Support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) project Connecting Regional Economies (CORE) has increased incomes for over 14,000 households in the Eastern Province, Anuradhapura District and Monaragala District through business training and the introduction of new farm technologies and crops. On 16 December, USAID – the US Embassy’s development arm – hosted a ....

President Eisenhower raised the alarm in 1961; its relevance today‘But most shall he sing of Lanka In the brave new days to come, When the races all have blended And the voice of strife is dumb, When we leap to a single bugle, March to a single drum.’ From ‘The Call of Lanka’, by the ...

From war and destruction to peace and reconstruction Both before and following the end of Sri Lanka’s 30-year separatist war in May 2009, it was recognised that rapid economic recovery in the Northern Province would be the key to lasting reintegration and reconciliation within a united country. Nearing the two-and-a-half-year point since the cessation of ...

In a major indictment on the country’s macro stability and a wakeup call to policy makers, Fitch Ratings yesterday warned that Sri Lanka has now become one of the four highest-risk financial systems in Asia Pacific and nine in the world. The warning on and labelling of Sri Lanka comes ahead of Christmas and could ...

Yet again proving its resilience amidst global shocks and the recession in the West, the country’s economy in the third quarter has grown by 8.4%, a rate viewed by analysts as faster than expected. The high 8.4% growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was above the 8% achieved in the corresponding period of last year. ...

Reuters: Sri Lanka’s Central Bank can continue to maintain the rupee exchange by selling dollars from the foreign reserves as it expects large dollar inflows in the coming months, the Central Bank Governor said on Tuesday. The rupee was devalued three per cent on 22 November, a day after President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity ...

Sri Lanka’s trade deficit rose 137.4% to US$ 905.2 million in September from $ 381.4 million in the same month last year, the Central Bank said yesterday in its monthly review. September imports rose 61.3% to US$ 1.76 billion compared to $ 1.09 billion a year earlier making the trade deficit in the first three ...

Around 100 attend New World Securities event; Ambassador Karannagoda and Lankan  firms highlight post-war rebound and potential Nisthar Cassim reporting from Tokyo December 8: Around 100 Japanese firms and investors today got a thorough update on post-war Sri Lanka’s rebound and unprecedented opportunities at an Investment Forum organised in Tokyo by New World Securities. Held ...

The Ceylon Income Fund recorded an after-tax net return of 12.39% to emerge as the best performing fixed income fund in Sri Lanka for the financial year ending 31/03/2011. It is also the best performing fund of all Unit Trusts in Sri Lanka during the 10 months to October 31, 2011* while being amongst the ...

CIMB and the Colombo Stock Exchange jointly concluded a Sri Lanka Corporate Day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 30 November 2011, themed ‘Invest Sri Lanka: Opportunities in a New Era’. This conference aim was to provide a snapshot of what lies ahead for the Sri Lankan economy and why Sri Lanka is one of the ...

Cabraal says that reserves were built to weather demanding situation, calls on the non-banking sector to seek funds from capital markets and wants it to target 70% of GDP by 2016 By Uditha Jayasinghe Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal yesterday defended declining reserves, insisting that they were built up to be used in times ...

First-of-its-kind innovative financing in the regionThe International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has extended a seven-year US$ 65 million (approximately Rs 7.4 billion) financing facility to the Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC to expand the latter’s lending to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). IFC’s largest financial markets investment in Sri ...

Twenty-three students who received training under the NDB Jeevana Livelihood Development Scheme recently graduated in Colombo. The students passed out following a comprehensive training course in Hotel Operations, conducted in association with the International Hotel School of Mt. Lavinia Hotel. This is the second batch from the east coast to have completed and graduated in ...

Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) will help to convert the manual toll collection system now being used on first expressway into an electronic toll collection (ETC) system. Currently tolls are collected by operators manually at exit points based on the distance travelled on the access-controlled four-lane expressway from Kottawa in Colombo District to Pinnaduwa in ...

By Ian The President in his speech at the opening of the Southern Expressway said that this could be the beginning of building a modern society. He also mentioned that had there been such an expressway linking the north with the south the extremists would not have succeeded in capitalising on the mistrust among communities. ...

