Today is 19 March 2012. The day and the month of March are significant in the lives of many people – some celebrating birthdays, some wedding anniversaries, while others nurse what is yet left over from the hangover of the three day drawn encounter that we experienced a week ago or the limited over Royal ...

By Cheranka Mendis Despite the Central Bank’s forecast reading 7.2% growth for 2012, RAM Ratings Lanka CEO Adrian Perera is confident that the country can touch the 7.5%-7.6% mark by the end of the year. Perera told the Daily FT that the new projection is a realistic number from the 8% noted at the beginning ...

MANILA, PHILIPPINES: Economic growth in the Pacific region is expected to slow to 6.0% in 2012 from 7.0% in 2011, according to the latest Pacific Economic Monitor released yesterday by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The slowdown is driven by lower growth in large resource-exporting economies that dominate regional growth. The Pacific region continues to ...

As the world decides vote on Sri Lanka on the methods used on the eradication of terrorism in the country, my mind goes back to the December 2008 when three of us were organising the staging of the first Industrial Exhibition in Jaffna so that the north gets connected to south on an economic front. ...

It is pleasant to lead a peaceful life with no encumbrances and without debts. In the modern world, debt has become a part of life like breath. In Sri Lankan society, it has not been the case and the practice before. It has been a burden and a commitment for somebody to live in a ...

Janashakthi Insurance PLC, Sri Lanka’s third biggest insurer, posted a total income of Rs. 7.27 billion rupees, while total Gross Written Premium income rose 16.0 per cent to Rs. 7.13 billion for the year- ending December 31, 2011, the best ever performance of the company. Non-life insurance business rose 18.0 per cent to Rs. 5.256 ...

Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabral has said in Doha that Sri Lanka’s per capita income will rise to US $6,000 by 2016.   The visiting Central Bank Governor was making a presentation on ‘Sri Lanka’s Emerging Business Opportunities’ at a seminar organized by the Sri Lankan Business Council of Qatar. Mr. Cabral highlighted the ...

Scanning through the papers recently after the Central Bank of Sri Lanka published its 2011 external sector performance report, I was reminded of a pithy observation made by William W. Watt: “Do not put your faith in what statistics say until you have carefully considered what they do not say.” Some of the data were ...

’s economy. One of Sri Lanka’s award-winning marketers and former ...

By Cheranka Mendis Gathered to discuss the implications, opportunities and challenges of the sudden announcement and introduction of the Government’s new policies, the export community was advised by a panel of experts to watch ahead, be prepared and make their own judgments from the information provided. With the country facing no immediate risks of getting ...

Avoiding a crisis The Pathfinder Foundation (PF) commends the Treasury and Central Bank for the policy measures introduced recently. This has prevented an external payments crisis. Without remedial action, the country would not have been able to meet its debt obligations and/or finance essential imports within a short period of time. The increases in the ...

PORTLOUIS(Reuters) :Tourism revenues in Mauritius rose by 10 percent in 2011, helped by higher visitor numbers, official data showed on Tuesday. The Bank of Mauritius said revenues in what is a key industry for the Indian Ocean island reached 43.40 billion rupees ($1.48 billion) from 39.45 billion in 2010. Tourist arrivals in Mauritius rose by ...

BANGKOK (Reuters): Thailand’s economy, which shrank a record 10.7 per cent in the fourth quarter due to devastating flooding, is expected to bounce back sharply this year as the government and major exporters step up reconstruction spending after the disaster. While some economists

  Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings PLC., was adjudged the winner in the Medium Scale Category for the second consecutive year at the ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards and once again joins the ranks of being one of the most transparent companies in the region.  The awards evaluate companies’ sustainability reporting under the categories of completeness in ...

The Central Bank yesterday explained some of the events that led to the erosion of reserves that led to the depreciation of the rupee and assured that pressure on the exchange rate would ease, apart from projecting a balance of payments surplus this year. Noting that the current developments in forex market were ‘temporary,’ the ...

