Category: Opinion
Opinion: Will the Response to Ditwah be Worse than the Disaster?
By M. Rizwan Muzzammil The Parable of the Broken Window In 1850, the French economist Frederic Bastiat penned “The Parable of the Broken Window.” A boy breaks a shop window, and a glazier is paid six francs to repair it. Onlookers muse that such accidents are good for trade, as they keep windowmakers in business. […]
Equity (Shares): What It Means to Own a Piece of a Company
Umair Ismail, CFA This article is part of a collaborative series by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC), CFA Society Sri Lanka and the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and which aims to enhance financial literacy and empower individuals with the knowledge and tools to make informed financial decisions and build long-term financial […]
| How Sri Lanka’s Political Transformation Is Reshaping Stock Market
A Follow-up Analysis: September 2024 – September 2025By Uddeepa Peiris Introduction: When Predictions Meet Reality In September 2024, just weeks before Sri Lanka’s presidential election, I wrote that a government committed to clean governance and development could trigger a dramatic transformation in the country’s stock market. One year later, with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake leading […]
Opinion: Why Smart Regulation, Not Prohibition, Will Protect Sri Lanka’s Youth
By Jithendra Antonio The recent firestorm surrounding e-cigarette use among Sri Lanka’s youth has ignited a critical policy debate in Sri Lanka. So, what’s really at stake here? Protecting our youth is and must always remain a national priority. Yet, regulators and policymakers must resist knee-jerk prohibitionist responses, as any proposed solutions must be evidence-based, […]
Opinion: Not Too Late for a Winning Bet – The Need to Redraft the Gambling Bill
By Sudaraka Ariyaratne After weeks of discussion, the Committee on Public Finance approved the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) Bill last Wednesday. While the Bill faces its second reading in Parliament this Tuesday, its many deficiencies remain—helping create a regulator not worth its salt. Gaming encompasses both gambling—games of pure chance like casinos and lotteries—and betting, […]
Opinion: Are Residential apartments the best asset class in town?
By The Research Intelligence Unit, Colombo It was said many years ago that Sri Lankans would never take to apartments because indigenous values demanded dwellings to have gardens, be accommodating to continuous refurbishments and for properties to be transferable from one generation to the next. Over the past two decades, we have witnessed the complete […]
Synamon Global’s Seacucumber Symposium 2025 in Jaffna
By Jekhan Aruliah The Seacucumber Symposium in Jaffna, sponsored by the US based investment organisation Synamon Global, brought together many diverse opinions to share and enhance knowledge and understanding. Academics and entrepreneurs gave their opinions and advice, occasionally in heated fashion. Thus achieving Synamon Global’s objective, to make the seacucumber industry a powerful sustainable and […]
‘s Ultra-Rich to Vegas of South Asia
By Jithendra Antonio In a transformative declaration that reverberates through South Asia’s economic corridors, gaming tycoon Lawrence Ho’s recent bold proclamation at the August 2025 launch of the US $1.2 billion City of Dreams Sri Lanka has crystallized what many strategic analysts have long envisioned. According to Ho’s statement at the City of Dreams launch […]
Opinion: Sri Lanka – The Next Frontier for Global Investors
69% market surge creates compelling opportunity for international capital as recovery story gains momentum By Uddeepa Peiris After a spectacular 69.69% year-on-year rally that has catapulted the Colombo Stock Exchange All-Share Price Index (ASPI) to 19,532 points, Sri Lanka’s stock market has emerged as one of the world’s most compelling investment destinations for international investors. […]
Opinion: Why Sri Lanka Should Be Ready for “B-READY”
In 2024, the global approach to measuring business climate saw a major transformation. The World Bank Group introduced the Business Ready (B-READY) Index, its new flagship report aimed at assessing the business and investment environment across countries. This index replaces the discontinued Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) report and brings with it a more robust, […]
Opinion: Attracting FDI and managing BOP?
By Indika Hettiarachchi Retained profits or reinvested earnings of existing Foreign Direct Investment (“FDI”) backed ventures usually comprise a significant share of Sri Lanka’s (official) FDI figures. This means a significant share of reported FDI do not represent actual foreign “cash” coming into the county to finance (new) investment. In other words, an increase in […]
The Once and Future Industrial Northern Province
By Jekhan Aruliah The Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Yarlparnam, CCIY, was born in the short period of optimism in 1999. When the Sri Lankan Civil War, at that time already aflame for 16 years, seemed to be heading toward a settlement. Opposing sides were sitting at the same negotiating table. That optimism was […]