Category: Economy and Markets
Aitken Spence acquires Waltrim Energy for Rs.900Mn
Aitken Spence PLC has acquired 100 percent of shares of Waltrim Energy Limited, a sub-subsidiary of Sunshine Holdings PLC, for a total consideration of 900 million rupees, a company statement said. The company in a stock exchange filing by Aitken Spence, Waltrim Energy operates three hydropower generation plants in Nuwara Eliya, with a total capacity […]
Advocata Institute launches tool to track everyday food price changes
Advocata’s latest policy product tracks the average retail prices of a basket of goods and provides an indication of how much prices have changed over time. With the use of such tools, anyone including policymakers and politicians alike has access to track price fluctuations. This could enable anyone to see if policies have direct or […]
Optimism among Swedish companies doing business with Sri Lanka
Growth over the past five years, negative development in 2020 and optimism for 2021. These are some of the key takeaways from the Sweden-Sri Lanka Business Council’s membership survey for 2021. Among the members’ most prioritized issues are simplified visa rules to Sri Lanka and to Sweden, increased attention for Sri Lanka from the Swedish […]
‘s gross official reserves estimated at USD 4.1bn at end March 2021
Sri Lanka’s gross official reserves were estimated at US dollars 4.1 billion (excluding the swap facility with the PBOC), with an import cover of 3 months, at the end-March 2021, the Central Bank said. Recently, the Central Bank entered into a bilateral currency swap arrangement with the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) amounting to CNY […]
Central Bank continues its accommodative monetary policy stance
The Monetary Board of the Central Bank has decided to maintain the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) at their current levels of 4.50 percent and 5.50 percent, respectively. The Board has arrived at this decision after carefully considering the macroeconomic conditions and expected developments on the domestic and […]
”; Outlook stable
Fitch Ratings has affirmed Sri Lanka-based consumer and healthcare company Hemas Holdings PLC’s National Long-Term Rating at ‘AAA(lka)’ with a Stable Outlook. The affirmation reflects the defensive nature of Hemas’ operating cash flows stemming from its pharmaceutical trading and manufacturing, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) businesses, which account for more than 90% of the group’s […]
From mine to market – showcasing Sri Lanka’s jewellery legacy to the world
The Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Association (SLGJA) hosted their second Key Person’s Forum for the industry recently, with the objective of facilitating the industry during this pandemic period and boosting overall tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism. The forum was conducted with Prasanna Ranatunga, State Minister of Tourism, Lohan Ratwatte, State Minister […]
‘Bath Curry Indicator’ by Advocata Institute will be launched tomorrow
Food inflation has risen over the last year, although the overall inflation is low. According to the National Consumer Price Index, overall prices rose by 3.7% between January 2020 and January 2021, but food inflation rose by 5.9%. While this is a matter of concern to the public, items like turmeric and green gram, which […]
Validity period to open Special Deposit Accounts extended; USD 360mn deposited so far
The Cabinet has approved a proposal tabled by the Prime Minister as the Minister of Finance to extend the validity period and to issue orders in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Act to encourage the parties who wish to deposit money in Special Deposit Accounts. The validity period for openings of the […]
Vidullanka to restructure operations; amalgamate its subsidiary Walagamba Balashakthi
Vidullanka PLC has resolved to amalgamate its fully owned subsidiary, Walagamba Balashakthi (Pvt) Limited with Vidullanka PLC, the company said in a stock exchange filing. The amalgamation is to be carried out without any consideration, and as per the provisions of section 242 (short form amalgamation) of the Company’s Act. Presently, Walagamba Balashakthi (Pvt) Limited […]
Material Sector – The Scavengers of Recovery
Softlogic Research, in its most recent publication, took a very strong stance on the Material sector, predicting a strong growth backed by economic recovery and the renewable energy drive. Digging deeper into the trickle-down effects of core economic policies such as protectionism and economic stimulus, the publication deals with the potential benefits of such policies […]
CSE approves the first Empower Board listing
The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has approved, an application submitted by Chrissworld Limited, for the listing of its Ordinary Voting Shares by way of an offer for subscription on the Empower Board of the CSE. The company will be Offering for Subscription of Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand (7,500,000) Ordinary Voting Shares at LKR 7.50 […]