Sarvodaya Development Finance relocates branches for greater customer convenience

Sarvodaya Development Finance Limited which was recently re-launched, relocated four of its outstation branches to provide greater accessibility and convenience to its customers. 

Amãna Bank expands ATM network to Addalachenai and Maruthamunai

?Amãna Bank recently expanded its ATM network with the opening of two off-site ATMs on the same day in Addalachenai and Maruthamunai in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. 

Pan Asia Bank in green lending push

Pan Asia Banking Corporation PLC (Pan Asia Bank) in its mission to contribute towards  helping to create a climate-friendly economy has embarked on a green lending drive to fund small...

Fitch withdraws Ceylon Income Fund rating; CAM says fund’s assets of investment grade

?Fitch Ratings Lanka yesterday withdrew Ceylon Income Fund’s (CIF) National Fund Credit Quality Rating of ‘A(lka)’. CIM is managed by Ceylon Asset Management (CAM).

HSBC introduces Digital Clinics

HSBC has announced a series of Digital Clinics to facilitate its digital banking services and assist customers with their daily online banking requirements. ] The Digital Clinics will be held throughout the week at HSBC Premier Centre and branches in Bambalapitiya...

Big data at the heart of smart cities

?“Smart city” is now a buzz word in South Asia, possibly due to the Modi government’s commitment to build 100 smart cities in India.  In Sri Lanka, some argue that Kandy should be the first smart city; others, that it is logical to start with Colombo. 

Engineers’ Association organises ‘CEPA for Whose Benefit?’ seminar

?The Sri Lankan Engineers’ Association (SLEA) has organised a public seminar titled ‘CEPA for Whose Benefit?’ on Thursday, September 17, to create awareness on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India.

ECCSL ushers in new era of Belgium-Sri Lanka investment and trade

?The European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ECCSL) is organising a breakfast meeting with Jan Luykx, the Belgium Ambassador to Sri Lanka, India and other SAARC nations.

Japanese businesses show renewed interest to invest in SL: envoy

?Kenichi Suganuma, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Sri Lanka, said there is renewed interest shown by Japanese businesses to invest in Sri Lanka.

H One launches 360-degree sales visibility solution

?The Hirdaramani group’s IT venture H ONE, which is best known for its award-winning cloud practice, recently partnered with software company, Teclever Solutions, to build a 360-degree sales visibility solution, ESB Apps.

Virtusa-PMICSL develop unique programme for project managers

Virtusa Corporation, a global business consulting and IT outsourcing company that combines innovation, technology leadership and industry solutions to transform the customer experience...

Pristine Solutions to increase focus on delivering value of SAP Business One to Lankan SMEs

Pristine Solutions, a SAP channel partner, announced that it is now a master value-added reseller (master VAR) and member of the SAP Extended Business programme. 

Softserve implements Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 for Uni-Dil in 3 months

?Softserve (Pvt.) Ltd, a company that focuses primarily on Microsoft Dynamics as its core product deployment, announced the project sign-off of another successful implementation of Dynamics NAV 2015 for Uni-Dil Packaging Limited. 

Rupee hits record low on importer dollar demand

REUTERS: The Sri Lankan rupee touched an all-time low of 140.00 per dollar yesterday due to importer dollar demand, although it later regained some of the losses after a state bank sold dollars to arrest the fall, dealers said.

SLIPS tariff structure regulated to promote fair market practices

In a move to promote a level playing field in the local banking and financial landscape, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has taken a step forward in regulating the tariff structure of the widely used Sri Lanka Interbank Payment System (SLIPS).

Hospitality sector human resource dearth worse than estimated

?The hospitality sector human resource shortage is far worse than previously estimated, according to the National Human Resource Development Council (NHRDC) of the Policy Planning and Economic Development Ministry.

Central Bank takes on motor vehicle imports

In a bid to clamp down on the vehicle imports weighing on the country’s Balance of Payment (BOP) the Central Bank yesterday sent directions to all banks and finance companies imposing restrictions on loans and leases to vehicles. 

No role for Mannar basin gas deposits in CEB 20-year plan

The natural gas deposits in the Mannar basin have not been included in the Ceylon Electricity Board’s (CEB) US $ 6.6 billion 20-year power generation expansion plan, which was submitted to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) for approval and public consultation.

Access to credit linchpin for govt.’s export target

Improving access to export credit facilities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) remains the crux of accelerating Sri Lanka’s exports and the government must intervene to maintain set targets, experts said.

The Hirdaramani Group’s IT arm, H ONE launches 360-degree sales visibility solution

Monday 14th September 2015, Colombo: The Hirdaramani Group’s IT venture H ONE which is best known for its award-winning cloud practice, recently partnered with software company, TECLEVER SOLUTIONS, to build a 360-degree sales visibility solution, ESB Apps. The partnership builds on  H ONE’s strong foundation of cloud-services and expertise in Sri Lanka and its strength as a regional cloud consultant and premier deployment partner

Amãna Bank expands ATM network to Addalachenai and Maruthamunai

?Amãna Bank recently expanded its ATM network with the opening of two off-site ATMs on the same day in Addalachenai and Maruthamunai in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. With the addition of these two ATMs, Amãna Bank’s ATM network has expanded to 26 ATMs, which includes 3 off-site ATMs in addition to the 24 branches the Bank has Island-wide.

High-Net-Worth Individuals in Colombo develop a taste for “Luxury Residences” - Ms. Gagan Singh, Cha

The year of 2015 has been very important for Sri Lanka because of the presidential and the parliamentary elections held recently. The outcome of the elections reassures that whatever perceived uncertainties the market witnessed are over. Sri Lanka’s GDP has been growing by a little above 7% for the past couple of years and the Asian Development Bank estimates the faster expansion in the construction industry is one of the reasons for the co

UK's best selling newspaper picks Sri Lanka- Destination of the year

?The Sunday Times UK the best selling news paper in UK which has a circulation of 1,032,000 and 3.5 million on a multi platform basis has picked Sri Lanka as the ' Destination of the Year' which augurs well for the country given that it is the top source revenue destination for Sri Lanka registering 111,131  visitors as at end  August 2015 registering a growth of 13% said Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau Dr. Rohantha

‘Prima Stella’ conducts a cricket camp for future champions

Prima Stella along with Kumar Sangakkara will be conducting a cricket training camp for young cricketing enthusiasts on the 2nd of October 2015.  

Economist wants major shift in policy to avoid Greece-like crisis

The Sri Lankan public and politicians must move away from populist, entitlement mindsets if the country wants to avoid a similar fate as Greece, a leading economist said.

Confectioners renew call for fair trade

Battered by a myriad of higher import duties and cess taxes for years, the Sri Lankan confectionery manufacturers now find challenging to compete....

Two wheelers ride down August vehicle registrations

Although the new vehicle registration momentum continued into August, the number of registrations slowed down to 50,555 from the record peak of 62,221 in July due to fall in the two-wheeler registrations,...

Hospitality heads call on govt. to regulate fast growing informal sector

Top heads of the hospitality industry yesterday strongly urged the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to get their act together and pull the fast growing informal sector into some form of regulatory framework,

JKH acquires golf course in hill country for Rs.1bn

Leading diversified conglomerate Jon Keells Holdings (JKH) on Friday (11) announced it acquired a controlling stake in Rajawella Holdings Limited (RHL) with a total investment of Rs.1.04 billion.

Dinesh meets Dallas Fort Worth Chamber Executive VP

NHRDC Chairman Dinesh Weerakkody met with David Berzina, the Executive Vice President Economic Development Dallas Fort Worth Chamber, to discuss opportunities in Sri Lanka for skills training and investments.