Crisis-hit Pakistan has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over $3bn (£2.4bn) of funding. The deal, which still needs to be approved by the global lender’s board, comes after an eight-month delay. The South Asian nation is facing its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1947. To help secure […]

Banks, which pay taxes over 50%, least affected By Sanath Nanayakkare If the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and other pension funds did not wish to participate in the proposed domestic debt restructuring process, there will be an application of higher annual income tax of 30%, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said yesterday. The EPF […]

The World Bank yesterday (28) approved USD 700 million in budgetary and welfare support for Sri Lanka.This is the biggest funding infusion into the country since the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package approved in March. Through this funding, the World Bank said it aims to help Sri Lanka implement foundational reforms that restore macroeconomic stability and sustainability, mitigate ...

The muted, panicked voice came through the phone of a friend who croaked she was very confidentially warning Cassandra and advising her. Yours truly was immediately panic infected. With deep emphasis and concern the friend took her time to advise that Cass withdraws all money from banks. Cass was for once glad she was poor […]

Sri Lanka is asking foreign investors in its international sovereign bonds to take a 30% haircut and is seeking similar concessions from holders of its other dollar-denominated bonds as it seeks to restructure its massive debt, its central bank governor said on Thursday.

Central Bank governor says the 9% interest paid on the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) deposits will not be affected by the domestic debt restructuring (DDR) process.

The World Bank approved $700 million in budgetary and welfare support for Sri Lanka on Thursday, the biggest funding tranche for the crisis-hit island nation since an International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal in March.

Mohammad Haris will lead Pakistan A in the eight-team Men’s Emerging Asia Cup, which will run from July 14 to 23 in Sri Lanka. Omar Yousuf has been named his deputy in the 15-member squad that includes the likes of Saim Ayub, Shahnawaz Dahani and Mohammad Wasim among others. Haris was part of the senior […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured that the restructuring of domestic debt will have no impact on the membership balance of any public funds, including the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF). He emphasized that the rate of return for superannuation funds will not be affected in any way. Furthermore, the President stated that the restructuring of domestic debt […]

Sri Lanka will enter into an agreement with the World Bank for $500 million in budgetary support after the cabinet approved it on Tuesday, the biggest funding tranche for the crisis-hit nation since an International Monetary Fund deal in March.

The world s central bank umbrella body, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), called on Sunday for more interest rate hikes, warning the world economy was now at a crucial point as countries struggle to rein in inflation.

by Rajan Philips Last week saw a spate of summits underscoring the global economic and geopolitical headwinds that governments and countries have to cope with and navigate through. First, there was the visit to China by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This was followed by a state visit to Washington by India’s Prime […]

ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka has been moving forward in bilateral debt negotiations by talking to individual creditors despite a clearly defined process for dealing with Paris Club and other creditors, President Ranil Wickremesinghe had said last week. Sri Lanka was following a ‘debtor led’ strategy by reforming the economy and also aiming at a ‘highly efficient […]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) has been instrumental in shaping the startup culture in ‘Naya Jammu and Kashmir’. After the revocation of Article 370, Jammu & Kashmir has witnessed a significant transformation with regard to the promotion of a startup culture. The initiatives and support of the administration h...

By Prabhat Patnaik After Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Bangladesh has become the third country in our neighbourhood to become afflicted by a serious economic crisis. It has asked for a $4.5 billion loan from the IMF, apart from $1 billion from the World Bank and $2.5-3 billion from multilateral agencies and donor nations. Though the […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando UNDP Resident Representative in Colombo, Azusa Kubota, accompanied international expert on parliamentary development, Kevin Deveaux, to meet Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena at the Parliament on 14th June. They were joined by Policy Expert and Head of Governance, UNDP Colombo, Chandrika Karunaratne. Japanese national Kubota took over the UNDP mission in Colombo in […]