Newspaper
Daily FT
Parliamentarian for advancement of industry and services at every district
A special discussion regarding the coordination of the Ministry of Industries' operations and district-level activities was held last week at the Parliament under the leadership of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunneththi and Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe.
2 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
SITREK Courier celebrates major milestone with 50th branch opening in Panadura
SITREK Courier Services Ltd., a prominent subsidiary of the SITREK Group, marked a significant milestone in its expansion journey with the grand opening of its 50th branch in Panadura.
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Radisson Hotel Kandy recognised as Quality Accelerator for Q1 2025 by Radisson Hotel Group
RADISSON Hotel Kandy, managed by La Vie Hotels & Resorts, announces its recognition as a Quality Accelerator for Q1 2025, achieving the highest improvement in Guest Review Index (GRI) across the Middle East, Africa, and South East Asia Pacific (MEA & SEAP) region.
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Uncapped Sonal Dinusha to replace Mathews
Sri Lanka make two changes to 18-man squad for 2nd Test
2 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
NDB applauds dedication and excellence at 2024 Retail Banking Awards
NDB Bank recently hosted its prestigious Retail Banking Awards 2024, honouring the exceptional achievements and unwavering commitment of its employees across the island.
2 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Old Rahula Sports Club clinch Matara DCA Division III cricket title in low-scoring final
OLD Rahula Sports Club crushed Old Servatians CA and FC by eight wickets in the final of the Matara District Cricket Association Division Ill cricket tournament played at the Uyanwatta ground on Sunday (22).
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Asia Asset Finance caps off strong FY with record growth, strategic expansion
ASIA Asset Finance PLC (AAF), the subsidiary of the global financial powerhouse Muthoot Finance, said yesterday it has concluded the fourth quarter of the 2024/25 financial year with significant improvements in operational profits, reinforcing its position as a trusted and performance-driven financial institution in Sri Lanka.
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
CoPF approves stamp duty hike, lifting key import bans
Doubles stamp duty on property lease agreements from Rs. 10 to Rs. 20 per Rs. 1,000 effective from 1 April; expects to generate 0.01% of GDP in additional revenue Approves phased lifting of import restrictions imposed since 2020 under Import and Export (Control) Act; permits imports of used clothing (warm clothes) and motor vehicle spare parts Permits importation of gaming equipment and machinery for licenced casinos, with oversight mandated under Casino Business (Regulation) Act Directs Sri Lanka Customs to maintain detailed import records for casino-related equipment to ensure compliance CoPF Chief Dr. Harsha de Silva urges swift passage of Gambling Authority Bill to recoup significant tax revenue currently lost to unregulated activity
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Reviving Sri Lanka's degraded forests through community and conservation
■ Siyabalagaswewa Forest is now being gazetted as a Reserved Forest, ensuring long-term protection ■ The area will soon be legally recognised as a protected forest under the 30×30 conservation target
4 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Secondary bond market yields continue to climb
NCPI records positive inflation at 0.6% YoY in May Rupee depreciates
2 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Rooted in resilience: Why Regenerative Agriculture is the future of Sri Lankan tea
ON a misty morning in Nuwara Eliya, where the hills once shimmered like emeralds under a sheath of dew, the silence is broken only by the brittle crunch of dry tea leaves underfoot. But this cradle of Ceylon tea, famed from London to Beijing, is faltering. Soil, once fertile, now lies tired from years of chemical overload. Pest outbreaks are more frequent. Fertiliser prices have soared beyond reach. And the cup, once golden, is losing its richness. “The rain used to come like clockwork,” says Gamage Bandara, a second-generation tea farmer I met during one of my trips to Sri Lankan tea gardens. “Now, it either pours like a flood or disappears for weeks. The leaves don't know when to grow anymore.” Gamage's lament echoes through the central highlands of Sri Lanka, where tea is more than a crop—it's heritage, livelihood, and national identity all steeped into one.
5 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Assetline Finance: Leading with purpose, driving inclusive growth
ASSETLINE Finance Ltd., the flagship company under the financial services pillar of David Pieris Holdings Ltd., has delivered one of its strongest performances to date for the financial year ended 31 March, reinforcing its position as one of Sri Lanka’s leading non-bank financial institutions.
2 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Parliament Committee eyes structural reforms to cut electricity generation costs
THE Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development recently discussed deep structural reforms to the country's electricity sector, as rising generation costs and integration challenges for renewable energy sources continue to pressure the national grid.
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Grip Delmege partners Warisandor to introduce premium fireproof doors in Sri Lanka
GRIP Delmege, a trusted name under the Delmege Group and a leader in interior, construction and safety solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Warisandor Malaysia and Warisandor Lanka, internationally recognised manufacturers of high-quality fireproof doors.
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Trinity retain Lakshman Kadirgamar Trophy
TRINITY College retained Lakshman Kadirgamar Trophy by beating S. Thomas' College at their annual inter-school golf encounter which took place recently at the Royal Colombo Golf Club.
