Category: Opinion
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 […]
From Investment to Economic Transformation: Does Sri Lanka Need One Integrated Development Agency?
“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” — Peter Drucker Author: Prof. Asoka S.Seneviratne Introduction Sri Lanka’s next economic challenge is to turn stabilisation into sustained economic transformation. Restoring macroeconomic stability was necessary, but stability alone cannot deliver higher productivity, competitive production, expanding exports or improved living standards. The country must […]
From Stability to Transformation: What Sri Lanka’s Industrial Policy Experience Teaches Us
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” — Peter Drucker By Prof. Asoka S.Seneviratne Introduction Sri Lanka has never been without industrial policy. For decades, successive governments have attempted, in different forms, to promote manufacturing, protect domestic industries, attract foreign investment, develop exports, create employment and move the economy towards higher […]
Maldives’ 40% Dollar Conversion Rule is a gift for Sri Lanka’s Tourism Sector
Sri Lanka and other regional players to benefit By Jithendra Antonio On 31 August 2026, President Mohamed Muizzu signed the First Amendment to the Foreign Currency Act into law, alongside six other pieces of legislation. The amendment came into force the very next day, on 1 September 2026. Buried in the fine print of a […]
After the IMF: Can Sri Lanka Make Economic Discipline Its Own?
From stabilization to transformation — the real test begins when the IMF programme ends By Prof. Asoka.S.Seneviratne Introduction Sri Lanka has travelled a considerable distance from the economic catastrophe of 2022. Growth has returned, inflation has been brought under control for much of the period, foreign-exchange reserves have recovered, the banking system has strengthened, and […]
From Bureaucratic Labyrinth to Economic Liberty: Transforming SL’s Future Through National Business Facilitation Center (ViYASA)
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” — Socrates By Prof. Asoka S.Seneviratne Introduction The inauguration of Sri Lanka’s National Business Facilitation Center (NBFC)—known locally as ViYASA—Visionary insight of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake marks a profound turning point in the nation’s […]
Beyond Sovereignty Rhetoric: Structural Barriers to Sri Lanka’s Economic Independence
“Political independence and economic independence are inseparable.” — Deng Xiaoping By Prof. Asoka.S.Seneviratne Introduction President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent pronouncements on economic independence strike a vital chord for a post-default nation navigating international debt restructuring. However, moving from political rhetoric to genuine economic sovereignty within a three-to-five-year horizon requires more than declarations of intent. Drawing […]
Sri Lanka’s Reserves: Build Them Wisely, Not at Any Cost
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” — Aristotle By Prof. Asoka.S.Seneviratne Summary The Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr Nandalal Weerasinghe, deserves credit for placing the question of foreign-reserve accumulation within its proper broader context: reserves cannot be built sustainably at any cost. At the Reserve Management Conference […]
Opinion: How & Why Economic Growth & Development Matter
By Prof. Asoka S. Seneviratne Executive Summary The central question for Sri Lanka is whether economic growth is improving the lives and opportunities of ordinary citizens. Growth is often presented as a headline GDP percentage, but it is morally neutral: it does not automatically guarantee fairness, equitable distribution or improvements in human capability. Sri Lanka’s […]
Opinion: Neoliberal policies slowing down Sri Lanka
By Indika Hettiarachchi Key Points: Despite 5.1 percent GDP growth during the first quarter of 2026, IMF predicts Sri Lanka’s GDP growth will remain around 3 percent in 2026 and 2027. Many investors are concerned as to why measures to catalyze post crisis economic recovery are not producing higher economic growth. One of the first […]
Opinion: Will the “tax shock” kill Sri Lankan economy?
By Indika Hettiarachchi “Current IMF backed tax policy framework likely to slowdown economic growth and increase poverty.” Under the latest IMF extended fund facility program, Sri Lanka has achieved substantial increase in tax revenue – to a level never seen in the history. Data show that for the first quarter of 2026, tax collections increased […]
Opinion: We Were Here First – The Case for Malay Political Representation in Sri Lanka
By Thanzyl Thajudeen, a Sri Lankan Malay There is a mosque on Slave Island in Colombo that has stood for more than three centuries. Masjidul Jamiya was not built by merchants or pilgrims. It was built by soldiers, Malay soldiers who came to this island in service to the Dutch crown and, after 1796, to […]