Tag: economy

Mar 26, 2010 (LBO) – The World Bank has approved a loan of 18 million US dollars to Sri Lanka to develop sustainable tourism, international trade minister Gamini Peiris said. “These funds are to be used for infrastructure development,” Peiris said. “This is a matter of high priority for Sri Lanka now,” he told a […]

Mar 24, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan businesses should be prepared for economic downturns and watch for warning signs from other economies to avoid being hurt during crises, Central Bank governor Nivard Cabraal said. “The first lesson is, strengthen yourself in good times,” he said, recalling how the central bank prepared to face the global […]

HANOI, Mar 23, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka was among the countries that ran counter-cyclical monetary policy in 2009 without damaging fallouts but low income Asian nations have to invest more, International Monetary Fund officials said. Sri Lanka is estimated to have grown by about 3. 5 percent in 2009 recovering from a slump from […]

Mar 23, 2010 (LBO) – Development of townships around Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo offers investors a range of investment opportunities to build infrastructure and supply services, a senior official said. The Greater Colombo township development, known as the ‘3K’ project from the three towns covered – Kottawa, Kaduwela and Kadawatha – is connected with construction […]

Mar 23, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s right wing United National Party (UNP) promises socialist style intervention to fix economic problems by clamping down on errant banks, increasing state-sector pensions and wages and threatening to cancel foreign commercial loans. Troubled assets of the Sri Lanka’s banking system will be absorbed into the state by a […]

HANOI, Mar 22, 2010 (LBO) – Government officials, international financial institutions and policy researchers are discussing developing Asia’s response to the global crisis and the way ahead for lower poverty and growth at a forum in Hanoi Monday. Sri Lanka’s finance secretary P B Jayasundera, Nepal’s minister of finance, Surendra Pandey and advisor to Bangladesh’s […]

Hanoi, Mar 22, 2010 (LBO) – International support and policy advice on macro-economic management has helped Vietnam recover from a slowdown in 2009 and the country intended to use global links to cut poverty, officials said. Vietnam’s economy slumped in the fist part of 2009 but recovered later and the country was expected to record […]

HANOI, Mar 22, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is looking for more flexibility and backing from multilateral lenders as the country emerges from a war and a global crisis and is planning sustainable growth for the future, a top official said. IMF only lends money to the central bank to boost its reserves and budgetary […]

Mar 18, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka held policy rates frozen in March as inflation accelerated, central bank financing of the budget deficit increased to new highs amid frantic attempts to mop excess liquidity. The International Monetary Fund has already suspended a deal after the 2009 budget deficit went off the rails to 10.3 percent […]

Mar 18, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is inviting investments for a high-rise complex proposed for prime land in the congested city that will be cleared of slums as part of an urban renewal project, officials said. The ‘Panchikawatte Triangle’ re-development project will provide 26 acres of land in the heart of the city for […]

Mar 17, 2010 (LBO) – Getting Sri Lanka a more favourable insurance risk rating involves not just the absence of war but other factors like media freedom and corporate governance, officials and analysts said. Altogether, 48 ‘risk factors’ are covered in Aegis’ rating model which also considers criminal risk like corruption, crime, law enforcement and […]

BRUSSELS, March 16, 2010 (AFP) – The European Union wants to work with Colombo to avoid the withdrawal of Sri Lanka’s trade privileges with the bloc, under threat due to rights concerns, an official said Tuesday. “The Commission remains committed to work with Sri Lanka to see whether the conditions for a reversal” of a […]