Business
Industrial Asphalts moved to CSE Watch List after auditor disclaims opinion
B R De Silva & Co declined to give an opinion on the company's accounts over a property valuation and an advance to key management. The board is disputing both.
Business
2060 stories Business
Kadigamuwa closure extended indefinitely: the slope is still moving after two days of repairs
The two-day shutdown between Rambukkana, Peradeniya and Gampola will not lift at midnight. Railways says the risk of further earth slips has not passed.
Business
Norochcholai's last two units return to the grid, restoring 810MW
Unit 03 was due back on the national grid on Friday morning and Unit 01 by the afternoon, completing recovery from the nationwide blackout of 17 October.
Business
Pan Asia Bank and National Chamber run SME workshop for Maharagama entrepreneurs
100 business owners from Maharagama and nearby districts attend workshop on financial literacy, governance and SME financing.
Business
President says economy can take domestic shocks but not yet external ones
Dissanayake told the surveyors' centenary AGM that oil imports hit US$4bn by August, and set out a plan to build resilience against external shocks.
Business
Sri Lanka's rubber exporters brief on EU deforestation rules at Colombo workshop
The EUDR brings natural rubber, tyres, hoses and conveyor belts within its scope, making traceability a condition of continued access to the EU market.
Business
Sri Lanka signs "Three Free, Three Facilitation" trade deal with Yunnan
The MoU offers Sri Lankan exporters free warehousing, free exhibition booths and online market access in Yunnan, plus customs clearance and transport support.
Business
Motor Traffic Department says 48cc motorcycles must be registered, rejecting dealer claims
The Commissioner General says dealers telling buyers that small-capacity motorcycles need no registration are wrong, and riders face police fines.
Business
Sri Lanka plans 18 new industrial zones, Abeysinghe tells NDTV World Summit
The Deputy Minister of Industry says 11 zones come through his ministry and seven through the BOI, in remarks to a New Delhi summit on Sri Lanka's recovery.
Business
Colombo shares fall 1.05% hours after deputy minister calls the market stable
The ASPI shed 209.38 points to 19,717.92 on Thursday, a fourth straight losing session, on turnover of Rs 1.10bn.
Business
Barclays to cut 5,000 jobs as it leans on AI, with India back offices exposed
The bank has already closed 1,000 roles and expects 4,000 more to go by year-end — about 5% of its global workforce. Unite calls AI an excuse.
Business
Brazil opens talks on Sri Lanka's ornamental fish trade and seafood raw material supply
A Brazilian delegation met Fisheries Ministry officials in Colombo on quarantine standards, export procedures and sourcing raw material for seafood processing.
Business
Brent climbs from $112 to $117.37 in three days as Iran war fears build
Brent climbs to its strongest level since April 30 as markets price renewed US-Israel conflict with Iran.
Business
Finance committee takes up a new Procurement Act, with pharmaceutical delays singled out
Parliamentary Finance Committee reviews new Procurement Act; PROMIS platform monitors 394 units across 19 ministries.
Business
Hambantota bets that ships returning to Suez will sail past its door
HIPG built a container business out of the Red Sea disruption. It now argues the reopening of the route it profited from will help rather than hurt.
Business
IMF has not discussed the alleged US$1bn outflow with Colombo, as three suspects are further remanded
IMF says it has not raised phantom-import allegations with authorities; three import fraud suspects remanded in court.
Business
Inland Revenue and Excise sign an intelligence-sharing pact as the money-laundering evaluation runs
The two departments will run parallel investigations on shared data. Excise and tax-evasion offences became money-laundering predicates on 4 August.
Business
Power cuts lifted as Lakvijaya's second unit returns to full capacity
The National System Operator says demand management is no longer required from today after Norochcholai's second unit reached its full 270MW output.
Business
Two newsrooms, one NDB filing, opposite leads — and no fraud charge since the first quarter
EconomyNext led on a 21% quarterly profit fall; Daily FT led on a 51% nine-month rise. Both are drawn from the same NDB results.
Business
Government confirms reserves figure includes the China swap facility
Deputy Minister Anil Jayantha told Parliament reserves stand at US$6.9bn, up from US$1.85bn in 2022, and that the total includes the PBoC swap.
Business
Motor Traffic chief proposes roadworthiness tests every 5,000km or three months
The DMT says the scheme is still with its legal division, with garages already invited to apply and implementation expected early next year.
Business
Rupee closes at 332.20/35 and the whole bond curve is marked up from a softer Wednesday close
The rupee weakened 30 cents on Thursday and five of six bond maturities rose — each measured from a close below Wednesday's mid-session quotes.
Business
SriLankan pushes its Saudi suspension to 1 November, the third date to slip
Colombo–Riyadh and Colombo–Dammam flights stay grounded for another week, taking the shutdown past three weeks on the day Dammam airport was attacked again.
Business
US ambassador urges Sri Lankan firms to invest in America, not just sell to it
Eric Meyer pointed businesses to the SelectUSA summit and named technology, energy, infrastructure and logistics as areas for deeper commercial ties.