Asian Alliance Insurance recognized by IATA-AASL for contribution to members

For its commitment and contribution to its members, Asian Alliance Insurance PLC has been recognized by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) Agents’ Association of Sri Lanka (AASL) at the IATA-AASL Annual General Meeting (AGM) recently.

SLIM Brand Excellence holds series of workshops for campaign participants

Three workshops under the topic of “How to craft and winning entry for Brand Excellence” were organized by SLIM as part of this years SLIM Brand Excellence campaign.

Singapore to shame other errant banks after 1MDB saga

AFP - Singapore’s Central Bank chief vowed yesterday to name and shame other banks engaged in money-laundering after a scandal involving Malaysian state fund 1MDB hurt the city-state’s financial reputation.

Foreign Minister explains govt.’s 3-pillar strategy at COYLE meeting

In his opening statement at the General Meeting held at Hilton Colombo Residencies, Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE) Chairman Kasun Rajapaksa applauded the Foreign Minister on his contribution in improving relationships with the West while inquiring about the impact of Brexit on the Sri Lankan economy and particularly the business sector.

Kelani Cables employees conferred with Annual CEO’s Award for Sales Excellence

Kelani Cables PLC, Sri Lanka’s number one brand in secure electrical and communication cables, honoured its outstanding sales persons with the CEO’s Award. 

Let’s make opening ceremonies more productive

Sri Lanka is well known for prolonged and unproductive opening ceremonies. We desperately need a new culture where opening ceremonies are short, precise, productive and focused to achieve the desired objective. Opening ceremonies are of varied types and are held for different purposes but there are some common aspects which we could quite easily improve.

Asian markets drift as dealers await bank meetings

AFP - Asian equity traders moved cautiously yesterday as another record close on Wall Street was offset by wariness ahead of Central Bank meetings in Japan and the United States this week. The bank policymakers’ gatherings are the first since last month’s shock vote in Britain to leave the European Union, which led to promises around the world to provide support to financial markets. The pledges have fanned a surge across global marke

Latest IPS study calls for new definition for urbanization in Sri Lanka

The existing urban population estimate in Sri Lanka fails to reflect the true level of urbanization due to the inappropriate definition that has been adopted. A new Working Paper launched by the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS) develops an alternative definition for urban areas in the country, to reconcile the mismatch between actual and existing estimates. To this end, the study reviews definitions adopted in other countries and an

KasiWasi coupons, discounts app launched for tech-savvy shoppers

KasiWasi, the country’s newest and most technologically innovative and efficient mobile app for shoppers, recently launched its services to offer consumers the convenience of obtaining coupons and discounts via their mobile phone, for a variety of categories including shopping, dining, entertainment and a countless number of other services. 

Gemfields announces next phase of development in Sri Lanka

Following an announcement in 2014 on the intention to progress opportunities in the Sri Lankan sapphire and gemstone sector, Gemfields PLC, the world’s leading supplier of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones, announced the next steps in this regard.

‘People’s Bank Foreign Remittance Gold Fortune 2016’ sees completion of 4th draw

People’s Bank Foreign RemittanceGold Fortune 2016recently saw the completion of its 4th draw, announcing  M. G. D. Ranil Kumara

Stellar results wins Renuka City Hotel Booking.com Best Performance Award for 2015

Exceptional occupancy rates and top-notch revenue generation by Renuka City Hotel resulted inthe hotelwinningBooking.com’s Award

Ceylon Cold Stores 1Q net up 56% amid higher consumer demand

The John Keells Holdings subsidiary, Ceylon Cold Stores PLC group, Sri Lanka’s oldest manufacturer of carbonated soft drinks, increased its net profits by 56 percent to Rs.855.3 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 (1Q17), the interim financial accounts showed. This translates into earnings per share of Rs.9.00, up from Rs.5.79 a year ago.  

Bairaha Farms June quarter net down 18%

Sri Lanka’s poultry sector player and meat producer, Bairaha Farms PLC group saw its net profits for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 (1Q17) declining by 18 percent to Rs.118.9 million from a year, amid revenue remaining almost flat. 

Exporters say too many cooks spoiling the soup!

The duplication of ministry and government agency functions related to trade has created confusion and complacency in the country’s exports, Sri Lanka’s exporters said during their industry body’s annual general meeting last week. 

Chris Nonis tells SEC not to interfere with Mackwoods internal matters

In a rather brazen move, Mackwoods Plantations Chairman Dr. Chris Nonis has written to the country’s capital market regulator, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), urging them not to interfere with the internal matters of Mackwoods Plantations Pvt Ltd.

Top professional calls for strong PPP unit to lure in investments

Chartered Engineer Malith Mendis has called for the establishment of a strong public private partnership (PPP) unit to encourage investment into Sri Lanka.  He said the country requires to change its mind-set to look at investment driven development, as 2016 looks to have a historically low foreign direct investment into Sri Lanka. 

Economist bets on another round of policy rate hike

Still higher private sector credit growth and the rising inflation will put pressure on the Monetary Board to increase the policy rates and it is only a matter of time the new Central Bank Governor settles in before the next policy tightening takes place, an economist said. 

Bates announces agency transformation to embrace future of communications

Bates Strategic Alliance, the pioneering leader in integrated marketing communications, who in 1993 pioneered the introduction of public relations into the services offered and backed it up with strong foray into BTL with its affiliation to 141 Worldwide and then started working in online and digital in the early 2000s, announced that it was fully committing to transforming the agency offering in anticipation of the future of marketing communicat

CIMA Executive Director to speak at Business Leaders Summit this August

Organisations operate in a world of increasing complexity, with multiple internal and external factors, interdependencies and trade-offs to consider when making decisions. A system is required to empower the board/management make informed decisions within this reality to build wider stakeholder confidence. 

Mediagallery – Design Partner at IFFSA 2016

Mediagallery, a promising new entrant to Sri Lanka’s graphic design industry, will be featured at the Islamic Finance Forum South Asia – IFFSA, a landmark two-day conference scheduled to open in Colombo on July 26, 2016 as the event’s official design partner. 

How secure is your company’s financial data?

Businesses today face an ever-evolving threatscape with growing pressure to rethink security strategies for long-term sustainability. 

Experience Acer Predator: Master of PC gaming available at Abans

The top-of-the-pile Predator Gaming Machines provide an epic gaming action for a bolder, brighter 

Intel and Airbus demo drone inspection of passenger airliners

A team from Intel and Airbus demonstrated an aircraft visual inspection with a modified AscTec Falcon 8 with Intel RealSense cameras. 

Union Assurance shines at Insurance Industry Awards

The first edition of the Insurance Industry Awards of Sri Lanka was organised by Fintelekt in 

Union Bank opens 65th branch in Borella

Union Bank continuing on its rapid network expansion initiatives opened its 65th branch at No: 40, 

MSLGROUP defines six communication drivers of F&B industry

Based on the need for a transformative communications model in the modern food and beverageindustry, MSLGROUP has unveiled Six Communication Drivers for Winning Share of Mouth 

Sustainable consumption and production key to existence: Double A

Double A, a Thai paper brand, believes that utilising the unused resources is the way forward. As a part of their CSR drive around the world, the company launched ‘Friends of the Planet’ in Sri 

OPPO F1s, next-level successor to F1 “Selfie Expert”

Building on the strengths of its Selfie Expert F1, OPPO is announcing a new successor to the F1: the F1s. 

Janashakthi Insurance empowers children to excel at scholarship exam

Janashakthi Insurance PLC, in a continued commitment to light the lamp of knowledge across the nation, announced the second phase of its annual Grade 5 Scholarship programme,