Organic Farming Mandate
In April, the Sri Lankan government banned the import and use of fertilizers and agrochemicals, including insecticides and herbicides, marking a significant step in their goal to become...
How the country’s economy slid?
Crisis is upon Sri Lanka. Last week, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa decreed a state of emergency over food supplies, the dollar was being sold for over...
India’s appetite for economic diplomacy
The Maldives and Sri Lanka, both highly tourism-dependent tropical islands, have seen the pandemic devastate their economies and finances. Government debt this year is expected...
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis poses challenges for India
India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy towards Sri Lanka had resonated with Sri Lanka’s ‘India First’ foreign and security policy in 2020. India is Sri Lanka’s third...
Financial crisis is one of the major challenges
The financial crisis in Sri Lanka is one of the first major challenges faced by the ruling Rajapaksa family as traders, importers and the opposition...
Is Sri Lanka’s Approach to Import Substitution Sensible?
In the immediate aftermath of the onset of the Covid19 pandemic and the unprecedented health and economic crises it unleashed, there was a widespread backlash...
5% levy on overseas payments
Sri Lanka’s leading commercial banks recently announced a notable hike on credit and debit card charges on overseas transactions, causing panic amongst some sectors and...
Running out of options
Sri Lanka paid a $1 billion bond last week, but the alarming state of its finances suggests it may have been just another step towards...
Sri Lanka: A country with many challenges
The US State Department in its 2021 Investment Climate Statement for Sri Lanka has declared Sri Lanka as a country with many challenges that are...
COVID-19 manifested a new economic shock
The World Bank’s recent report on Sri Lanka highlights the devastating impact the corona virus has had on the economy; with the country experiencing its...
China offers a lifeline
China appears to be tightening its strategic grip on Sri Lanka, wooing the debt-ridden South Asian nation with a fresh $500 million loan as Colombo...
Pandemic has dealt a significant shock to the economy
The world Bank in its Sri Lanka Development Update (SLDU) says that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka’s economy contracted by 3.6 percent in 2020,...
Economy Hemmed by COVID-19 and Geopolitical Tension
The unprecedented disruptions of COVID-19 are causing a geopolitical reset — and as the global order is redrawn, small emerging market economies like Sri Lanka are vulnerable...
Time is ticking
n its pre-budget note on the state of the Sri Lankan economy, the Collective for Economic Democracy (CED) has recommended that the government stop relying...
Debt Tumbles From Best to Worst in Asia
Sri Lanka has tumbled from best to worst in Asia’s dollar bond market, underscoring how fast the pandemic can chill sentiment toward weaker emerging-market assets....