Category: Daily Financial Times

In displacement settings, residents returning to their homes before official clearance continues to present a recurring challenge for recovery systems.

Commonly referred to as ‘unauthorised returns’, these movements present challenges for safe centre management, humanitarian coordination, and recovery planning, especially in determining the extent and nature of continued support once residents leave.

The issue is not isolated. Across recovery phases, individuals and families often return home ahead of formal assessments due to economic pressure, disrupted livelihoods, family obligations, or prolonged uncertainty within the displacement settings. While administrative frameworks prioritise safety and sequencing, the realities people face often guide decisions on the ground.

Drivers of early return

Unauthorised returns rarely occur without cause. Extended stays in safe centres can strain household incomes, disrupt education, and limit access to livelihoods. Without clear timelines for return, many families face heightened uncertainty and make decisions based on immediate necessity rather than official approval.

These movements are often informal and unmonitored, which makes it difficult for authorities and humanitarian actors to assess risks, offer guidance, or respond if conditions worsen.

Implications for support systems

A common response to unauthorised returns is the withdrawal of assistance, based on the assumption that continued support may legitimise unsafe movement. However, experience from recovery settings shows that complete disengagement can increase vulnerability of the returning residents.

When support systems disengage, they may lack access to safety information, health services, food assistance, or referral networks. This can expose households to secondary risks, such as structural hazards, food insecurity, and repeated displacement.

Maintaining conditional engagement

Some recovery organisations have adopted approaches that separate endorsement and engagement. Under these models, support is adjusted rather than withdrawn, allowing systems to maintain contact with returnees while clearly communicating risks and limitations.

This includes providing safety information, facilitating access to health and nutrition services, keeping referral networks open, and ensuring that individuals can access support again if their return proves unsafe. These approaches aim to reduce harm while maintaining accountability within recovery systems.

Institutional considerations

Managing unauthorised returns also highlights the tension between policy and practice in recovery settings. While coordination and standards remain essential, rigid frameworks that do not account for population movement risk losing relevance on the ground.

Experience shows that recovery systems function more effectively when they anticipate movement rather than react to it, integrating flexibility, communication, and monitoring into centre management and transition planning.

A recovery challenge, not an exception

Unauthorised returns should not be seen solely as non-compliance, but as an indicator of gaps in recovery planning, communication, or support systems. Addressing them requires cross-sector coordination, clear messaging to affected populations, and mechanisms that prioritise safety without disengagement.

As recovery progresses, the ability of systems to respond to movement, rather than attempt to prevent it entirely, will remain central to reducing risk and supporting sustainable resettlement.

After decades of misrule, corruption, and stagnation, the election of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was widely understood as a mandate for meaningful change. Yet, in recent months, that mandate has been repeatedly diluted, not by public opposition or parliamentary resistance, but by pressure from religious clergy who have no democratic legitimacy in the sphere of public policy making.

Time and again, the Government has buckled under pressure from Buddhist prelates and Christian clergy, retreating from or delaying much-needed reforms. This pattern raises a fundamental question as to whether in a modern republic, why are unelected religious figures allowed such decisive influence over laws that govern a diverse, pluralistic population?

Clergy, regardless of faith, are meant to serve as moral guides for their followers, not as veto-holders over state policy. Yet in Sri Lanka, priests have increasingly positioned themselves as political power brokers. On issue after issue, education reform, minority rights, gender equality, and human rights, the custodians of morality have found themselves on the wrong side of history.

A glaring example is the opposition to decriminalising same-sex relations. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has emerged as a staunch critic of reform, defending laws that are a direct legacy of British colonial rule. These statutes were not born of Sri Lankan culture or Buddhist or Christian theology, but of Victorian moral codes imposed by colonial administrators. Today, much of the world, including many institutions within the Cardinal’s own global church, has moved toward recognising the dignity and rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. Yet Sri Lanka’s Catholic hierarchy continues to cling to archaic positions that even many believers no longer accept.

