Fairway English Creative Writing Workshop 2017

Fairway Holdings will conduct its second English Creative Writing Workshop on the 3rd and 4th   of November 2017 at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic 

Etihad Airways Launches Loungewear Competition With Emirati Fashion Designers

Etihad Airways launched a competition earlier this week to engage four young Emirati fashion designers to create new onboard loungewear.

Ceylon Tea Land harvests NCE Gold award

Ceylon Tea Land (Pvt.) Ltd could seize the Gold award in the medium-scale category for the field of tea stock exports, at NCE Exports Excellence 2017, organized by the National Chamber of Exporters (NCE)/

Debt rollover challenging for FMs amid rising global interest rates: Moody’s

Just days after the World Bank said possible plans by Sri Lanka to roll over its commercial debt or international sovereign bonds (ISBs) will be an uphill task come maturity, Moody’s Investors Service this week expressed similar concerns

Sri Lanka to regulate hooch to plug tax gaps

AFP: Sri Lanka is to start regulating the traditional home-brewed alcohol known locally as toddy in an effort to increase its tax revenues, a government spokesman said this week.

Shares hit over 10-week closing high on banks

REUTERS: Sri Lankan shares rose about 1 percent yesterday in heavy trade and posted their highest close in more than 10 weeks, with banks leading the gains, brokers said.

Mangala to present ‘designer budget’ next month

Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera will present a “designer budget” next month that will focus on a start-up culture of “empowering the private sector,” a Finance Ministry communiqué said.

Higher the number of accountants higher the economic growth: AAT President

Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AAT) President J.M.U.B. Jayasekera this week requested the government to stimulate economic growth by facilitating the training of 100,000 accountants.

Breathing life into business confidence

Given current sentiments and the high inflationary regime of over 7 percent coupled with the slow pace of Foreign Direct Investments, the International Monetary Fund’s growth projection of 4.7 percent for Sri Lanka in 2017 was encouraging and optimistic as espoused by many. 

HNB launches state-of-the-art ‘Centre of Aspiration’

Sri Lanka’s most digitally innovative bank, HNB PLC, announced the launch of its state-of-the-art Centre of Aspiration, a new centralized unit within the bank dedicated solely to manage the bank’s debt collection operations.

HSBC names John Flint as next CEO

REUTERS: HSBC has named John Flint as its next chief executive the bank said on Thursday, sticking with its model of always promoting company insiders to run the firm.

Executing a smarter trade strategy – Four ideas from five experts

At the recently held ‘Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2017’, Sri Lankan and international speakers shared their views and recommendations on Sri Lanka’s trade reform efforts and the direction it should take, under the theme of ‘Executing a Smarter Trade Strategy Amidst Turbulence’. In this article, we capture the insights shared by these experts. 

Rupee extends losses on importer dollar demand

REUTERS: The Sri Lankan rupee ended weaker for the fourth consecutive session yesterday as banks bought dollars on behalf of state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corp, which stocked up crude ahead of an expected fuel price hike, dealers said. The spot rupee ended at 153.72/80 per dollar, weaker from Wednesday’s close of 153.50/60.

MTI in Perth to strengthen research ties with UWA

MTI CEO Hilmy Cader arrived in Perth to strengthen ties with the University of Western Australia (UWA), with the intention of jointly exploring opportunities in Sri Lanka for research and executive education.

Central Bank to aid war-hit families in debt trap

The Hindu: Sri Lanka’s Central Bank will evolve a programme to help the country’s war-affected communities tackle the mounting pressure of household debt, according to  its chief.

Seylan Tikiri, the account that values every child

Launched in 1991, Seylan Tikiri is the pioneer in minor savings accounts and is evolving rapidly with innovative services to cater to the diverse needs of its vast customer base.

An overview on reintroduction of capital gains tax under new Inland Revenue Act

  Former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake in his budget speech for 2017 stated that the tax system of the country is revisited with emphasis being made on the creation of a much simpler tax regime with minimum tax exemptions and a broadened tax base. 

