in government securities (G-sec) during 2015 and 2016.

National inflation in Dec. accelerates to 4.2%

Inflation, as measured by the change in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI), which is compiled by the Census and Statistics Department, increased marginally to 4.2 percent in December 2016 from 4.1 percent in November 2016, on an year-on-year (YoY) basis. 

Airtel to invest more in networks and capacity building in Sri Lanka

Bharti Airtel, the Indian mobile network operator said that they will continue to invest in networks and capacity building in Sri Lanka, and expressed its commitment to empower the youth in Sri Lanka, at their eighth anniversary celebration held in Colombo last week.

OPPO honoured by IDG as 2016-2017 top global smartphone brand

OPPO which has been making great strides in Sri Lanka lately, won two honours from International Data Group (IDG) at a ceremony hosted on Jan. 6 as part of Las Vegas’ annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). 

Dantanarayana appointed Country Sales Head for Hitachi Data Systems

Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. announced the appointment of Milan Dantanarayana as Country Sales Head for Sri Lanka. 

Oracle Cloud Platform backs high-performance applications

Continuing its rich history of delivering game-changing cloud services, Oracle unveiled new enhancements to the Oracle Cloud Platform, making it even more compelling for customers to move business-critical applications to the cloud. 

Orient Finance gets shareholder nod to raise Rs.400mn via rights issue

The shareholders approved a move by Orient Finance PLC, a Janashakthi group subsidiary, to raise up to Rs.400 million via a rights issue to strengthen its Tier II capital, during an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held yesterday. 

President Trump and getting on the front foot in Asia

The inauguration of the 45th US President, Donald Trump, is a game-changer and the fallout threatens Asian interests perhaps more than those in any other part of the world.

What we need to do to ensure FTAs don’t go begging

At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe stated that Sri Lanka would soon have access to four major markets. He requested local and international investors start ventures in Sri Lanka. The proposed free trade arrangements (FTA) with India, China and Singapore would potentially give investors access to three billion people. 

Support for agriculture – A great opportunity

A news item (Island, January 19) gave the welcome news that the World Bank has signed a credit line to provide Sri Lanka with US $ 125 million to make the sector “more efficient and attractive, more responsive to consumer demand and more environmentally sustainable and resilient to climate change”.

Prof. Hausmann highlights importance of technology for economic development

Prof. Ricardo Hausmann of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, who visited Sri Lanka to follow-up on a programme to build capacity among senior officials at the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, the Export Development Board and Tourism Authority, held a lecture at the BMICH recently.  

World Economic Forum interested in holding summit here: minister

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has expressed its interest in exploring the possibility of holding an economic summit in Sri Lanka in 2018, Digital Technology Development Minister Harin Fernando said yesterday. 

Bloomberg ranks Sri Lanka among highest risk countries for investors

Sri Lanka has been ranked among the highest risk countries in the world for investors by Bloomberg, which analysed as many as 29 indicators covering financial, economic and political risks.