Business News
Business Private sector borrowed less in 2017
Private sector credit expands by Rs. 617 b in 2017 but lower than Rs. 756 b in 2016 CB expects status quo to pick up with private sector borrowing to rise to…
Business Ceylinco Life posts net profit of Rs. 6 bn
Sells 126,838 new life policies in the year reviewed Pays out Rs. 6.7 billion in net claims and benefits to policyholders Ceylinco Life has posted net profit…
Business Remove apparel quota to India - Exporters
Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association Chairman Felix Fernando requested the Indian government to either improve the existing apparel quota system to a…
Business Sri Lanka national inflation slows to 5.4-pct in January
Inflation in Sri Lanka, as measured by the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) slowed to 5.4 per cent in January 2018 from 7.3 per cent in December 2017, on a…
Business CBSL opposes govt. move to set up hybrid company
Controversial National Payment Platform revived: Many an eyebrow has been raised by a government move to set up a hybrid company as part of the controversial…
Business Seylan Group ups after tax profit by 24% to Rs. 5 b
In the backdrop of challenging external environment, Seylan Group has reported a resilient performance by recording a profit after tax of Rs. 5.004 billion for…
Business Sri Lanka, UAE sign MoU on cooperation in labour sector facilitating recruitment of domestic workers
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sri Lanka have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster cooperation in the labour and manpower fields…
Business COMBANK sets new digital banking record with Rs. 663 b in transactions
A whopping Rs. 662.95 billion was transacted through digital banking channels alone, by customers of the Commercial Bank of Ceylon in 2017. This is the highest…
Business ‘Inflation at moderate level, foreign reserve to be above US$ 7 bn’
First Capital Research (FCR) believes inflation rate to moderate, foreign reserve position to be maintained above US$ 7 billion levels. FCR also expects the…
Business EPF, NSB, SLIC losses due to bond scams exceed Rs. 31 billion
The manipulation of the secondary bond market by Perpetual Treasuries caused three state institutions, Employees’ provident Fund (EPF,) Sri Lanka Insurance…
Business EPF gets zero returns from majority of private equity investments
EPF has invested Rs.10.8bn in 7 private equity investments up to 2014 Of that, Rs.9.3bn has not generated any returns to this date Only 2 investments in…
Business World’s top investment bank Lazard explores SL, works with MTI
Recognised as one of the world’s preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms, 170-year-old Lazard has shown interest in Sri Lanka, with a visit…
Business Singer revenue tops Rs. 51.5 billion despite tough business conditions
Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC announced its Group results for the year ended December 31, 2017. The results showed an increase in Group revenue of 9.8 % compared to…
Business IPS Highlights the Importance of Developing Skills in Sri Lankan Graduates
While Sri Lanka has been performing well at the primary education level, significant policy gaps exist when it comes to secondary and tertiary education, IPS…
Business Sri Lanka records highest-ever apparel exports
Sri Lanka recorded its highest-ever level of apparel exports during the year ended 31 December 2017, courtesy of the restoration of the Generalized System of…
Business Sri Lanka banking on 'wily old fox' Herath, says Chandimal
Chittagong (Bangladesh) (AFP) - Sri Lanka will bank on the guile of record-breaking left-arm spinner Rangana Herath as they try to extend their recent winning…
Business Lanka Bell connects 50,000+ homes, businesses
Lanka Bell, Sri Lanka’s iconic telecom operator has achieved a significant milestone of reaching 50,000+ households and businesses with its fourth-generation…
Business Sunshine Holdings invests Rs.9mn to partner with investment firm
Jan 25, 2018 (LBO) – Sunshine Holdings has invested 9 million rupees to partner with Strategic Business Innovator (Pvt) Ltd, an investment firm to be set up in…
Business Softlogic to raise Rs. 7 b including foreign equity investments up to $ 35 m
Softlogic Holdings PLC has come to an agreement with Samena Ceylon Holdings Ltd. to raise private equity in order to restructure the diversified blue chip’s…
Business PM asks Bohras to help hold investment conference in Mumbai
Colombo, Jan. 23 - Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe has asked His Holiness, Syedna Aaliqadr Mufaddal Saifuddin, the 53rd Dai-Al-Mutlaq and…
Business Singapore and Sri Lanka sign free trade agreement
Singapore and Sri Lanka signed a free trade agreement on Tuesday (Jan 23) which will deepen economic ties and facilitates greater trade flows between the two…
Business Audits reveal serious discrepancies in NOCSL finances
There were serious financial, operational and management discrepancies in the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka between 2010 and 2012, reports from the…
Business Central Expressway will create vibrant economy- PM
The Central Expressway which will connect two airports, two ports, industrial zones, tourism zones and main cities, will create a new economy in the country,…
Business Sri Lanka expects US$4.7bn from apparel exports in 2017
Sri Lanka’s total apparel exports for 2017 are expected to be around US$4.7 billion with earnings to November having exceeded that of 2016, Minister of…