Equally troubling is the conduct of sections of the Buddhist clergy. Those who claim lineage from the teachings of the Buddha, whose teachings emphasised compassion, non-violence, and detachment from power, have repeatedly obstructed reforms aimed at equality, inclusive education, and minority protections. Instead of acting as voices of calm and conscience, they have often amplified ethno-religious anxieties, reinforcing divisions that have already cost this country dearly.

Perhaps most damaging is the spectacle of elected leaders repeatedly running to religious prelates to explain policies, seek approval, or quietly roll back progressive decisions. Each such visit sends a message that democratic authority lies not with voters, Parliament, or the Constitution, but with ‘old men in robes’ whose views are shaped by dogma rather than evidence, rights, or social realities.

This is not secularism as hostility to religion. Sri Lanka is, and will remain, a deeply religious society. Faith has a vital role in personal life and community cohesion. But when religious authority crosses into coercive political influence, it undermines democracy itself. Policy must be guided by constitutional principles, human rights, and the lived needs of citizens, not by fear of clerical backlash.

By allowing itself to become hostage to religious pressure, the president and his Government risk betraying the very people who voted for change. The mandate given to this administration was not to preserve narrow ethno-religious narratives, but to dismantle them. It was a demand for courage, not caution and what is truly needed is leadership, not appeasement. We cannot move forward while being pulled backward by archaic dogma. The Government would do well to let clergy remain within their rightful spheres of spiritual influence, and to finally govern.

Ceylinco Life has announced the appointment of industry veteran Dr. Kelum Senanayake as a Consultant, reinforcing the Company’s strategic focus on capability building, training excellence, product innovation and operational rigour.

In his new role, Dr. Senanayake will primarily oversee the training function of Ceylinco Life, working closely with the Company’s training team to provide direction, guidance and fresh insights aimed at continuously improving the quality, relevance and effectiveness of training across the organisation. He will also support product design and development initiatives as and when required, drawing on his extensive experience across the insurance value chain, the Company said.

With over 40 years of experience in the insurance industry, Dr. Senanayake brings to Ceylinco Life a proven track record of strategic leadership and operational expertise. He holds the unique distinction of being the first and only Chief Executive Officer in the Sri Lankan insurance industry to achieve the coveted Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) status, which he accomplished in an impressive 133 days.

Dr. Senanayake previously served as Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Officer of Arpico Insurance PLC, and also served as a Director on the Boards of Richard Peiris Distributors and Richard Peiris Finance Company. He began his career in 1982 at Mercantile Credit Ltd, the principal agent for the National Insurance Corporation, before moving to Union Assurance PLC, where he rose to the rank of Assistant General Manager during a career spanning more than 27 years. Thereafter, he joined AIA Insurance Lanka as General Manager – Operations and subsequently rose to the position of Director – Operations during a tenure of over a decade.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Senanayake has forged strong working relationships with leading global reinsurers including Munich Re, Hannover Re and Reinsurance Group of America (RGA). He has been actively involved for decades in developing and managing processes governing new business underwriting, policyholder servicing, claims, group life underwriting, product development, reinsurance, contact centres, customer experience and other critical operational areas, giving him a rare depth of both strategic and hands-on operational insight.

An alumnus of Ananda College, Colombo, Dr. Senanayake holds a Diploma in Business Management from the Worldview Institute and an MBA from the University of Western Sydney, Australia. He was conferred with a Doctor of Business Administration by the London University of Peace in recognition of his achievements and contributions to the insurance industry. Having received professional insurance training in the UK, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, India and South Africa, he is also a respected trainer who has trained more than 20,000 insurance professionals during his career.

Sri Lanka is expected to sustain both primary fiscal surpluses and current account surpluses over the medium term, supported by strong revenue performance, lower global oil prices, and resilient remittance inflows even as economic growth moderates, according to the World Bank’s Global Economic Outlook 2026.

The World Bank said growth in Sri Lanka is projected to decelerate to 3.5% in 2026 and 3.1% in 2027, reflecting structural impediments to growth, including factor and product market inefficiencies, the scarring effects of the economic crisis, and global economic uncertainty hurting demand for exports.

