Shares end marginally lower; foreign buying nears Rs.22bn

REUTERS: Sri Lankan shares closed slightly lower yesterday as blue chips fell, but foreign buying capped losses while local investors continued to wait for more clarity on a new tax bill.

Ube Singapore ups stake in Tokyo Cement

Ube Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd has upped its stake in Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC, a joint venture between Sri Lanka’s St. Anthony’s group and Japan’s Nippon Coke.

Rupee ends weaker on importer dlr demand

REUTERS: The Sri Lankan rupee ended weaker yesterday on late dollar demand from importers while the rupee was under pressure on an expected rise in imports, dealers said.

Economist urges govt. to implement fuel pricing formula as oil prices continue to remain low

The government should implement its proposed fuel pricing formula while the conditions are favourable in order to create stronger macroeconomic fundamentals, an economist said.

ADB says looking for Lankan banking sector investments despite HNB hitch

While the tussle within Hatton National Bank PLC (HNB) continues with regard to issuing 10 percent of its shares to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the development lender said it is continuing to evaluate other banking sector investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. 

Central Bank cuts growth but says fundamentals strong

The prolonged drought and recent floods appear to have taken a toll on the country’s economy as the Central Bank last week said it would cut the growth of the economy at least by a half a percentage for 2017. 

Samsung to launch Galaxy Tab S3 in Sri Lanka

In keeping with its concept of adding value and improving the engaging aspects of its much-acclaimed devices, Samsung will be launching the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 in Sri Lanka.

NTB launches digital lifestyle partner app

FriMi, a digital lifestyle partner, powered by Nations Trust Bank (NTB), will officially launch on June 30th at ODEL, Colombo 07,  and is a next-generation electronic payment, banking and marketing platform that allows users to make payments, send and receive money, do their banking and enjoy the best offers and discounts all through one simple app. 

Softlogic LifeStyles: Official interior partner-Home and You Lifestyle Fair 2017

Softlogic LifeStyles became the official interior partner for Home and You Lifestyle Fair 2017 which is all set to bring everything you need to create the perfect surrounding at the place you live.

SLTDA grades eating places in Colombo

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLDA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Colombo Municipal Council has launched a project to encourage the upgrading of food safety, hygiene and service of eating places supplying food for foreign and local tourists.

Waste management in Asia: 1 goal, 5 cities, 5 lessons

Asia’s cities are the engines of incredible economic growth. For many countries, they generate over 80 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and improve the lives of millions of people.

Kanrich Finance receives Carbon-Conscious Certificate for making strides in sustainability

Kanrich Finance has been certified as a Carbon-Conscious financial services company. The certification is awarded to business entities that have calculated the footprint and have implemented a comprehensive Carbon 

BOC’s Ran Kekulu grade 5 scholarship awards 2016 concludes successfully

Bank of Ceylon’s Ran Kekulu grade 5 scholarship awards 2016 national event recently concluded successfully at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) Colombo on Thursday 22 June, 2017. 

NDB customers to benefit from eChannelling partnership

eChannelling Plc, the largest doctor channelling network in Sri Lanka and the pioneer software developer and ICT service provider to the healthcare industry in the country, has entered into a partnership with NDB bank, to benefit the bank’s customers when it comes to channelling doctors with ease. 

ACCA and CMA sign MOU to collaborate for accountancy profession’s advancement

A new agreement signed by The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Sri Lanka and the Certified Management Accountants (CMA) Sri Lanka will see them work in partnership to develop

Standard Chartered appoints new Head of Retail Banking

Standard Chartered recently appointed Bingumal Thewarathanthri as Head, Retail Banking, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka. 

Nawaloka Hospitals opens Nawaloka Medicare in Gampaha

Nawaloka Hospitals PLC, Sri Lanka’s pioneer and premier healthcare service provider, opened their newest Medicare Centre in Gampaha on June 19th. 

Lanka Hospitals celebrates 15th anniversary

The nation’s premier healthcare provider, Lanka Hospitals PLC, recognised for delivering the highest quality of healthcare on par with global medical standards and revolutionising the industry recently celebrated its 15-year anniversary.

Durdans Hospital joins with Digital Health to maximize service delivery

Medical appointments at Durdans Hospital can be made from the comfort of their home or on the go with Doc990 Service. 

Technology like ThreadSol: Key to accelerate Sri Lanka’s clothing exports

The textile and garment industry in Sri Lanka depends heavily on imported raw material and accessories. More than 70 percent of the raw material and 70 to 90 percent of the accessories used in this industry are imported. 

Dumith Fernando elected to CSE Board

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) announced the appointment of Dumith Fernando as a Director of the CSE Board.   

Seven Media Group receives recognition at ‘SLT ZeroOne Awards’

The SLT ZeroOne Awards recognized Seven Media Group with the Best Digital-Enabled Product/Service Retail Sector award recently. 

CIM Sri Lanka’s inaugural Teacher’s Forum envisions new-age education

The Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka (CIM Sri Lanka) held its first Teacher’s Forum titled ‘The New-Age Education’ with the objective of highlighting the challenges associated with school education.  

Coca-Cola and SL Red Cross provide long-term flood relief in Gampaha

Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd. joined hands with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (Gampaha Branch), to carry out intensive emergency disaster relief and rehabilitation activities following the severe floods which occurred in  May 2017. 

Sadaharitha aids investors mitigate global warming

Sadaharitha Plantations are offering ‘eco-friendly’ investors the opportunity to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global warming, while reaping a high return in the long term through commercial forestry. 

Sunshine Healthcare selects Microsoft Azure-enabled IFS Applications ERP solution

Sunshine Healthcare replaced its legacy systems with IFS Applications, an integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution by IFS, after an annual audit. 

SLIM etches new milestone with Ron Kaufman’s visit

Etching an exciting new milestone for Sri Lanka’s business fraternity, the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) prepares to welcome the world’s No. 1 guru in service, Ron Kaufman to Sri Lanka on the 18th and 19th of July.  

Strong Lankan sales win Gestetner best-performance in Ricoh Asia Pacific

Gestetner of Ceylon PLC once again won resounding recognition for its tremendous sales performance over the past year, rising above its peers in the Asia Pacific region to win the Ricoh Asia Pacific Award for Outstanding Achievement in Units & Sales Revenue FY 2016 in multi-functional products (MFP).

Condolence message by IPS board

It is with deep sadness that we, the members of IPS’ governing board, received the news of the sudden passing of the Institute’s Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama. 

Crack the hackers – Eight business tips

Recent cyber-attacks on the UK National Health Service and companies all over the world have rung alarm bells over how firms protect their business from being targeted by criminals. A new report tells business leaders how to crack the hackers on scams such as executive impersonation, where fraudsters dupe unwitting staff into transferring money from company accounts.