Rebuilding After the Cyclone: Why Recovery Must Start With People, Not Projects
When a cyclone tears through a country, the immediate images are always the same; fallen trees, flooded homes, damaged roads, boats pushed inland, families sheltering in schools. But long after the water recedes and the news cycle shifts, the real recovery quietly begins in kitchens, shops, fields, classrooms, and tea stalls. It is a slow, […]
Sri Lanka’s Lifeline Abroad: Rethinking Migration and Remittance Policy
For decades the outflow of Sri Lankan workers and the inflow of their remittances have been crucial to the country’s external stability. Today this reality merits a deeper policy overhaul: the flows are large, evolving, and carry both economic benefits and social costs. The Economic Importance Workers’ remittances into Sri Lanka remain a major source […]
Proposed CEB Tariff Hike: Smart Reform or Unnecessary Shock?
Sri Lanka’s electricity pricing debate heats up again. Here’s what the 6.8% proposal means for households, the grid, and the economy. In October 2025, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) proposed a 6.8% increase in electricity tariffs for the final quarter of the year, citing rising operational costs, debt burdens, and the need for cost-reflective pricing. […]
Sri Lanka’s Digital Economy: The Next Frontier of Inclusive Growth
Sri Lanka’s digital transformation is quietly rewriting the rules of its economy. What began as a survival mechanism during the COVID-19 pandemic has now evolved into a structural shift reshaping how citizens consume, work, and interact with markets. According to the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) State of the Economy 2025 report, the island’s digital […]
Sri Lanka’s Economic Crossroads: Resetting the Trajectory
After one of the deepest economic crises in its post-independence history, Sri Lanka is now entering a fragile phase of recovery. Inflation has cooled, foreign reserves have stabilised, and GDP growth has returned to positive territory. But beneath the surface, structural vulnerabilities remain. The question is no longer whether the country has survived the worst […]
Why Your Grocery Bill Feels High – The Everyday Mechanics Behind Food Prices in Sri Lanka
Grocery Bill or Food prices are not random. They reflect a stack of policy choices and costs: VAT and para-tariffs at the border, a volatile rupee, fuel and electricity prices, weak logistics, market opacity, and post-harvest losses. When small frictions compound across the chain, the final shelf price jumps. Durable relief comes from cleaner taxes, […]
Sri Lanka’s Debt Path After Restructuring: Why Stock Relief Is Not Enough
Sri Lanka has crossed the hardest miles of debt restructuring. Eurobonds were exchanged in December 2024. Bilateral deals have advanced with Japan, India, and others. According to IMF Mission Chief Evan Papageorgiou, only about US$500 million of the US$28 billion “under the perimeter” remains to be finalised. That is real progress. It is not, by […]
Pine Labs Limited’s Credit+ platform powers a secure and scalable multi-currency prepaid forex instrument for Bank of Ceylon
Sri Lanka, September 29, 2025 – Global fintech platform, Pine Labs Limited today announced its partnership with Bank of Ceylon in Sri Lanka. This banking-fintech partnership will enable the bank to issue and manage prepaid multi-currency travel cards to its customers. Powered by Pine Labs Limited’s Credit+ platform, the card issuance technology for the bank […]
Regulating Microfinance: Sri Lanka’s Next Step in Social and Economic Reform
Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has approved the publication of a Draft Microfinance and Credit Regulation Bill, a move aimed at reshaping how small loans and informal credit are offered to low-income communities. At first glance this is another financial-sector reform. In reality it touches the heart of the country’s rural economy, women’s empowerment, and poverty-reduction strategy. […]
What is the Impact of UN Environmental Sessions on Sri Lanka?
Global Environmental Sessions and Their Reach UN environmental sessions such as the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), the annual Climate Change Conferences (COP), and the negotiations for the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty are where global environmental standards are set. These forums do not merely produce statements; they create frameworks that shape national policy, financing flows and […]