Despite the slowdown, the forecast is marginally higher than the Bank’s June 2025 outlook, pointing to improved macroeconomic stabilisation, with the 2025 and 2026 projections revised up by 1.1 percentage points and 0.4 percentage points, respectively. However, the growth projections do not factor in the impacts of Ditwah, with assessments ongoing.

The initial damage estimated by the World Bank Group was at $ 4.1 billion, or 4% of the country’s GDP in 2025.

On the fiscal front, the report said strong revenue performance in Sri Lanka is forecast to lead to reductions in fiscal deficits and public debt, reinforcing expectations that the Government will continue to run primary surpluses as part of its consolidation effort.

Externally, Sri Lanka is forecast to record current account surpluses, primarily reflecting lower global oil prices and resilient remittance inflows, particularly from member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, where activity is anticipated to remain robust, the World Bank said, providing a cushion against external financing pressures.

However, the outlook remains constrained by structural and demographic challenges. The Bank warned that emigration pressures are projected to remain heightened, especially among the young and highly skilled population, posing risks to medium-term growth potential and productivity.

The report also flagged global trade risks, noting that a further rise in tariffs or other trade restrictions, or heightened uncertainty about global trade policies, could dampen export demand and economic activity in the region. While South Asia’s overall trade openness is limited, the World Bank said the risk is higher for economies with greater exposure to the US, including Sri Lanka, where tariff increases or the removal of exemptions could directly weaken growth.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday signalled a renewed push towards a cashless economy, positioning digital payments and formalisation of economic activity as central priorities under the Government’s Digital Economy agenda for 2026.

Chairing a review meeting on projects implemented in 2025 and initiatives proposed under the 2026 Budget, the President called for faster progress on cashless transactions, digital public infrastructure (DPI), and the integration of informal economic activity into the formal system, stressing that these reforms are critical for future economic planning and development.

The 2026 Budget has allocated Rs. 25.5 billion towards Sri Lanka’s digital economy, focusing on initiatives to expand cashless transactions, DPI, and formalising economic activity.

The allocation covers the scaling up of digital Government payments through GovPay, upgrades to Government cloud infrastructure, roll-out of the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity, expansion of broadband access, and incentives to promote QR-based and electronic payments, including the waiving of service charges on Government e-payments from January 2026.

The Budget also earmarked funding to attract investments in data centres, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud infrastructure, strengthen data protection and digital governance frameworks, and support startups and innovation as part of a broader push to position Sri Lanka as a competitive digital economy.

The President’s Media Division said yesterday’s discussion was held to review the progress and plans for 2026, including a national program to provide high-speed broadband facilities, provision of single-window facilities, the digital identity card project, and the project to digitalise payment of traffic spot fines.

Noting that much of the economic activity of rural communities remains in the informal sector, the President noted the need to formally document these activities and stressed that this is essential when formulating future economic and development plans.

The performance, progress, and future plans of institutions under the Digital Economy Ministry, including the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT), the Data Protection Authority, and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), were also reviewed.

The current status and new recruitments of the GovTech institution, established to implement the Government’s digitalisation program, were also discussed.

Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Senior Presidential Adviser on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, Digital Economy Ministry Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala, and senior officials of the Ministry and its institutions also participated in the discussion.

Casons Taxi has officially rebranded as The Taxi Company, effective 10 January 2026, marking a new phase in the company’s evolution with a refreshed brand identity, new logo, and an enhanced digital presence.

Under the rebrand, customers will gradually see The Taxi Company identity reflected across communications, documentation, and digital platforms as the rollout is completed. The company confirmed that rates, billing processes, and service delivery will remain unchanged throughout the transition.

‘This is purely a brand identity update. Our operations and service delivery remain exactly the same, with no disruption to corporate transport services,’ said CEO Zufer Ahamed.