Japan’s Denso appoints Laugfs Int’l as authorized distributor in Sri Lanka

Japan’s Denso Corporation, a reputed global automotive components manufacturer, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Laugfs International, the trading arm of Laugfs Holdings, a diversified business conglomerate in Sri Lanka, appointing the company as the authorized distributor in Sri Lanka for Denso automotive parts.

More than 50 ComBank branches to stay open on Deepavali Festival Day

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has announced it will keep more than 50 branches open for business on Wednesday, 18th October, a public and bank holiday in respect of Deepavali |Festival Day. The Commercial Bank branches that will operate on that day include the bank’s 29 supermarket banking centres and 13 MiniCom branches which will work their customary hours, and another 16 branches that will be open from 9:00a.m. to 1:00p.m. to serve custo

ISMM to hold full-day international seminar on supply chain management

The Institute of Supply and Materials Management (ISMM) is celebrating its 45th anniversary on par with a full-day international seminar, under the theme ‘Leveraging supply chain management to enhance sustainability’, on October 24, at The Kingsbury Hotel.

Royal Fernwood Porcelain seals Silver at NCE Export Awards

Royal Fernwood Porcelain Limited, a manufacturer of coloured porcelain that enjoys a global reputation in the porcelain tableware industry as a reliable supplier to many premium brands, was the recipient of the Silver award in the large-scale industrial sector for ceramics and porcelain products, at NCE Export Awards 2017.

Sri Lanka Insurance opens new premises in Tangalle

Sri Lanka Insurance opened a new branch at Tangalle recently in order to provide more efficient and speedier services to the people of the area.

Avenue 9 brings luxury living to Mount Lavinia

A remarkably resilient real estate industry in Sri Lanka has been developing and expanding over the last couple of years. Major cities throughout the country have become urbanized and commercialized to such a degree that a condominium or two is now a common site.

Maliban Malt endowed with SLS certification

Maliban Malt, a Sri Lankan brand that has maintained high quality in production, nutrition value generation and an original malt taste from the very moment it entered the Sri Lankan market, has been endowed with the prestigious Sri Lanka Standards (SLS) certification. 

Evaluation of ‘Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Award 2017’ begins

The Evaluation Panel of the ‘Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Award 2017’ (BCCS Award 2017) commenced its work to select the corporate sustainability champions of the country, as accepting of applications for the competition was closed on the 4th October.

Hi-tech Tokyo Superlight cellular lightweight concrete factory comes to Elpitiya

Tokyo Cement, the manufacturers of Tokyo Superlight, Sri Lanka’s first cellular lightweight concrete block, ceremonially inaugurated their state-of-the-art production plant with expanded capacity in Elpitiya recently.

SLAP to conduct workshop on decision making and negotiations

The Sri Lanka Association of Printers (SLAP) will be conducting a full day workshop on Negotiation and Decision Making on 20th October at Galadari Hotel. 

First Capital’s ‘A-’ rating reaffirmed by ICRA Lanka

The issuer rating of SL[A-] with stable outlook was reaffirmed for First Capital Holdings PLC (First Capital) by ICRA Lanka Ltd, a subsidiary of ICRA Ltd, a group company of Moody’s Investors Service. ICRA Lanka also reaffirmed the issuer rating [SL]A- with stable outlook for First Capital’s standalone primary dealer First Capital Treasuries PLC.

ICCSL 51st Annual General Meeting concludes on high note

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICCSL) 51st Annual General Meeting concluded on a high note recently at Hotel Galadari, Colombo.

Govt. mulls removing barriers to allow Lankan firms to hire foreign labour

The Sri Lankan government will look to streamline the regulatory process which has so far handicapped the ability of local companies to hire foreign labour by providing greater powers to the Immigration and Emigration Controller, according to Finance State Minister Eran Wickramaratne.