The defeat of the LTTE in May 2009 has wrought a perceptible change in Sri Lanka’s economic climate, recognised by international financial institutions, foreign media and economic analysts, says in an article on Bangkok Post published on November 28. “Today they see Sri Lanka as one of Asia’s fast-growing nations with huge potential”, the report ...

Says depreciation by Budget only a one off, admits other sectors will suffer but notes growth will offset negatives By Uditha Jayasinghe The detriments of depreciation must be countered by aggressive growth in exports, the Central Bank Governor said yesterday, insisting that impediments to the industry had been removed by the latest Budget. Speaking for ...

Quick take on 2012 Budget by IIFL Securities Ceylon The 2012 Budget was relatively uneventful. It could be viewed as building on the significant tax reforms brought in by its predecessor whilst focusing on long-term infrastructure-led development and fiscal consolidation. The Government envisaging a fiscal deficit target of 6.2% of GDP for 2012 is a ...

Arrenga Capital Research takes a deeper look at Budget 2012 and impact on select listed companies 1. A challenging deficit target – 6.2% of GDP in 2012 I. Government revenue targeted to grow by 20.2% YoY to Rs. 1,126.1 b (14.7% of GDP) II. Total Government expenditure to rise 14.1% YoY to Rs. 1,594.9 b ...

The rupee trading froze on Monday after President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced a surprise three per cent devaluation with immediate effect in the 2012 Budget speech to help exporters and cut import costs. Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said the devaluation would take effect from Tuesday, but assured that there wouldn’t be any further cut ...

By Marianne David, Dinali Goonewardene, Cheranka Mendis, Cassandra Mascarenhas, Devin Jayasundera and Chamitha Kuruppu Brandix CEO Ashroff Omar Overall, we are glad that all that we had asked for, having worked with the Treasury before the Budget, has come in. There are slight tweaks from our proposals to what has been given, but overall we ...

Exports, imports up in Sept; Healthy financial inflows Two commercial banks infuse $ 250 m capital from overseas sources; corporate offshore debt capital raising tops $260 m Private sector borrowing averages Rs. 37 b per month in 2011 CB leaves policy rates unchanged for 10th straight month despite benign inflation and the inflation outlook Urges ...

MANY are the articles penned and opinions aired over Sri Lanka’s bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games bid, but now the only question that needs to be answered is, where to from here? Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal told media that the cost for the promotion of Hambantota as the venue was US$ 8 ...

At a recently concluded event in Tangalle, the third group of 31 students were enrolled under the NDB Jeevana Livelihood Development Scheme, in Hotel Operations, in association with the International Hotel School of Mount Lavinia Hotel.   The initiation of the Jeevana Program in Tangalle is in response to the high demand for trained staff ...

The 2011 Agriculture, Livestock, Technology and Machinery Exhibition together with the Mannar Investor Forum and Financial Facilitator Forum, which is the first-ever mega event of this nature to be held in this region, has grossed more than Rs. 10 million in its on-the-spot sales alone. During its two days’ duration more than 3,000 visitors thronged ...

By Chamitha Kuruppu The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna claims spending Rs. 265 billion on an 11-day extravaganza is intolerable for an economically ailing country like Sri Lanka. Addressing a media briefing the JVP warned that the aftermath of hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games would not be rosy as the Rajapaksa administration predicts According to JVP Propaganda ...

Kitts and Nevis: The Sri Lankan delegation lobbying to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games has arrived in the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis ahead of the crucial voting process to select the hosting city. The 60-strong delegation comprising the Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Hambanthota district parliamentarian Namal ...

The Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka (MBSL Bank) has today established itself in the industry as a catalyst in national development by promoting and assisting both public and private sector enterprises in the country. It is embraced by the parental strength of the Bank of Ceylon and features a Board of Directors that comprises of ...

Amidst woes in US and European markets, Sri Lanka’s apparel sector has survived to grow with the outlook for the next few quarters remaining positive, industry sources told the Daily FT yesterday. Whilst July saw earnings from textiles and garments increase year on year by 5% to US$ 385 million, the highest monthly value, August ...

Arguably the world’s most powerful leader, Barak Obama, underscored that the Eurozone crisis is “scaring the world”. It comes as no surprise then that his Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner heads the international clamour for more action to solve the burgeoning sovereign debt problem that has dominated financial markets in recent times. George Osborne, Britain’s current ...