ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs had called for applications to fill 500 vacancies in 25 state institutions under it and received 17,000 applications, Minister Hiniduma Sunil Senevi told Parliament.

The public sector recruitment drive was to resolve labour shortages across the state institutions, he said, including the Central Cultural Fund and the Department of Archaeology.

“All 25 institutions under my ministry, including the Fund and the Department of Archaeology, are places facing severe vacancies,” Senevi said.

Recruitment is proceeding rapidly, with a large round of appointments ranging from executive grades downward recently conducted for both institutions.

The lack of recruitment over an extended period had created critical operational gaps across the cultural sector, he claimed such as a shortage of 850 watchmen in the Department of Archaeology.

Addressing staffing concerns raised regarding locations such as Gal Vihara, Senevi said the Archaeology Department mainly needs watchmen and work assistants to maintain operations.

“The closing date to recruit 500 work assistants was just the other day. Believe it or not, over 17,000 applications have been received,” Senavi said. (Colombo/Sep11/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – A 5-day training course on the Sovereign Risk and Debt Sustainability Framework (SRDSF), held in Colombo, focused on developing the technical skills of Sri Lankan officials and international participants.

The IMF South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) organized the training on the SRDSF at the Taj Samudra from September 7 to 11, as part of the IMF’s capacity development program.

The event brings together international participants alongside officials from several Sri Lankan institutions, including the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

“The training focuses on enhancing participants’ technical skills to assess sovereign risks, evaluate debt sustainability, and measure the impact of macroeconomic and financing shocks on public debt, while fostering knowledge sharing and the exchange of international best practices,” the Ministry of Finance said.

Director General of Public Debt Management Office, Sri Lanka highlighted the importance of robust analytical capabilities in guiding sound, evidence-based public debt decisions.

“The training offers a vital opportunity for local officials, particularly within the PDMO to adopt international approaches to debt sustainability analysis and Sovereign risk assessment.”

The expertise gained through the training will strengthen Sri Lanka’s ability to identify and manage emerging sovereign risks within a sustainable financial framework, the ministry said. (Colombo/Sep11/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange indices were trading down on Friday morning, CSE data showed, with the benchmark All Share Price Index moving down 0.23 percent.

The ASPI was down 48.25 points at 21,309.49, while the more liquid S&P SL20 was down 0.03 percent, or 1.56 points, at 6,002.36.

Positive contributors to the ASPI were ACL Cables (up 0.74 percent at 95.60 rupees), Industrial Asphalts (Ceylon) (up 16.67 percent at 0.70 rupees), and RIL Property (up 0.83 percent at 24.30 rupees).

Melstacorp (down 1.08 percent at 184.00 rupees), Sampath Bank (down 0.36 percent at 139.00 rupees), Royal Ceramics Lanka (down 1.44 percent at 47.80 rupees), and Ceylon Tobacco Company (down 0.54 percent at 1,780.00 rupees) were top negative contributors.

Market turnover was 221.65 million rupees. Capital goods led turnover with 89.85 million rupees.

Ramboda Falls announced an interim dividend of 0.50 rupees per share for the financial year 2026/2027, with the XD date set for September 21, 2026, and payment dispatch scheduled for October 8, 2026.

Shares of Ramboda Falls were trading up 1.27 percent at 24.00 rupees. (Colombo/September11/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – The Sri Lanka Economic & Investment Summit 2026, SLEIS 2026, next month will focus on how the country can maintain its growth momentum while preparing for the challenges ahead, organizers said.

Policymakers, business leaders and international experts will meet at the event, organised by The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on October 12-13, to examine how Sri Lanka can build greater resilience.

Titled “Beyond Crisis Management: Building a Shock-Resilient Sri Lankan Economy,” the session will examine the vulnerabilities exposed by recent economic and external shocks and consider what needs to be put in place to ensure that future disruptions do not repeatedly set back economic progress.

Lilia Aleksanyan, Senior Country Economist for Sri Lanka – Asian Development Bank, will deliver the keynote address.

A panel discussion will follow featuring Chandranath Amarasekara, Senior Deputy Governor – Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Sabrina Esufally, Executive Director – Hemas Holdings, and Roshan Perera, Consultant – Centre for Poverty Analysis and Former Director – CBSL.

The discussion will be moderated by Dhananath Fernando, Chief Executive Officer -Advocata Institute.

The session will consider how Sri Lanka can strengthen macroeconomic stability, safeguard livelihoods and improve the resilience of businesses and key economic institutions.

It will also examine the role of international partnerships, investment, innovation and business leadership in building an economy that can adapt to changing conditions without losing sight of longer-term development goals.

The discussion will consider what needs to be put in place beforehand, including stronger institutions, sound economic policies, greater diversification, resilient businesses and the capacity to respond quickly when external or domestic pressures emerge. (Colombo/Sep11/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka lender Sampath Bank said it had appointed Dilip de S Wijeyeratne as deputy chairman, effective September 10.

Wijeyeratne has experience across banking, finance, risk management and compliance, investment banking and treasury, complemented by a strong understanding of corporate governance, strategic planning and financial markets, the bank said.

This will support the bank’s focus on advancing data-driven decision-making and the intelligent application of artificial intelligence across the organisation.

“Mr. Wijeyeratne’s experience and strategic perspective will complement the Bank’s efforts to harness data and emerging technologies, including AI, to sharpen decision-making, enhance operational effectiveness and create enduring value for customers, shareholders, employees and other stakeholders.”

Wijeyeratne’s association with Sampath Bank spans nearly eight years.

He joined the bank as a non-independent, non-executive director in November 2018 and was appointed an independent director in August 2019.

He served as senior independent director from May 2022 and continued as an independent, non-executive director from June 2026.

A senior finance and banking professional and principal consultant, Wijeyeratne provides advisory services to organisations across West Asia, Sri Lanka and Australia.

His career includes senior roles with HSBC Group in Bahrain, where he held responsibility for finance and operations, global markets and treasury, corporate treasury sales and asset and liability management.

He subsequently moved into entrepreneurship and advisory services, providing financial and strategic consultancy to private and public sector organisations.

Wijeyeratne serves as a director of Singer (Sri Lanka) and Hayleys Fibre, and as a director of Janashakthi Insurance.

He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK, and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
(Colombo/Sep11/2026)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s rupee closed at 328.45/60 to the US dollar in the spot market on Thursday, from 328.60/80 the previous day, while bond yields closed higher on select tenors, dealers said.

A bond maturing on 15.09.2027 closed at 9.75/95 percent, up from 9.60/90 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.07.2028 closed flat at 10.10/20 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.12.2029 closed at 10.50/60 percent, up from 10.45/55 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.08.2030 closed at 10.70/75 percent, up from 10.65/75 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.02.2031 closed at 10.80/85 percent, up from 10.75/85 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.12.2032 closed flat at 11.20/35 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.11.2033 closed at 11.65/75 percent, up from 11.70/75 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.10.2034 closed at 11.83/90 percent, up from 11.80/87 percent. (Colombo/Sep10/2026)