Sri Lanka’s export sector could face a new challenge in the United States market after Washington proposed additional tariffs on imports from countries it says have failed to adequately prevent the entry of goods produced through forced labour.

The Central Bank yesterday warned that financial scams are emerging as a broader threat to confidence in Sri Lanka’s formal financial system.

Sri Lanka must establish absolute policy predictability and regulatory transparency to successfully unlock large-scale European capital for its maritime infrastructure pipeline.

With the European Union transitioning to a new regulatory framework, urgent calls for structural reforms are echoing across Sri Lanka to secure a successful transition to the newly revised generalised scheme of preferences (GSP) Plus facility - a lif

Sri Lanka’s revised value-added tax (VAT) refund risk-classification framework could delay the refunds for a larger number of exporters, despite the government’s fast-track refund mechanism, according to a new Ernst & Young (EY) Sri Lanka tax ale

The Central Bank yesterday delivered its first monetary tightening in three years, raising rates by a full percentage point as oil shocks linked to the Iran conflict intensified pressure on inflation, the rupee and the country’s still-fragile exter

Sri Lanka’s exports surpassed US $ 5.7 billion in the first four months of 2026, with the growth in services, electronics, processed foods and coconut-based products helping offset the continued weakness in apparel and tea exports, amid the softer

Automotive market volumes in Sri Lanka declined sharply in April, falling to 51,156 units from 59,734 units in March, signaling a potential cooling of the sector following a period of high volatility.

Sri Lanka welcomed 75,465 tourists during the first 17 days of May 2026, with India dominating the arrivals board, as the local tourism sector leans heavily into Asian markets.

Sri Lanka’s national consumer prices accelerated in April as the full impact of higher fuel, electricity and transport costs filtered through the economy, pushing inflation closer to levels not seen in several months.

Sri Lanka’s apparel industry sought to calm the concerns over the recent weakening of the rupee, arguing that the currency movement reflected broader global pressures rather than signs of domestic economic weakness, while also potentially improving

Sri Lanka’s fast weakening rupee is beginning to expose a deeper strain within the country’s export sector, with exporters warning that the rising cost of imported fuel, raw materials and industrial inputs is rapidly eroding the short-term gains

Nepalese billionaire Binod Chaudhary last week delivered a powerful endorsement of Sri Lanka’s long-term investment story, saying he repeatedly chose to back the country at moments when fear, instability and crisis had paralysed investor sentiment.

Sri Lanka’s tourism authorities are gearing up to launch a targeted interim digital marketing campaign within days to cushion an ongoing slump in tourist arrivals, which will serve as a precursor to a Rs. 4 billion global promotional drive.

The formal hospitality sector has strongly pushed back against the government’s proposed new Tourism Act, warning that repealing the existing legislation will strangle the industry with fresh layers of bureaucracy and trigger a crippling two-year p

The Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) has called on the government to introduce a simple legislative amendment mandating the global online travel agencies, including Booking.com, Agoda and Expedia, to exclusively list the accommodations

The Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) is calling for a consistent, minimum annual marketing investment of US$ 50 million to steer the industry toward its ambitious target of 5 million arrivals and US$ 10 billion in income by 2030.

Sri Lanka’s appetite for wheat, the island’s second staple food, is on a steady upward trajectory, fuelled by a recovering economy and a booming tourism sector but yet to reach the pre-crisis levels.

Sri Lanka’s foreign currency reserves fell by US$ 295 million in April, reflecting mounting pressure on the country’s external sector from higher oil import costs and slowing inflows from exports and tourism as the Iran war disrupted global trade

Sri Lanka’s renewable energy sector is warning of a severe long-term fallout from the ongoing financial crisis, cautioning that the government’s blatant disregard for the existing payment agreements will drastically drive up the cost of future cl

The Federation of Renewable Energy Developers has warned that Sri Lanka’s domestic renewable energy sector is on the brink of collapse, as the government continues to prioritise payments for expensive

The export manufacturers yesterday warned that imposing another extraordinary electricity tariff hike on the industry, without activating the long-promised power wheeling reforms, would deepen the country’s competitive disadvantage against the regi

Uncertainty over the stalled sale of Hotel Developers (Lanka) Ltd is starting to ripple through the company’s operations, as delays in finalising its ownership structure cloud strategic decision-making.

Sri Lanka could expand its exports by as much as 50 percent by deepening the trade ties with India, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said, while it went on to warn that the island nation’s continued reliance on the Western markets is leaving it exp

Sri Lanka’s rice industry is charting a path to recovery. For the upcoming 2026/2027 marketing year (October–September), milled rice production is forecast to reach 3.45 million metric tons, representing a solid rebound from the revised estimate

The consumer inflation measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) jumped in April as the higher fuel prices caused by the war in Iran fed quickly through the rest of the economy sending the prices

The government is on the verge of lifting the existing ban on oil palm cultivation, pending the final Cabinet approval, setting the stage for a major agricultural revival.

The ongoing Middle East crisis should serve as a critical wakeup call for Sri Lanka to implement long-overdue fundamental structural economic reforms, according to Regional Centre for Strategic Studies Executive Director Ravinatha Aryasinha.

​Sri Lanka’s tourism sector recorded a historic 2.3 million international arrivals in 2025 but the industry analysts are urging a pivot in how success is measured within the island’s economic framework.