Business
First Crude Oil Tanker Since Middle East Conflict Docks at $71.99/Barrel — Two More Secured
Sri Lanka's first crude shipment since the Middle East conflict arrived at $71.99/barrel, with two more secured at $71 and $113.
Business
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Business
Fuel QR Concession Ends Tomorrow as CPC Resumes Rationing System
Avurudu-period exemption allowing fuelling without QR codes expires at midnight April 18; normal rationing resumes.
Business
CSE Gains 0.82% on Friday, Posts 2.91% Weekly Rise on Ceasefire Hopes
Colombo stocks rise for the week on positive geopolitical sentiment; ASPI closes at 22,773 with Rs. 4.97bn turnover.
Business
IMF Warns of Deepening Global Shock as Hormuz Disruptions Slash Oil Output by 13 Million Barrels Per Day
IMF's Jihad Azour says Hormuz crisis cut 13M barrels/day, pushed Brent to $118, and threatens food-import-dependent economies.
Business
IMF Chief Georgieva Reaffirms Support for Sri Lanka at Spring Meetings
IMF Managing Director congratulates Sri Lanka on staff-level agreement; Deputy MD Okamura urges cost-reflective energy pricing.
Business
Mahindra Ideal Finance Lists Oversubscribed Rs. 1 Billion Debenture on CSE
Indian-backed Mahindra Ideal Finance marks capital market milestone with fully oversubscribed debut debenture listing on Colombo Stock Exchange.
Business
Manufacturing Sector Records 4.1% Growth in February
Sri Lanka's Index of Industrial Production rose 4.1% year-on-year in February 2026, driven by fabricated metals and apparel.
Business
Petrol QR Code Fuel Quota System Resumes From Midnight April 18
CPC confirms the QR-based petrol rationing system restarts at midnight Saturday after a five-day Avurudu holiday suspension.
Business
Rupee Selling Rate Rises to Rs. 319 at Most Major Banks
Sri Lankan rupee depreciates further against the US dollar with selling rates hitting Rs. 319 at most commercial banks.
Business
Both Manufacturing and Services PMI Expand in March 2026 as Recovery Momentum Holds
Sri Lanka's services PMI surged to 59.4 and manufacturing PMI expanded in March, driven by festive demand and financial activity.
Business
Both Services and Manufacturing Sectors Expand in March as PMI Indices Surge
CBSL data shows services PMI hit 59.4 and manufacturing PMI reached 66.7 in March, both expanding despite Middle East uncertainty.
Business
Tea Planters Say QR Subsidies Inefficient, Call for Fertiliser Price Cuts
The NTPA says QR-based fertiliser subsidies fail to reach growers on time and urges the government to cut prices by removing taxes instead.
Business
Transport Minister Challenges Critics to Prove Sri Lanka Paid $268 for Crude
Minister Bimal Ratnayake asks media to produce evidence for circulating $268/barrel crude oil claim, calling the figure baseless.
Business
ADB Economist: Rupee Slide Amplifies Sri Lanka's Oil Import Costs
ADB Senior Country Economist Liliya Aleksanyan warned rupee depreciation is magnifying oil import costs and feeding imported inflation amid the Hormuz shock.
Business
Commercial Bank Partners NCG Express for Cashless Bus Ticketing
ComBank and NCG Express launch tap-card, Google Pay and QR bus fare collection in one of the first large-scale digital ticketing pilots on private buses.
Business
CPC rejects claim Sri Lanka paid $286 per barrel for crude oil
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation says no shipment was bought anywhere near $286 a barrel, listing post-conflict prices between $71 and $113.
Business
Fitch Warns Sri Lanka's Rs. 100bn Relief Package Risks Long-Term Debt Strain
Fitch says Asia-Pacific energy subsidies, including Sri Lanka's Rs. 100bn relief package, could weaken fiscal flexibility and strain state balance sheets.
Business
HSBC Chief Says Sri Lanka May Have Paid Up to $286 Per Barrel for Oil
HSBC CEO Georges Elhedery told a Hong Kong forum Sri Lanka paid up to $286 per barrel — the highest buyer price he has encountered during the Hormuz crisis.
Business
IMF says stronger revenues give Sri Lanka room to cushion energy shock
Asia-Pacific Director Krishna Srinivasan says Sri Lanka has doubled revenue-to-GDP since the crisis and has fiscal space to protect the poor.
Business
LP Gas Distribution Resumes Nationwide After Avurudu Break
Laugfs releases 5,000 MT of LP gas through Hambantota and Mabima terminals as both distributors restore operations.
Business
Mark Mobius, Sri Lanka's key post-war bond investor, dies at 89
Emerging markets pioneer whose Templeton fund held around $800 million in Sri Lankan bonds in the years after the 2009 war has died aged 89.
Business
Sri Lanka's Debt Restructuring Near Completion, GSDR Report Says
GSDR 6th report finds 1.7% of Sri Lanka's external debt remains unrestructured — on par with Ghana and Zambia at the restructuring finish line.
Business
SriLankan Airlines suspends Bangkok country manager over airport clash
SriLankan Airlines says its Bangkok country manager was involved in a confrontation with flight crew at Suvarnabhumi on April 2 and has been recalled.
Business
US to Launch Tariff Refund System April 20 for $166bn in Tariffs Struck Down as Unlawful
US Customs will launch the CAPE refund system on April 20 to return $166bn paid by 330,000 importers in tariffs the Supreme Court ruled unlawful in February.