“We have the responsibility to ensure that together with the freedom we have won, we can also have economic independence that will enable our people to live a good life. Let us act to drown out poverty, inability and conspiracies against the people in an abundance of prosperity. That is our singular expectation,” said President ...

Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, has extended its reach into Africa with the launch of a new linked service to Lusaka and Harare. Now flying to 22 points within Africa, Emirates will connect Zambia and Zimbabwe to key markets across Europe, the Far East, Australasia and the Indian Subcontinent. The Dubai-Lusaka-Harare service ...

NDB Investment Bank (NDBIB), the premier investment bank in Sri Lanka, concluded its most successful year to date, raising approximately Rs. 38 billion funds and retaining its unrivalled position as the market leader in investment banking. NDB Group Investment Banking Cluster CEO Vajira Kulatilaka commenting on this feat said: “We are proud to have retained ...

External trade in November turned exponential to reach a record figure of almost $ 3 billion with imports shooting up to a near $ 2 billion as exports showed signs of losing steam though higher in comparison to a year earlier. The rapid rise in imports, up 78% to $ 1.98 billion, highest ever, and ...

of a marine-based economy some five months before world governments meet to discuss pathways to more ...

Facing the short-term economic challengesThe macroeconomic imbalances Sri Lanka has achieved a growth rate of 8.3% last year and inflation fell to 4.9% year-on-year in December 2011. These are noteworthy achievements at a time when the global economic landscape has been hostile with a slowdown in the US and a crisis in Europe; key markets ...

Developing countries should prepare for further downside risks, as Euro Area debt problems and weakening growth in several big emerging economies are dimming global growth prospects, the World Bank said yesterday in the newly-released Global Economic Prospects (GEP) 2012. The bank has lowered its growth forecast for 2012 to 5.4 per cent for developing countries ...

By Dinali Goonewardene The Institute of Chartered Accountants (CA Sri Lanka) ceremonially inducted its 21st President, Sujeewa Rajapakse, at a ceremony at the Cinnamon Grand hotel yesterday. Rajapakse, who is the Managing Partner at BDO Partners, the fifth largest audit firm globally, took over for a two-year term from outgoing President Sujeewa Mudalige. Newly-inducted President ...

The Central Bank appeared to be unmoved by scepticism over its upbeat outlook for 2012, which was reiterated yesterday following the January monetary policy review leaving policy rates unchanged. UNP MP and Consultant Economist Dr. Harsha de Silva as well as Standard Chartered Bank have separately questioned some of the upbeat 2012 forecasts.   However, ...

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has kept its key policy rates unchanged for the Month of January taking into consideration the latest developments in the economy, which the country says is expected to get a boost owing to the significant structural economic changes

“Our sense is that if we do not act boldly and if we do not act together, the economy around the world runs the risk of a downward spiral of uncertainty, financial instability and potential collapse of global demand… we could run the risk of what some commentators are already calling

The Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) has opined the Central Bank’s forecast of $ 25 billion foreign inflow as “optimistic” given external headwinds whilst cautioning that pressure was mounting on the rupee given the rising import demand. This view along with weaker GDP forecast is contained in SCB's latest country update titled 'A challenging year ahead' ...

start presenting objective analyses of the economy if its credibility is to be maintained. Issuing a ...

Highly confident Central Bank outlines ambitious forecasts for 2012 and beyond 2011 GDP growth at record 8.3%; 2012 outlook revised to 8% from 9% previously Eyes over $ 25 b inflows in 2011 Low interest rates helped to reduce Govt. expenditure by Rs. 15.5 b CB profit transfers to Government over Rs. 46 b between ...

UNP MP Harsha de Silva yesterday alleged Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal’s 2012 and beyond road map was “nauseatingly one-sided propaganda” whilst it failed to address the balance of payments issue. Here is the full statement of Dr. de Silva. Without taking away from the hard work of the private sector for having driven this ...