Economic

The cruise ship ‘Navigator of the Seas,’ under the agency of Prudential Shipping, called at the Hambantota International Port (HIP) for the purposes of receiving bunkers, marking another significant milestone in the diversity of the vessels calling HIP for bunkering.

The Government yesterday said it had instructed the Central Bank to ensure financial institutions did not charge exorbitant interest rates on customer borrowings.

The Government is to enact new legislation for the establishment of a Petroleum Development Authority and formulation of a National Policy on Upstream Petroleum Industry.

The first-ever airport hotel at the Bandaranaike International Airport has been announced to be operational by December next year.

SLT-Mobitel yesterday announced its financial results for the first half of 2021, posting a 29.9% year-on-year growth of Group Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs. 6 billion.

SriLankan Airlines yesterday announced a special ‘buy one and get one free’ offer for the Russian holidaymakers to visit Sri Lanka during this summer vacation period. This offer will be valid till 31 October.

Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga visited Moscow recently to woo more Russians to travel to Sri Lanka for an enthralling yet safe holiday.

State-owned giant Bank of Ceylon (BOC) has surpassed 2020’s full year profit of Rs. 27 billion in the first six months of 2021, Chairman Kanchana Ratwatte revealed yesterday.

The Colombo stock market reverted to negative mode as both indices dipped, though turnover remained healthy.

The Colombo stock market lost the momentum of its winning streak yesterday as investors took profit on recent gainers such as Expolanka and LOLC, though turnover remained robust.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka Bill, which seeks to regulate the capital market in keeping with current international best practices, will be taken up for debate on Thursday, Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake said.

As a result of prioritising the vaccination drive for all employees in all 14 export processing zones (EPZ) across the country, the BOI has witnessed a sharp increase in total employee attendance of up to 80% as of July, since the beginning of this year.

The new Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) Bill slated to come up in Parliament today has caused some uncertainty from both ruling and Opposition benches over its credibility and effectiveness.

Invites proposals by 27 August from eligible marketing agencies with PR skills to position SL as Indian Ocean maritime, logistics and distribution hub

Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa yesterday assured support for the tourism industry for a quicker revival despite the COVID pandemic.

The Government yesterday denied the scarcity of essential goods in the market, insisting that imports were being facilitated despite the challenging foreign reserves situation.

Sri Lanka Tourism has launched a drive to register informal sector operators with the help of iconic cricketer Kumar Sangakkara.

In a bid to woo more tourists amidst challenging times for the leisure holiday market, Sri Lanka will roll out what is likely to be the biggest joint industry promotional effort from mid next month.