Yahapalana Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s plea for Indian funding to develop Elapathagama in the memory of the late Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera remains a mystery. In terms of an agreement signed on 14 July, 2017, India provided Sri Lankan Rs 300 mn to develop Elapathagama in the Anuradhapura district. The late Sobitha Thera, a controversial character, spearheaded […]

Despite heavy taxes and increased tax collection, the government budget deficit for the period end May 2023 has increased to Rs. 1,015 billion which is 59% increase against 2022 end May figures. (See table) Another negative feature is that due to heavy taxes and very high bank interest rates, the economy has not grown and […]

Monetary policy transmission to the real economy in Sri Lanka is still incomplete, the governor of the country s central bank, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, said at a LSEG FX Community Event on Monday (Aug 7).

In a meeting between Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Mohammad-Reza Farzin and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Ali Sabry in Tehran, the two sides stressed the need for the development of monetary and banking relations between the two countries as a prerequisite for the expansion of bilateral economic ties.

By Eng. Thushara Dissanayake Water is often undervalued and insufficient attention is paid to its pollution. The water quality degradation is a blooming environmental issue in Sri Lanka. According to World Bank findings, the invisible crisis of water quality degradation is reducing potential economic growth in heavily polluted areas of the world by one-third. It […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando The Convenor of ‘Samagi Joint Trade Union Alliance’ Ananda Palitha yesterday (06) alleged that the bankrupt country was being exploited to the hilt by the powers that be and external powers. The one-time director of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government increased diesel and petrol prices on 30th […]

Joining China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project four years ago was a “hasty and disastrous” decision. This statement is from the Minister of Defense of Italy. An interview with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto was published on Sunday, in which he said China’s involvement in the project was a “disastrous decision.” He also explained […]

Cassandra in her Friday Cry-s has often noted with deep gratitude that nature has been benevolent to suffering, down and almost out Sri Lanka. Forest fires due to intemperate temperature in usually cool climes; sudden floods due to torrential rains; erupting volcanoes and earthquakes have all assiduously avoided troubling poor little Sri Lanka struggling against […]

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka yesterday said that the authorisation of the Indian rupee as a designated currency did not make it a ‘legal tender’ in Sri Lanka for domestic payments/settlements.  Issuing a clarification, titled Misinformation Relating to Indian Rupee (INR), the CBSL has said: “Any transaction executed between or among residents in Sri […]

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) published its inaugural Monetary Policy Report (MPR) on Monday (July 31).

The first six months of the year marked improvements to Sri Lanka’s macro-economic landscape with inflation continuing to decrease and the IMF bailout followed by the Domestic Debt Optimization (DDO) announcement. During the 1H2023, the Bank recorded significant improvement in the core banking performance and posted an overall income of LKR 11,729Mn, which is an […]

The RBI has taken a pivotal step by permitting 20 banks operating in India to open 92 Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs) with partner banks from 22 countries. This allows exporters and importers from these nations to conduct trade transactions in domestic currencies, facilitating smoother and more efficient trade practices. The list of countries eligible for […]

India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has invited China, as a large creditor to Sri Lanka, to join Japan, India and France in their effort to help the country cope with its debt distress. She has also called upon the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to speed up relief measures for countries facing […]

ECONOMYNEXT –Australian firms are interested in investing in Sri Lanka, particularly in resource sector, but a more conducive investment environment is needed, High Commissioner Paul Stevens said. Sri Lanka is looking to foreign direct investment as a factor in taking the country out of an economic crises triggered by excessive deployment of ‘macro-economic policy’ involving […]

Less than a month after being named party chief of China s central bank, Pan Gongsheng has further solidified his oversight of the monetary authority by being elevated to bank governor  placing him in a critical role to address financial risks and growth momentum in the world s second-largest economy.

By Rathindra Kuruwita Annual elephant deaths have increased fourfold by this year, compared to 1969, according to official data, environmentalists say. Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) has said the number of elephants killed in the 19 years from 1951 to 1969 was 1,163. This works out to about 61 […]

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies to enter into an agreement with the international development tribunal of the World Bank Group in order to obtain a loan grant of USD 200 million for the Aswesuma welfare benefit […]

The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to enter into an agreement with the International Development Association of the World Bank Group in order to obtain funding for the implementation of a project to strengthen the social security system in Sri Lanka.