Category: Economy and Markets
Sri Lanka to be promoted as year round destination with ‘Island Escapes’ campaign
Sept 12, 2018 (LBO) – ‘Island Escapes’, a marketing campaign to promote Sri Lanka as a year-round destination to boost arrivals during off season will be launched later this week, the Tourism Minister said. “The official launch of the campaign will take place on 15 September and will be targeting specific countries,” Minister of Tourism […]
VAT refund scheme to boost tourism in Sri Lankas: Fin Min
Sept 12, 2018 (LBO) – The tourist VAT refund scheme (TVRS) will enable Sri Lankan goods to have greater exposure to the global market, bringing with it several positive economic spill overs, the Finance Minister said. “The TVRS has a particular importance for enhancing the attraction of Colombo as a destination,” Mangala Samaraweera, minister of Finance and […]
CBSL still waiting for Nomura to correct report slamming the LKR
September 11, 2018 (LBO) – Global investment bank Nomura shocked the Sri Lankan financial community yesterday by publishing a report that said Sri Lanka was the number one country in the world most at risk of a currency crisis.The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) as well as finance ministry officials have pointed out that […]
Sri Lanka Fin Min hikes fuel price: Petrol Rs.149 and Diesel Rs.123
Sept 11, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Finance Ministry has raised the petrol price to 149 rupees a litre from 145 rupees with effect from midnight September 10 and diesel to 123 rupees from 118 rupees. The Retail Prices of Auto Fuel is as follows: Type of Fuel Present Price Revised Price (Rs.) Petrol 92 […]
Recommendations for positioning Sri Lanka as attractive FDI destination: AMCHAM/STAX
Sept 10, 2018 (LBO) – AMCHAM, in collaboration with STAX, recently launched the 2018 whitepaper ‘FDI Landscape and Investor Sentiment in Sri Lanka’ at a gathering of business and government leaders including Malik Samarawickrama, minister of Development Strategies and International Trade. In addition to providing a definitive view of FDI statistics, the whitepaper interweaves expert insights […]
Sri Lanka PM leaves to attend World Economic Forum of ASEAN in Hanoi
Sept 10, 2018 (LBO) – Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe left for Hanoi, Vietnam on a three-day official to attend the World Economic Forum on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (WEF ASEAN). The World Economic Forum on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be held from Sept.11-13 and 1,000 delegates from 43 countries and regions […]
Impact of imposition of VAT on condominium sales: JLL report
Sept 10, 2018 (LBO) – In the wake of continuing uncertainty with regard to the effective date on the reintroduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) on residential condominiums, real-estate consulting agency, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) released a new report analyzing the likely impact of impending policy changes on the Sri Lankan real estate sector. Following the […]
Cigarette smuggling still booming, fuelling criminality: report
Smuggled market share is around 14 to 18% for cigarettes, which translate to 500 to 700 million sticks. A 40-foot container of smuggled cigarettes can add up to a profit of between Rs. 250-400 million. The loss of tax revenue from illicit tobacco is equivalent to 27 to 40% of the annual Samurdhi spending in […]
CEB and PUCSL call truce : Entities developing common platform to approve generation plan
Sept 10, 2018 (LBO) – Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the state utility who provide electricity for Sri Lanka and its regulator the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) are to develop a mutually agreed process to approve electricity generation plan. The CEB, upon receiving the letter from the PUCSL indicating the timeline of the activities […]
Struggling listed Anilana Hotels (ALHP) loses Rs84mn in the June quarter
September 9, 2018 (LBO) – Colombo Stock Exchange listed Anilana Hotels (ALHP) continued to struggle losing Rs84mn in the quarter ended June 30, 2018. The company has struggled since inception with a cumulative Rs2.1bn in retained losses since inception a few years ago. The company owns hotels in the east coast of the island that […]
Jegan Durairatnam appointed to Asian Hotels board as Independent Non-Executive Director
September 9, 2018 (LBO) – Former Commercial Bank CEO Jegan Durairatnam has been appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director at Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) listed Asian Hotels (AHPL). Commercial Bank, where Durairatnam recently retired as CEO, is the largest private sector financial institution in Sri Lanka. Durairatnam was also recently appointed as an Independent Non-Executive […]
$ 360mn flows out of Sri Lankan markets so far in 2018
September 9, 2018 (LBO) – As money moves out of emerging market stocks and bonds all over the world, Sri Lanka is also falling victim to the dangerous trend. To date a net Rs57.5bn (US$360mn) has been pulled from Sri Lankan stock and bond markets in 2018. Treasury bonds have experienced net outflows of Rs53.3bn, […]