Category: Watch Tower
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 […]
Opinion: Sri Lanka’s Missing Economic Pillar – The Case for a Sovereign Wealth Fund
By Jithendra Antonio In the sterile corridors of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, where foreign reserve monitors once displayed catastrophic readings of $50 million in 2022—a 99% collapse from $7.6 billion just three years prior—a fundamental question haunts policymakers: Why does a nation with $84 billion in GDP, strategic Indian Ocean positioning, and diverse […]
Navigating Global Trade Shifts: Sri Lanka Exports for Global Success
By Shiran Fernando Chief Economic Policy Advisor at The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka has weathered a relentless succession of economic shocks in recent years. The turmoil began with the constitutional crisis in 2018, followed by the tragic Easter Sunday attacks in 2019. As the country began charting a path to recovery, the COVID-19 […]
Going Beyond the US Reciprocal Tariffs: Sri Lanka’s Exposure to the Tariffs and Exemptions
By Dr Asanka Wijesinghe The United States’ (US) proclamation of “reciprocal tariffs” dealt a blow to the global trade system based on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) principles. With the individualised tariff rates, the US has discarded non-discrimination in the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) tariff structure. The “reciprocal tariff” rate does not show any reciprocity but rather […]
Opinion: Exposure to US tariffs through Global Value Chains in Asia & Pacific
On 2 April 2025, the United States introduced a two-tier tariff regime comprising a 10 per cent universal baseline tariff and elevated country-specific tariffs of up to 50 per cent, targeting 57 countries—including many in the Asia-Pacific—with limited exemptions. Although the country-specific tariffs were suspended on 9 April for all but China, policy uncertainty remains. […]
Opinion: Sri Lanka’s Billion-Dollar Gamble for Energy Security Reshaping Global Energy Trade
By Jithendra Antonio The Hambantota Sinopec Oil Refinery – A Strategic Bet on the Future In the evolving landscape of global energy trade, few moves are as audacious as Sri Lanka’s decision to greenlight a multi-billion-dollar oil refinery in Hambantota. More than an infrastructure project, this refinery signals Sri Lanka’s ambition to reposition itself at […]