Business
Paddy Marketing Board funds will not be recalled to the Treasury, President tells farmers
Paddy Marketing Board funds stay; Rs. 30,000 fertiliser subsidy continues into Maha season with agrochemical market push.
Business
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Business
Ports Authority to open FDI-backed logistics hub within three months
SLPA Chairman Parakrama Dissanayake says a free-zone and bonded warehousing hub launches in two to three months as Colombo heads for 9 million TEUs.
Business
Tourist arrivals pass 1.56 million, but the year is running behind 2025
Tourist arrivals pass 1.56 million in 2026, but year runs behind 2025 pace. India is largest source market.
Business
Aitken Spence Hotels seeks up to Rs. 5bn in debentures at rates up to 13.15%
The hotel group opens subscriptions on September 15 for Rs. 3bn in listed debentures, with Rs. 2bn more if oversubscribed, across 5-year and 7-year tenors.
Business
Coconut Cultivation Board sets aside Rs. 2.5 billion against El Niño crop damage
CCB Chairman Dr. Sunimal Jayakody says El Niño has not hit coconut cultivation yet, but a Rs. 2,500 million subsidy is ready if dry weather persists.
Business
CSE snaps three-session slide as ASPI recovers from a morning loss
The All Share Price Index closed up 25 points at 21,382.74 on Friday after falling early. Three outlets split on the S&P SL20's direction and on turnover, two.
Business
Migrant workers get housing loans to Rs. 10 million under 'Ethera Diriya' scheme
The SLBFE will reimburse part of the interest on loans of Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 10 million, with Rs. 126 million allocated for 2027 and 11 banks to join.
Business
IEA cuts Russian oil output forecast again as Ukrainian drone strikes bite
The agency lowered Russia's 2026 crude forecast by 125,000 barrels per day to 8.7 million, with August output already running 940,000 bpd below the January.
Business
IMF defends revenue-based consolidation, says tax take has doubled since 2022
An IMF spokesperson told NewsFirst that tax revenue reached 15.4% of GDP in 2025, the highest in a decade, and defended the burden of Sri Lanka's revenue.
Business
IMF centre runs five-day sovereign debt sustainability course for Colombo officials
SARTTAC trained Public Debt Management Office and Central Bank officials on the IMF's sovereign risk framework at a five-day course in Colombo ending Friday.
Business
Reconstruction begins on Jaffna's Kakkaitivu harbour, wrecked by Cyclone Ditwah
The Fisheries Ministry has released an initial Rs. 2.1 million for the first phase of work at the Savarkattu Fishery Association Harbour, which began on.
Business
Mahaweli Authority invites farmer requests to restore small tanks as levels fall
Mahaweli Authority invites farmer requests to restore small tanks as levels fall during dry weather.
Business
No electricity tariff increase expected next quarter, Energy Minister tells Parliament
Anura Karunathilaka said stronger hydro generation after sufficient rainfall has cut generation costs, and the ministry does not expect to seek a rise for the.
Business
Brent tops $108 for first time since May as bond yields surge
Brent briefly passed $108 and closed at $107.63, up 6.3% in a day, after Trump said he was not seeking a deal with Iran. The 10-year Treasury yield hit 4.97%.
Business
Sri Lanka Customs to go paperless from October 1, IMF briefed at Presidential Secretariat
Customs and the Revenue Administration Reform and Modernisation Bureau briefed IMF representatives on a paperless declaration system due to start on October 1.
Business
State paddy purchases reach 64,838 tonnes at a cost of Rs. 7.9 billion
The Paddy Marketing Board has bought 64,838 tonnes from 32,215 farmers, with purchasing now active in only four districts.
Business
P&S apologises after Rs. 200,000 fine over expired buns
Perera and Sons apologised after a Colombo court fined it Rs. 200,000 over buns expired since April being displayed for sale at a city outlet.
Business
US inflation holds at 3.4% as diesel passes $6 a gallon for the first time
August consumer prices were unchanged from July, with petrol accounting for more than a third of the rise, as the Iran war pushes Brent above $100.
Business
Sri Lanka exports first amphibious vessel to Europe from Koggala
Built by Ocean Voyager International at the Koggala Free Trade Zone, the land-and-sea craft is a first for Sri Lanka's boat and shipbuilding industry.
Business
Bambalapitiya railway station reopens after Rs. 60 million community-funded rebuild
Dawoodi Bohra community completes Rs. 60 million renovation of historic Bambalapitiya railway station.
Business
Three consumer and food-safety prosecutions end in fines on the same day
CAA fines Valachchenai restaurant Rs. 750,000 for Rs. 30 bottled water overcharge and Kelaniya businessman for 32 violations.
Business
Reserves cannot be built at any cost, Weerasinghe tells Colombo reserve management conference
Nandalal Weerasinghe ruled out market distortions, money printing and commercial borrowing as routes to rebuilding Sri Lanka's foreign reserves.
Business
Oil shock drives Colombo bourse to third straight fall as Brent nears $106
ASPI drops 108 points to 21,357.74 as crude surges. Foreign investors turn net buyers while local retail stays on the sidelines.
Business
Galle fish traders say the council sent them to the beach the state has now cleared
Coast Conservation officials dismantled fish stalls at Dewata Beach under police and STF guard; traders say the Municipal Council directed them there.