Recognises Bank for highest number of transactions in country’s trade and supply chain finance domain between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023 The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has once again been declared the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB’s) ‘Leading Partner Bank’ in Sri Lanka for trade and finance transactions, in a significant reaffirmation of the […]

-State Minister of Finance by PRIYAN DE SILVA State Minister of Finance, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says the interest rate of 9% per annum the Employees Trust Fund has guaranteed for its members until 2026 is reasonable; the Central Bank may reduce interest rates further. Siyambalapitiya said that the interest rates offered by the ETF were 9% […]

By Sanath Nanayakkare If Sri Lanka cannot arrive at an agreement with the foreign bond holders to restructure the foreign currency debt owed to them by Sep 27, even World Bank aid given to Sri Lanka to import fertilizer and medicine will cease, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Member of Parliament from Colombo District said. “This month […]

Former State Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, MP yesterday pointed out that a careful look at the Central Bank’s 2023 data revealed that the much-touted promise to build a thriving export-oriented economy under the current government was only a pipedream. Addressing the media at the Nidahasa office at Nawala where he dealt with economic issues, the dissident SLPP MP said that […]

By Shihar Aneez ECONOMYNEXT –The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) informed the members of the EPF, the country’s largest pension scheme, that it has opted for the government’s domestic debt optimization (DDO) option with a long-term view in the best interest of the members. It said the two options given to the EPF under […]

Global rating agency, Fitch, in its latest report downgraded Sri Lanka’s Long-Term Local-Currency (LTLFC) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to ‘RD’ (Restricted Default) from ‘C’. In a press release Fitch said the ratings on its local-currency bonds tendered in the domestic debt exchange have been downgraded to ‘D’ from ‘C’ while its other four local-currency bonds […]

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has submitted an offer to exchange the portfolio of their Treasury Bonds under the Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) programme, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) reported today (13 Sep.).

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Sunday called on the G20 members to lead by example and deliver on the promises of $100 billion per year for climate finance supported by strengthening the Multilateral Development Banks. Speaking at the conclusion of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on Sunday, the IMF […]

The G20 joint declaration in Delhi is being described as a significant diplomatic win for India. The agreement of a joint statement looked almost impossible a few days ago, given how sharply divided the group was over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In the end, we had a declaration that garnered unanimous support from all G20 […]

Singaporeans have chosen Tharman Shanmugaratnam as their next president – but many would have let out a small sigh of disappointment as they did so. On Friday, the former top minister won a record 70.4% of the votes, comfortably beating two other candidates in the country’s first contested presidential election in more than a decade. […]

Singaporeans have headed to the polls to vote in their first contested presidential election in over a decade. The president has a mainly ceremonial role in the city-state with few powers and little say in public affairs. But the result on Friday could be a marker of public sentiment on the long-term ruling People’s Action […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC, declared in Parliament that the winners of LPL (Lanka Premier League) 2023 B-Love Kandy had been sponsored by an enterprise that was banned in the country. The statement was made in Parliament on 24th August. The one-time President of the Bar Association found fault with SLC […]

Beijing [China], August 19 (ANI): Raising concerns regarding the financial crisis triggered by the downturn in China’s real estate market, Chinese investment firm Zhongrong Trust , which managed USD 87 billion worth of funds for corporate clients and wealthy individuals as of the end of 2022, had failed to pay the interest and principal on […]

Stating that multiple challenges confront the G20 grouping, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India adopted an unconventional approach to its Presidency, making it much more connected with people. A major highlight of the second day of the Think20 (T20) Summit in Mysuru on Tuesday was a virtual address by Jaishankar, followed by a […]