Sri Lankan Certification Body First to Receive ISO 14064 Accreditation in the Region

The Sustainable Future Group (SFG) – a newly established environmental verification and certification services provider in Sri Lanka

HNB March net profit soars 73%

Sri Lanka’s second largest private sector commercial bank by assets, Hatton National Bank PLC (HNB)

AIA Lanka March profits climb as insurer consolidates market position

The local unit of the third most valuable Asiabased insurer, AIA Insurance Lanka PLC group increased

Shares hit four-month closing high; John Keells leads

REUTERS: Sri Lankan shares rose for a fourth session of gains yesterday to hit their highest close in four months

Sri Lanka’s debt-laden airline to sell four new Airbus planes

REUTERS: Sri Lanka’s debt-ridden national airline will sell four new Airbus A350s, a government minister said yesterday

Insurance regulator calls service providers to up their game in innovation department

Sri Lanka’s insurance regulator yesterday called on service providers to up their game in the innovation

FinMin tells biz community to ‘stop doubting the system’

As concerns continue to mount on the stability of the operating environment amid lack of policy consistency,

MasterCard launches ‘Integrated’ payment processing services platform

As the world of commerce becomes increasingly connected, consumers are continually seeking faster, more seamless and secure commerce solutions. This is putting the payments ecosystem under greater pressure to develop and deploy innovative payment solutions at a faster rate than ever before. To meet this challenge, MasterCard announced the launch of MasterCard Integrated, the payments processing services platform that powers MasterCard payment tra

DFCC CEO appointed as ADFIAP Chairman

DFCC Bank Chief Executive Arjun Fernando has been elected the new Chairman of the Association of Development Finance Institutions of Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP).  He took over as Chairman at the conclusion of the 39th Annual Convention held in Apia, Samoa recently from Bhutan Development Bank Managing Director Pema Tshering.

Airlines significantly improve baggage handling in 2015

The airline industry’s focus on improving baggage management is showing strong results with 2015 baggage mishandling rates dropping to their lowest ever. According to the SITA Baggage Report 2016, released recently, the rate of mishandled bags was 6.5 bags per 1000 passengers in 2015, down 10.5 percent from the previous year, less than half the rate in 2003 and the lowest ever recorded. 

Rachini Rajapaksha appointed to NTB board

Nations Trust Bank (NTB) announced the appointment of Rachini Rajapaksha as a new member of the distinguished board of directors. Rajapaksha has over 20 years’ experience across a multitude of industries including accounting and fund management. Her multidisciplinary competencies are expected to contribute towards the bank’s wealth of practical insights and business objectives. 

Smart Metro signs landmark agreements with Sony Corporation and Fujisoft

Smart Metro, a Sri Lankan based International Software Development Company yesterday signed two landmark agreements with Sony Corporation and Fujisoft Inc, Japan to become Sri Lanka’s sole agent for the distribution and application of Sony’s Near Filed Communication Technology widely known as ‘FeliCa’ and Fujisoft ‘s Finger-vein Biometric Authentication technology. 

KLM to recommence direct flights to Sri Lanka

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) is set to resume its operations to Sri Lanka after an absence of almost 20 years, a statement issued by the airline said. 

Vallibel Finance takes operations to an epic IT platform

Vallibel Finance further consolidated its standing as a futuristic finance company with a far-reaching documentation management system that would overhaul the company’s  operating system.

Will TPP lead to trade diversion from Sri Lanka?

After more than five years of negotiations behind closed doors, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement reached a conclusion on October 5, 2015 in Atlanta, US and was signed on February 4, 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. The completion of this deal was a landmark given that it is the first mega trade agreement of its kind. 

Emirates says annual profit surged 56%

A strong US dollar and the “double-edged sword” of low oil prices have hit the revenues of Emirates, but net profit still surged 56 percent as passenger numbers rose and fuel bills dropped, the airline said yesterday.

