Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka for the month of April rose 12.6 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 180, 429 amid higher arrivals from Asia & Pacific and Europe, the data released by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed.

Litro Gas Lanka Ltd recently announced the price hike of a Litro gas cylinder (12.5kg) by Rs.245, following the approval from the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA). “The price increase was a necessity and a long overdue step that the company was

Higher loans, stretched margins and fee incomes helped Sampath Bank PLC to record higher earnings for the quarter ended in March 2018, offsetting the negative impact from the increased provisions made on possible bad loans. 

Sri Lanka’s largest supermarket operator, Cargills Food City said it would offer 500 grammes of pumpkin to every customer, whose bill value exceeds Rs.750, in a bid to help out the pumpkin farmers in Nawagaththegama.

Sri Lanka should keep its options open when it comes to electricity generation to secure the country’s energy future and meet the increasing demand as its economy grows, according to energy sector experts at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka PLC reported a surge in profits for its January-March quarter (4Q18), as the country’s largest and oldest spirit maker increased the prices to pass on higher taxes on alcoholic beverages in November, last year.

Diversified conglomerate Softlogic Holdings PLC has entered into a master franchise agreement with France’s Delifrance S.A., to develop, open and operate Delifrance outlets in Sri Lanka with its trademarks.

Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera who is currently attending the 51st Annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila held discussions with In-Chang Song, an Executive Director of the Board of ADB at the ADB Headquarters

At a time when ‘youth are a rare resource’, the need to give priority to Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) measures at the workplace is unprecedented, observed the Director General, Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC), Kanishka

The President of The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) Sanath Ukwatte said the recent incidents in Mirissa and harassment of foreigners in general has brought in great disrepute and has tarnished the cou

The Tea Exporters Association (TEA) welcomes the government decision to lift the ban on use of glyphosate weedicide on tea and rubber plantations. The Association thanks the President and the Prime Minister for the decision taken in the best interest

REUTERS: Asian shares fell yesterday while the dollar ran into some profit-taking after several weeks of strong gains as financial markets turned their attention to looming U.S. payrolls data for fresh catalysts.

Sri Lanka has attracted US $465 million in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the first quarter of 2018 (1Q18), exceeding the Board of Investment (BOI) target of US $378 million for the period, Development S

There is a long-standing debate about whether development assistance should finance tertiary education. The debate largely revolves around the impact of public subsidies for university students on income distribution and equity.

Former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal yesterday claimed that the government has meddled with GDP calculations in 2014, 2015 and 2016 to increase the real GDP growth rate of 2016 from 2.2 percent to 4.4 percent.

REUTERS: Sri Lankan shares ended marginally firmer, led by financials, though gains were muted as investors looked for fresh cues from political and economic fronts, brokers said.

REUTERS: The Sri Lankan rupee ended steady yesterday, holding near the record low hit in the previous session, as importer dollar demand was met by greenback sales by state banks, dealers said, while a top Central Bank official warned against 

Transparency and a clear communication strategy were presented as the key factors behind the success of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Centre of the Philippines—a case in point where Sri Lanka could definitely take 

 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday said it would substantially increase its lending to Sri Lanka this year as the country has undertaken larger development projects in rece

President Maithripala Sirisena has intervened in removing the exorbitant service charges slapped by the National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) on gem and jewellery exports and asked the NGJA Chairman and Director General (DG) to tender their res

Green Leaves Leisure (Pvt.) Ltd, a subsidiary of Green Leaves Group, on Tuesday guaranteed to bring 16,000 additional Chinese tourists to Sri Lanka monthly for the next 10 years, commencing this May, with the aim of making China the largest source ma

Sri Lanka’s apparel exports grew at a slower pace than the industry expectation during the first quarter this year, recording a growth of 4.1 percent to reach US $ 1.269 billion, compared to the US $ 1.219 billion recorded in the first quarter

REUTERS: The Sri Lankan rupee hit a fresh low on Wednesday on importer demand for the U.S. currency, dealers said, but recovered after the central bank intervened in the market.

REUTERS: The Sri Lankan rupee gained for the first time in seven sessions yesterday, edging up from a record closing low hit in the previous session, dealers said. The currency hit a record l

The State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to shut down six non-viable overseas branches, which includes the Sri Lanka’s Jaffna branch, according to Indian news reports. 

Green Leaves Leisure (Pvt) Ltd., a subsidiary of Green Leaves Group, yesterday guaranteed to bring 16,000 additional Chinese tourists to Sri Lanka monthly for the next 10 years commencing this May, with the aim of making China the largest source mark

Dinesh Weerakkody, the former Chairman of Commercial Bank of (Ceylon) PLC, will take over as the Chairman of Hatton National Bank PLC (HNB) with effect from May 26, 2018.

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) has agreed to provide KSP (Knowledge Sharing Program) policy consultation to establish an automated taxation system in the Colombo Municipality. 

Sri Lanka has won the bid to host the Round Table International World Meeting (RTIWM) 2018 connecting four leading hotels in Negombo from 5th to 9th September, the organizers of the event announced at a recent press briefing. 

Pakistani High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Major General (retd) Shahid Ahmed Hashmat said that both Sri Lanka and Pakistan should work towards achieving an annual bilateral trade value of US$ 1 billion to strengthen the economic potential of the two co