Economy

Sri Lanka among countries with lowest terror threats in the world

Published

1 year ago

March 13, 2025

Sri Lanka has been named one of the countries with the lowest terror threats in the world, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025.

The 12th annual GTI report, released on Wednesday (March 5), ranked Sri Lanka 100th among 163 countries considered in the index. However, with a GTI score of zero, Sri Lanka shares the lowest spot on the index with 63 other countries.

The report indicates that Sri Lanka has significantly improved, dropping 64 spots in the index within a year, thereby lowering the risk of terror threats within the island nation.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka also shares the lowest terror threat ranking in the South Asian region with Bhutan.

In 2024, South Asia had the highest average GTI score, a position it has held for the past decade. Despite an overall deterioration in the region—driven primarily by Pakistan—terrorism has significantly declined compared to a decade ago, with all South Asian countries showing improvement.

The report attributes this improvement largely to a decline in terrorist activity in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The region is home to two of the ten countries with the worst GTI scores: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Of the seven countries in South Asia, only Bhutan and Sri Lanka have a GTI score of zero, indicating that neither country has recorded a terrorist attack in the past five years.

The surge in terrorism in the region was primarily driven by Pakistan, where regional attacks increased from 726 to 1,399 and deaths rose from 961 to 1,303. Bangladesh and Pakistan were the only two countries in the region to record a deterioration in their scores in 2024. Consequently, Pakistan ranked as the second most terrorism-affected country globally for the second consecutive year, while India was ranked 14th.

Sri Lanka was the most improved South Asian country in 2024, having recorded no terrorist attacks or deaths for the fifth consecutive year since 2019. Nepal followed as the second most improved country, recording no attacks or deaths for the second consecutive year.

Meanwhile, the Sahel region remains the epicenter of terrorism, accounting for over half of all global terrorism-related deaths, according to the report.

The GTI is produced by the international think tank, the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), and has been published annually for the past 12 years. It is the most comprehensive resource on global terrorism trends, using multiple factors to calculate scores, including the number of incidents, fatalities, injuries, and hostage situations. These factors are combined with conflict and socioeconomic data to provide a holistic picture of terrorism worldwide.

Economy

Sri Lanka to Launch First Digital Motor Insurance Card from May 1

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2026

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Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development has announced that the country’s first digital motor insurance card will be introduced from May 1.

The Ministry stated that this initiative represents a significant step toward advancing national digitalization while also enhancing public safety.

By replacing physical plastic cards, the move is also expected to contribute to environmental sustainability across the country.

The Ministry added that the digital motor insurance card will be officially launched in collaboration with the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, the Insurance Association of Sri Lanka, and the Sri Lanka Police.

Economy

Sri Lanka Confirms Hackers Diverted USD 2.5M Meant for Australian Debt Repayment

Published

3 days ago

April 24, 2026

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Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Finance has revealed that cyber hackers infiltrated the computer system of the External Resources Department, leading to the fraudulent diversion of a foreign debt repayment of nearly USD 2.5 million intended for Australia.

Addressing the issue, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, said the intrusion was first detected in January 2026, when officials became aware that hackers had attempted to gain unauthorized access to the External Resources Department’s systems and compromise them. Upon identifying the threat, the Ministry immediately alerted law‑enforcement authorities.

He said reports were lodged with the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SL‑CERT) and the Computer Crimes Investigation Division of the Sri Lanka Police to investigate the attempted system breach. In parallel, ministry officials instructed the External Resources Department to conduct an internal review to determine whether any further damage had occurred beyond the initial incident.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the cyberattack had taken place earlier than first detected. A review of previous months’ transactions uncovered that hackers had intercepted email communications linked to a government‑to‑government debt repayment involving Australia.

Economy

Hackers hit Sri Lanka Finance Ministry as USD 2.5M storm erupts

Published

4 days ago

April 23, 2026

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The Government is facing scrutiny following reports that $ 2.5 million (nearly Rs. 800 million) of Treasury funds was diverted during a foreign debt repayment, with the amount yet to reach the intended creditor country.

The funds were part of a bilateral payment to Australia amounting $ 22.9 million, with settlement due in September 2025.

The Treasury has appointed a Technical Investigation Committee to probe a suspected fraudulent payment involving $ 2.5 million linked to a bilateral transaction with Australia. The committee includes two Deputy Secretaries to the Treasury and will be co-chaired by A.N. Hapugala and S.S. Mudalige. The other members are National Planning Department Director General K.T.I. Premaratne, Legal Affairs Department Additional Director General A.K.D.D. Arandara, and Information Technology Management Department Assistant Director E.D. Shirantha.

The Committee has been tasked with probing the risk of fraudulent payment instructions received via email, which may have contributed to the disappearance of the funds remitted to Australia. It has been directed to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the incident and submit its report at the earliest.

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