Economic mismanagement is a governance problem – It needs governance solutions

Elected officials and selected bureaucrats are given a huge amount of power to act on behalf of the public – modern democracies function on this basis: that citizens hand over their power to elected representatives. But how can the citizens then protect themselves against those individuals misusing that power? This is the perennial problem of governance

National Savings Bank opens Kopai branch

Facilitating a further extended service for its islandwide customers, the 249th branch of National Savings Bank (NSB) was opened in Kopai with the initiation of Children’s Affairs State Minister Wijayakala Maheswaran recently. 

Film Island to market cinema tourism at Cannes

Sri Lanka has often been thought of as a popular tourist destination with its golden beaches and ancient sites, but the island’s diverse visual appeal comes with many other possibilities that any filmmaker is bound to discover on arrival.

NDB Shilpa awarded at Asia Pacific Customer Engagement Forum

National Development Bank (NDB) marked yet another milestone by winning the ‘runner-up’ award for Effectiveness in the Retail Touchpoints and Merchandising category at the recently held ACEF Awards in Mumbai India. 

Cellcity introduces MEIZU smartphones to Sri Lanka

Cellcity Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. recognized as one of the best mobile service providers in the country, recently launched MEIZU smartphones to cater the mid-to-high range smartphone market in Sri Lanka. The launch event was held at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo.   

Is India the key beneficiary of India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement?

In the current debate on India-Sri Lanka trade, it is often said that the trade deficit between India and Sri Lanka has widened over the years in India’s favour and thus India is the major beneficiary of the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into operation in the year 2000. It is true that the trade deficit between the two countries has increased over the years but does that really mean that India was the major benefici

Sri Lanka among top 5 sticker markets for Viber

Viber, one of the world’s leading messaging apps with more than 711 million unique users worldwide today announced that Sri Lanka is now among top 5 sticker markets. Last year more than 22 billion stickers were exchanged worldwide, and over 600 million stickers were exchanged in Sri Lanka alone. Viber hasshown consistent growth in Sri Lanka with over 5 million registered users and is also one of the top ranked appsis also Sri Lanka’s

Global economic outlook for 2016 not very encouraging

Larry Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus, Harvard University, former Secretary, U.S. Treasury and former Director, National Economic Council, speaking at the CITI pension and endowment conference in New York observed that economic austerity can only further stunt weak global economic growth. 

Creative Solutions redefines “Cool” work places in Sri Lanka

As the corporate world is becoming increasingly HR-oriented, companies are racing for the title of a “cool place to work”. As a result, office life has gotten a makeover; we have traded Swiss clock for flex times, strict hierarchy for open doors, and sharp dress for comfort.

Quess Corp acquires Randstad Lanka

Quess Corp Ltd (“Quess”) announced the completion of the acquisition of Randstad Lanka Pvt Ltd (“Randstad Lanka”) from Randstad India Private Limited (“Randstad India”). The acquisition was closed pursuant to the terms of a share purchase agreement that was entered on October 14, 2015.

Unique “Enterprise Risk Practitioner Program”

Imayaglobal, a leader in Professional Training is organizing unique and rare “Enterprise Risk Practitioner Program” designed to be in line with ISO 31000, probably for the first time in Sri Lanka.  Organizations benefit immensely, by adopting Enterprise Risk Management at governance level, besides function and process levels, irrespective of the nature of business. 

4rever Skin Naturals bags ‘Emerging Brand Award’

4rever is the winner of the highly coveted ‘Emerging Brand Award’ of the 25th Global Brand Excellence Awards organized by the World Brand Congress held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 11th of April 2016.

IPM to host workshop with Omar Khan on May 25th

IPM Sri Lanka – the Nation’s leader in human resources management – will host a full day workshop with the world renowned Leadership expert and Team Transformational Specialist Omar Khan at 9 am on 25th May  on the theme “The 5 Leadership Levers to Business Success” at the Oak Room, Cinnamon Grand in Colombo. 

SLITAD to foster future leadership at National Conference

The seventh National Conference and Symposium of Sri Lanka Institute of Training and Development will be held on June 9th and 10th, at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Committee Room B, with over 350 participants in attendance.