Economy

Online traffic fine payment system : New update

Published

1 year ago

March 25, 2025

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) says steps are being taken to enable Govpay for the payment of traffic fines.

According to ICTA Board Member, Harsha Purasinghe, the public will very soon be able to settle traffic fines through Govpay, to provide relief to motorists.

It is reported that groundwork in this regard has been completed by the ICTA and an agreement is set to be signed soon.

Govpay is a newly introduced official online payment platform for government-related services, such as taxes, fines, utility bills, and educational fees.

Speaking during a recent forum in Colombo, Harsha Purasinghe revealed that the newly appointed ICTA Board had found that despite being piloted, the Govpay digital payment platform had not been introduced.

“After coordination with several other agencies, Govpay was finally launched to the public with many new features within a short period. When we launched Govpay on the 7th, we had 16 government organisations on board. As of today, we have 25 organisations. Every week, we are adding new public institutions,” Purasinghe said.

Economy

Sri Lanka literacy hits record 97.4%, gender gap closes for first time

Published

2 hours ago

April 12, 2026

admin

Sri Lanka has achieved a historic education milestone, with literacy rising to 97.4% in 2024, up from 95.7% in 2012.

For the first time since 1881, the literacy gender gap has closed, with males at 97.9% and females at 97.0%.

Digital literacy has reached 67.6%, while computer literacy stands at 34.7%, highlighting Sri Lanka’s growing digital transformation.

Economy

$ 900 m in four months: Port City Colombo signals new investment era

Published

1 day ago

April 11, 2026

admin

From November 2025 to March, Port City Colombo secured approximately $ 900 million in investments, an almost unprecedented surge for a project that had seen gradual traction in its early years amid broader macroeconomic challenges. The timing is not accidental.

After a prolonged period marked by the Easter Sunday attacks, the global shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Sri Lanka’s economic collapse, the project remained largely in a holding pattern.

International marketing efforts began to gain momentum from late 2025 onwards, as conditions began to stabilise.

“The macro story had to align first,” Aluwihare explained. “You cannot market a country when the fundamentals are unstable. Now, we are seeing recovery, policy alignment, and growing confidence, and we are finally seeing the results.”

From real estate to a ring-fenced financial ecosystem

Port City Colombo’s most significant transformation has been conceptual rather than physical. Originally envisioned as a waterfront real estate development, it has evolved into a fully ring-fenced services export Special Economic Zone (SEZ), enabled by the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act.

Economy

Sri Lanka’s Official Reserves fall 3.5%in March – CBSL

Published

3 days ago

April 9, 2026

admin

Sri Lanka’s Official Reserve Assets have decreased by 3.5% to USD 7,019 million in March 2026, according to the latest data of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

The CBSL states that the decrease is from USD 7,270 million reported in February 2026.

The CBSL further states that the figure for March includes the swap arrangement with the People’s Bank of China.