Category: Economy
Govt. will support retail sector to make Sri Lanka a regional shopping destination: Fin Min
Oct 19, 2018 (LBO) – Opportunities for the retail sector will continue to expand with Sri Lanka recently crossing the US 4,000 dollar GDP per capita threshold, the Minister of Finance said. Mangala Samaraweera told a retail forum in Colombo, Thursday. “Tourist arrivals this year have crossed the 2 million mark with growth of 11.6 percent, creating […]
Mangala reveals fuel pricing formula
Oct 18, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Mangala Smaraweera reveled to media the recently introduced fuel price formula calculation method following repeated calls for it. “The Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of auto fuels has been established as follows MRP = V1 + V2 + V3 + V4,” he told reporters in Colombo a short while […]
BOI rejects reports about resignation of its Director General
Oct 18, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment on Thursday rejected media reports that its Director General Duminda Ariyasinghe has tendered his resignation. BOI Media Director, Dilip Samarasinghe in a statement requested media to refrain from baseless speculation, especially on matters that have implications on investor confidence. Releasing another statement in the afternoon, International […]
Sri Lanka secures USD1Bn Foreign Currency Term Financing Facility
Oct 17, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has secured 1,000 million US dollars from the China Development Bank (CDB) under the Foreign Currency Term Financing Facility (FCTFF) with a maturity period of eight years.The Central Bank said in a statement that interest cost is highly competitive and linked to 6 Month USD LIBOR with a grace […]
Sri Lanka plans new import controls for non essential goods
Oct 17, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Finance Ministry to study the current imports and submit a report on goods of which the imports can be temporarily restricted. President has made these remarks at the 20th session of the National Economic Council, which was held at the Presidential Secretariat […]
Sri Lanka vehicle registrations down in Sept 2018
Oct 17, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s motor car registrations dropped to 4,990 units in September 2018 from 7,003 in the previous month following hike in taxes imposed by the government earlier this year, data compiled by JB Securities equities research shows. Total registrations were down to 34,293 units from 43,190 in the month of August. […]
Only 8-pct of Sri Lanka’s 2018 budget promises progressing on track: Verité
Oct 16, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s private think tank Verité Research has found out that only 8 percent of promises announced in the 2018 budget are progressing on track through the end of the first six months of this year. The research firm has also found out that progress on 33 percent of proposals […]
‘s growth to recover and remain at 4-pct : World Bank
Oct 16, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s economic growth is projected to recover from the effects of last year’s weather disruptions, which negatively affected agriculture, and to remain around 4 percent in the next two years, says the World Bank in its twice-a-year regional economic update. Growth will be robust in most South Asian countries, except […]
SAARC looks to go high tech to boost regional trade : Minister
Oct 15, 2018 (LBO) – Despite low trade within the region, there is potential for using information and communication technologies to contribute to social and economic progress across South Asian countries, Minister of Industry and Commerce said. “Despite the challenges, the e-commerce and related sectors in the South Asian countries offer huge business and investment […]
Central Bank introduces whistleblowing policy & code of conduct for employees
Oct 15, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank said a whistleblowing policy and a new code of conduct for all employees have been introduced as part of the execution of recommendations included in the bond commission report. Releasing a statement on the progress they made with regard to the recommendations of the bond commission […]
Sri Lanka introduces national standard for mobile QR code payments
Oct 12, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has introduced a National Quick Response (QR) Code Standard for local currency payments with the aim of establishing a standard for payments carried out through mobile phones. The Central Bank said this new standard called LANKAQR came into effect from this week. All Licensed Banks, Licensed […]
Central Bank says Cabraal’s comments on rupee depreciation misleading
Oct 12, 2018 (LBO) – Central Bank says the allegations made by former Governor Nivard Cabraal in a recent newspaper article that the Central Bank has neglected its statutory duty and the recent depreciation of the rupee could have been better managed are misleading. “The exchange rate pressure that is currently observed is not limited […]