Author: LBO
Sri Lankan Companies Take Hospitality Products and Services to Maldives
Sri Lankan exhibitors with the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the Maldives, representatives of the High Commission, SLMLBC, and Sri Lanka Export Development Board in front of the Sri Lanka Pavilion at Hotel Asia 2026 in the Maldives Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), in collaboration with the Sri Lanka–Maldives Business Council (SLMLBC) of […]
Dialog Axiata formulates Enterprise Strategy with MTI Consulting
Malaysia’s Axiata subsidiary Dialog has just completed their enterprise strategizing exercise in collaboration with MTI – with the focus on both Telco (Connectivity) and Tech-Co (ICT). As Sri Lanka’s leading enterprise connectivity provider, Dialog Enterprise continues to drive digital transformation by integrating advanced ICT solutions with robust connectivity infrastructure. This dual focus ensures enterprises can […]
VIDEO: How Gen Z are fighting to change India
This week tens of thousands of young people have taken to the streets of Delhi, India’s capital, demanding changes to the electoral system and the resignation of the country’s electoral commissioner. Thousands have been detained by police in the process. They represent the ‘cockroach’ movement, a grassroots campaign group started by a Boston University graduate […]
United States Announces $17 Million Investment to Modernize Port of Colombo to Reduce Shipping Costs
The United States today announced a $17 million investment to digitize operations at the Port of Colombo, strengthening one of South Asia’s busiest and most strategic maritime trade hubs. In partnership with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), the United States will introduce new digital systems to streamline port operations, using American technology to help […]
TISL Raises Concerns Over Proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill
Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) echoes the concerns expressed by human rights actors on the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, gazetted on the 22nd of September 2026, which proposes to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Significant concerns remain regarding its broad definitions of terrorism, expanded executive powers, administrative detention and restrictions […]
ComBank partners Payable to introduce ‘Soundbox’ for small business digital payments
Driven by its commitment to introduce the latest global technologies and continuously elevate the customer experience, Commercial Bank of Ceylon has announced the introduction of ‘Soundbox,’ an innovative audio-enabled digital payment acceptance device tailored for micro, small and medium enterprises. Powered by Mastercard and implemented in partnership with Payable (Pvt) Ltd, the Soundbox solution is […]
From Crisis Response to Climate Resilience: Innovating for Sri Lanka’s Agrifood Future
Vimlendra Sharan in discussion with vegetable farmers in Nuwara Eliya district By Vimlendra Sharan, FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives When extreme weather destroys crops, damages infrastructure and disrupts supply chains, the consequences travel far beyond the farm. They reach food prices, family nutrition, rural incomes and public finances. Cyclone Ditwah exposed this […]
Hambantota International Port delivers 167,569 vehicles across 2025 and 2026 reporting periods
Hambantota International Port (HIP) delivered 167,569 vehicles across the March–December 2025 period and up to September 2026, with Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) supporting vehicle importers through increased demand and disruptions affecting vehicle movements. Of this total, 86,389 vehicles were delivered between March and December 2025, comprising 30,809 brand new vehicles and 55,580 used vehicles. […]
Opinion: A Tourism Banking Super App that could earn twice for Sri Lanka?
A US$300 Million Tourism Super App? How Sri Lanka Could Connect Foreign Exchange, Telecom, National Parks, Government Resorts and Every Major Tourist Experience into One National Revenue Engine By Jithendra Antonio The next great opportunity in Sri Lankan tourism may not be another hotel, another airport terminal or another advertising campaign. It may be the […]
Fitch Rates Sampath Bank’s Proposed Basel III Subordinated Debentures Final ‘A(lka)’
Fitch Ratings has assigned Sampath Bank PLC’s (AA-(lka)/Stable) proposed Sri Lankan rupee-denominated Basel III-compliant subordinated debentures of up to LKR10 billion a final National Long-Term Rating of ‘A(lka)’. The proposed debentures, which will mature in five and seven years, will be listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange. The bank plans to use the proceeds to […]
150 years of rubber: A milestone worth celebrating
This year, Sri Lanka marks 150 years since rubber was first planted on its soil, a milestone that traces back to 1876, when a shipment of young Hevea brasiliensis seedlings arrived at the Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens in Gampaha. Grown from seeds smuggled out of the Amazon by British botanist Henry Wickham and germinated at Kew […]
Labour shortages are pushing Plantation Companies towards machines, dataand a different kind of worker
Sri Lanka’s plantation sector is entering a new phase of transformation, as technology and innovation reshape how estates operate, manage resources and sustain productivity. Across the country’s tea estates and other plantations, machines are increasingly complementing skilled workers in tasks once done almost entirely by hand, while software and data bring new precision to decisions […]