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Sri Lanka must move beyond triumphalism and bitterness
HINDUSTAN Times: Sixteen years ago, Sri Lanka emerged from one of the bloodiest civil conflicts in modern Asia. The military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ended a nearly three-decade war that cost tens of thousands of lives, displaced entire communities, and left deep scars on the national psyche. For many Sri Lankans, the end of the LITE marks the return of peace. For others, it revives unresolved grief. But as a nation. It is time to move beyond both triumphalism and bitterness. Reconciliation-genuine, inclusive, and forward-looking is the only viable path.
3 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Great leaders encourage questioning, challenge, and criticism
THE willingness of a leader to be questioned, challenged and criticised is an invaluable trait.
10 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Sri Lanka 2025-2030: Private sector opportunities in changing global economy
THE International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), (ICC is represented in Sri Lanka by ICCSL) the world's largest business organisation representing 45 million companies across 170+ countries, has warned of the serious risks posed by tariff retaliation and advocates for a stable, open global trading system.
3 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
National Chamber of Exporters' SVAT seminar on 3 July
THE National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) will hold the third session of its high-demand seminar on the removal of the Simplified Value Added Tax (SVAT) system on 3 July, at the BMICH.
2 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
APB SL welcomes top banking industry leaders to Advisory and Fund Management Committees
THE Association of Professional Bankers, Sri Lanka (APB), has taken a notable step in furthering its mission by appointing a group of distinguished leaders from both private and public sector banks to serve as Advisers and members of its Fund Management Committee.
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
FDI flows to developing economies drop to lowest level since 2005
High trade and investment barriers pose threat to mobilising financing for development, says World Bank
4 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
WIF joins UNFPA’s Global Equity 2030 Alliance
Move heralds a new era for gender-inclusive innovation from Sri Lanka
2 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
'Sathosa' case against Johnston Fernando adjourned till 30 July
THE case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) against former Minister Johnston Fernando and three others was taken up for hearing once again before the Colombo High Court yesterday.
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
CFA Society Sri Lanka Capital Market Awards tonight
THE CFA Society Sri Lanka Capital Market Awards 2025, the flagship event recognising excellence in Sri Lanka’s capital markets, takes place this evening at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Sri Lanka at 6 p.m.
1 min |
June 24, 2025
Daily FT
Bond market turns bearish
■ Money market liquidity nosedives; hits lowest level since April ■ Rs. 132 b weekly T Bill auction undersubscribed ■ Foreign holdings in Rupee treasuries records net outflow for the first time in five weeks ■ Rupee depreciates
2 min |
June 23, 2025
Daily FT
Eshana and Sarva appointed to Global Advisory Council of Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council
AT the recent meeting of the Global Advisory Council of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), held at Pewterers' Hall in the City of London, Esna Group Chairman Eshana De Silva and George Steuart & Co., Group Chairman Sarva Ameresekere were formally appointed to the Council.
1 min |
June 23, 2025
Daily FT
HK-based fund manager triples weight on Lankan equities
HONG Kong-based Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) has almost tripled its weightage within two years on Sri Lanka's listed equities, a move which it said was encouraged by improving macroeconomic fundamentals, political stability, and a pick-up in corporate earnings.
2 min |
June 23, 2025
Daily FT
UAE draws $ 45 b in FDI, accounts for 37% of regional inflows
IN an integral international vote of confidence in the strength and resilience of the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) economy, foreign direct investment (FDI) flows into the country surged to Dh 167 billion ($ 45 billion) last year, marking a 48% increase compared to the previous year, according to the latest report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
1 min |
June 23, 2025
Daily FT
Sri Lanka Tourism opens 3,000 acres of land in drive to attract $ 60 m investment
Tourism Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe says new Land Bank Management Information System allows investors to browse pre-screened, investment-ready lands Investment opportunities include eco resorts, wellness retreats, MICE tourism hubs, agro-tourism and boutique hotels States lands are mostly available on 33-year leases, with private landowners also encouraged to list lands for sale, lease or partnership Asserts inactive or stalled projects will face land repossession to prevent land speculation and delays SLTDA Chief Buddhika Hewawasam says first tender round opens this week Confirms three projects totalling $ 55 m committed during 1H of 2025 in Eastern and Northern Provinces Says additional 2,000 acres expected to be added in 2025, expanding initiative to 5,000 acres total Works with multiple State land-owning agencies and Divisional Secretariats to identify, screen and release viable land plots
3 min |
June 23, 2025
Daily FT
Sri Lanka's digital ambitions clash with stalled human development
UNDP's report underlines global HDI growth at slowest pace in decades World may also be decades away from achieving its 2030 development goals Sri Lanka ranks 89 globally and second in South Asia, but progress has stalled UNDP Sri Lanka Resident Representative Azusa Kubota says HDR's findings were wake-up call HDI peaked at 0.78 in 2018 and slipped slightly to 0.776 in 2023 Inequality increases for fourth consecutive year Gender Inequality Index has worsened, dropping from 122 in 2024 to 93 in 2025 Other South Asian countries, like Maldives, closing gap with Sri Lanka Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne says Al is strategic tool to revive momentum UNDP calls for human-centred approach where people, equity, and inclusion must be core to Al adoption Emphasises combining Al with human intelligence to boost innovation and recovery
2 min |