Sri Lanka property restrictions on foreigners relaxed: Budget

Nov 11, 2016 (LBO) – The Finance Minister in Budget 2017 announced measures to relax restrictions placed on property and land with regard to foreigners, and to allow companies to lease land. “The Government would remove freehold right restrictions from the ground floor and also allow foreigners who will be purchasing condominiums to raise 40 […]

Sri Lanka to add new domestic air service in 2017: Budget

Nov 11, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will introduce a new domestic airline by March 2017 to increase local connectivity, the Finance minister said. “This airline will be on a public private partnership agreement, which will include the Sri Lanka Air Force, the hotel industry, travel agents and other private sector stakeholders,” Ravi Karunanayake, finance […]

Commercial Bank’s 9-month post-tax profit crosses Rs 10 billion  

  (Press Release)  Loan book upby Rs 66.4 billionto Rs. 574.5 billion Deposits grow by Rs 86.4 billion to Rs 710.5 billio Assets reach Rs 953.3 billion, up Rs 73.5 billion in 9 months Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC has reaffirmed its status as one of the strongest-performing entities in Sri Lanka’s financial sector with […]

Sri Lanka to set up sugar fund with ethanol tax and cess: Ravi

Nov 10, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will set up a special price stabilization fund for sugar cane, and give state land and a 100 percent capital allowance to set up factories as incentives to develop the industry, Finance Minister said. “I propose to establish a Sugar Stabilization Fund by imposing a 2 percent Cess […]

(PRESS RELEASE) – Fitch Ratings-Colombo-10 November 2016: Fitch Ratings has affirmed Standard Chartered Bank, Sri Lanka Branch’s (SCBSL) National Long- Term Rating at ‘AAA(lka)’. The Outlook is Stable. KEY RATING DRIVERS SCBSL’s rating reflects the credit profile and financial strength of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB: A+/Stable). The rating is linked with SCB’s Issuer Default Rating […]

Sri Lanka govt to fund Rs635Mn development of BIA

Nov 10, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers have given the go ahead to construct  a new immigration hall, electronic mall and an expansion of the departure concourse at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with a total cost of 635 million rupees. Construction contract for the immigration hall and new mall construction had been awarded […]

Sri Lanka govt approves phase 2 of Central Expressway, only single bidders

Nov 09, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s cabinet has given the nod to build the second section of Central Expressway which runs from Mirigama to Kurunegala for 39.29 kilometers. The contract in this regard has been divided into four (04) packages and only one set of bidders submitted proposals for each of four civil work contract packages. […]

Interview: Strength of potential partners key to LNG negotiations, says PRDS DG

Nov 08, 2016 (LBO) – The reputation and financial strength of potential partners is key to developing Sri Lanka’s LNG infrastructure, according to the head of the Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat (PRDS). “Introducing a new energy form of LNG and building up end-user dependency on it requires a low-risk approach to supply assurance,” Saliya Wickramasuriya, […]

‘s tourism minister highlights red-tape as major challenge

Nov 09, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ambitious plans to develop its tourism sector are being held up by too much bureaucracy, according to the island’s Minister for Tourism, John Amaratunga. Speaking ahead of the inaugural Asia Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (AHTIC) in Colombo, he said: “One of the biggest challenges is the bureaucracy. […]

Sri Lanka welcomes first KLM flight after nearly 20 years

Nov 08, 2016 (LBO) – KLM Royal Dutch Airlines resumed flights to Sri Lanka on 01 November with a twice-weekly service between Colombo and Amsterdam operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, a statement said. On board were KLM VIPs and Joanne Doornewaard, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Sri Lanka and Maldives. Throughout […]

Nestlé Lanka invests Rs500Mn in Sri Lanka’s dairy industry

Nov 08, 2016 (LBO) – Nestlé Lanka, a unit of the Swiss-based food group, announced the opening of a new UHT milk plant in their factory in Kurunegala. The company has made an investment of 500 million rupees in the island’s dairy industry with the new production facility. Through this new investment on a UHT […]

VC fund BOV Capital invests in OMAK Technologies

Nov 08, 2016 (LBO) – BOV Capital has led a successful investment round for OMAK Technologies, a fast growing regional restaurant management solutions provider with roots in Sri Lanka. BOV Capital is the first Sri Lanka-and Singapore-based venture capital fund focusing on Sri Lankan ventures that export technology-oriented products and services. Having closed the new […]

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