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IMF Reaches Staff-Level Agreement on First Review of Sri Lanka’s Extended Fund Facility Arrangement
IMF staff and the Sri Lankan authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on economic policies to conclude the first review of the 48-month EFF-supported program. Sri Lanka will have access to SDR 254 million (about US$330 million) in financing once the review is approved by IMF Management and IMF Executive Board. “Macroeconomic policy reforms are […]
‘s debt optimization
The Chinese Finance Minister, Liu Kun, has reaffirmed China’s commitment to extend comprehensive support for the implementation of a medium-term and long-term program that is mutually beneficial to both parties and aimed at optimizing Sri Lanka’s debt. The Chinese Finance Minister conveyed this commitment during bilateral discussions held this morning (19) in Beijing with President […]
Advocata’s Bath Curry Indicator recorded a year-on-year increase of roughly 2-pct
Advocata’s Bath Curry Indicator (BCI) which is a price-index that tracks the monthly changes in the retail price of a basket of commonly consumed food items recorded a year-on-year increase of roughly 2% between September 2022 and September 2023 and a month-on-month fall of 1.6% in between August and September 2023. Additionally, the BCI also […]
University Business Link. Connecting Academic Inspirations to Commercial Markets
By Jekhan Aruliah Entrepreneurs turn ideas into business and money. Rubbish rescued from tips make valuable construction materials and fuels. Microwave ovens and matchsticks, accidental discoveries, became huge industries. An annoyingly sticky substance sold as Superglue. Another pathetically weak glue led to Post-It Notes. Antibiotics and Insulin, discovered by chance observation, are multibillion dollar businesses. […]
United Motors to Acquire Dutch Lanka Trailers for LKR700mn
October 17, 2023 (LBO) – Colombo Stock Exchange listed United Motors (UML) has entered into a share purchase agreement for the purchase of 100% of Dutch Lanka Trailer Manufacturers Limited (DLT) for a price of LKR700mn. The seller TRF Singapore (a Tata group firm) purchased DLT for a total price of approximately USD$17mn from 2009 […]
Imperative for SOE Reforms in focus at Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2023
The second session of the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2023 titled ‘SOE Reforms – Now or Never’ will focus on the imperative for SOE reforms, sharing invaluable insights into the ongoing SOE reforms and their potential impact on economic growth. The session will center around a deep dive into the transformation of large SOEs, their […]
Re-designing Sri Lanka’s foreign policy, “need of the hour”: Eran
Sri Lankan’s economy is not standalone, but is interlinked with foreign policy, says SJB parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne. “Whilst our internal decision making is decisive, international decision making and events play a key role in our economy, lifestyle and security, more so, because we are a small island nation,” he says. Wickramaratne is of the view […]
Recognizing contribution of women in Sri Lanka towards food security and sustainable economic recovery
Achieving gender equality and empowering women is not only the right thing to do but is a critical ingredient in the fight against extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition. As the world celebrates International Rural Women’s Day on 15th October each year, the day shines a spotlight and recognizes the significant contributions of women to global […]
”’, Removes RWN
Fitch Ratings has downgraded Sri Lanka-based Senkadagala Finance PLC’s (Senka) National Long-Term Rating to ‘BBB(lka)’ from ‘BBB+(lka)’. The Outlook is Stable. Fitch has also downgraded Senka’s subordinated debt rating to ‘BB+(lka)’ from ‘BBB-(lka)’, and removed the Rating Watch Negative (RWN) from all of Senka’s ratings. KEY RATING DRIVERS Weakened Asset Quality Drives Downgrade: Senka’s exposure […]
Opinion: Energy, EVs, Environment and the Economy
By M. Rizwan Muzzammil According to an article in ‘The Diplomat’ (2nd Oct 23), the Sri Lankan government has committed to supplying 70% of its domestic electricity with renewable energy sources by 2030, with the longer-term goal of achieving a fully renewable electricity supply by 2050. The government is incentivized by “debt-for-renewables swap”, which enables […]