Economy

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

Published

18 hours ago

April 11, 2026

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

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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.

Economy

Major investment push in Sri Lanka’s solar economy

Published

4 days ago

April 8, 2026

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Sri Lanka’s renewable energy sector is poised for a significant investment surge as the International Solar Alliance (ISA) moves to operationalise a comprehensive Country Partnership Strategy (CPS), positioning the island as a key emerging hub for solar deployment and green financing in South Asia.

A high-level ISA delegation led by Director General Ashish Khanna is currently in Colombo (April 6-9), engaging with policymakers, multilateral lenders, and private sector stakeholders to fast-track a pipeline of solar projects exceeding 4 gigawatts (GW) under the Renewable Energy Project Development Plan (2025-2030).

Economy

US$ 2bn World Bank-backed plan to power Sri Lanka’s next growth phase

Published

6 days ago

April 6, 2026

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The World Bank Group and the Government of Sri Lanka launched a new five-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) to support Sri Lanka’s continued recovery, help achieve its 7 percent medium-term economic growth target, and support job creation.

“We are committed to building on the continued macroeconomic stability, strengthened governance and revenue-based fiscal consolidation that we have already achieved. Our goal is to confidently steer our economy towards strong, sustainable and inclusive growth. We are working towards an economic growth rate of over 7 percent in the medium term,” said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Private sector-led job creation is at the heart of the new partnership. Nearly one million young Sri Lankans are expected to enter the job market over the next decade. Without stronger growth and greater private investment, the economy will create only around 300,000 new formal jobs — leaving roughly 7 out of every 10 young job seekers without access to a quality job.

“Sri Lanka’s recovery over the past three years has been hard-won and impressive. This new partnership framework is designed to ensure that the benefits reach everyone,” said Johannes Zutt, World Bank Vice President for South Asia.”

By pairing public resources with private capital and innovation, we aim to help Sri Lanka create quality jobs, including for women, young people, and communities that have been left behind.”