Casons Taxi commenced operations in October 2011 with a modest fleet of 10 red-and-white Alto vehicles. The company’s foundation was shaped by extensive ground-level research led personally by Ahamed, who travelled in taxis, compared kilometre-based pricing, and benchmarked service standards before launching the business. He was supported by his elder brother Zakir Ahamed, Managing Director, and a serial entrepreneur with deep experience in the transportation sector.

‘That research-first approach laid the foundation for a service culture centred on consistency, responsiveness, and controlled execution. These principles have remained central as the company has grown,’ Ahamed said, adding that the company is also exploring plans for a future listing.

Today, The Taxi Company offers a wide range of mobility solutions that extend beyond passenger transport. Its services include corporate staff transport, hotel and airport transfers, scheduled pick-ups and drop-offs, and baggage transport, both in Colombo and internationally through global partners.

The company also supports logistics and delivery needs within the hospitality sector, including food delivery services for leading hotels in Colombo. In-house capabilities have been developed for office and household relocations, offering manpower support alongside truck rental solutions for larger transport requirements.

Beyond standard passenger vehicles, the company supplies driver-operated pickup trucks and utility vehicles that support operations in telecommunications, solar energy, construction, and Government projects, enabling reliable site-based mobility for technical and supervisory teams.

Responding to institutional and corporate demand, The Taxi Company has also established event transportation and coordination services, managing organised movements where timing, routing, and accountability are critical.

‘Approximately 80% of our operations are focused on corporate mobility, supported by a 24/7 customer care centre serving both corporate and public clients,’ Ahamed noted.

The company’s service-driven model has earned industry recognition, including the Excellence in Collaboration and Service Award at the Huawei South Asia Supplier Convention 2024.

Alongside the rebrand, The Taxi Company is strengthening its digital ecosystem to enhance booking control, service coordination, and customer visibility. Its new website, thetaxi.lk, is now live. A driver app is currently in beta testing, while development is underway on a corporate booking and reporting portal, with plans for a customer-facing mobile application in the pipeline.

HNB PLC has announced its partnership with MarxPay and LankaPay to introduce ‘Pay by Bank Account’ feature via JustPay Web enabling customers to make online payments directly from their bank accounts instead of using credit or debit cards.

The feature is enabled through the MarxPay Internet Payment Gateway (IPG) and represents an important step in advancing secure, bank-driven digital commerce in the country.

The new function allows customers to complete online transactions instantly by linking their bank accounts and authorising payments with only a few clicks. Tokenisation safeguards all sensitive information, ensuring a secure process while improving convenience for everyday digital purchases. The system also reduces transaction costs for merchants which supports more affordable online payments and strengthens the local digital economy. Through seamless integration with MarxPay, merchants gain a reliable and locally supported payment option that improves customer trust and conversion.

HNB Senior Vice President and Head of Digital Business, Chammika Weerasinghe said the collaboration aligns with the bank’s ongoing efforts to expand safe and reliable digital payment options. ‘HNB continues to invest in solutions that improve convenience and strengthen national payment infrastructure. Account-based payments offer a secure and cost-effective channel for customers and merchants, and this partnership supports wider adoption of locally developed digitally enabled commerce. We remain committed to working with industry partners to deliver practical, scalable and compliant digital innovations that add value to our customers.’

MarxPay CEO Rohitha Perera said the initiative will support a more resilient and inclusive digital payments ecosystem. ‘Pay by Bank Account is designed to provide Sri Lankans with a simple, secure and affordable way to complete online transactions. Our partnership with HNB and LankaPay reflects our commitment to advancing trusted, locally relevant payment solutions. We are pleased to work with institutions that share a common vision for digital progress and ease of access.’

LankaPay CEO Channa de Silva said: ‘On behalf of LankaPay, I warmly welcome HNB and MarxPay to the JustPay Web platform. This partnership marks an important step in enabling inclusive digital commerce by providing merchants-regardless of scale-with an affordable, scalable, and secure online payment option. JustPay Web is designed to remove barriers to entry, with no device costs, no minimum commitments, a considerably low slab-based tariff structure, and simple, intuitive experiences for both merchants and customers. Together, we will strengthen Sri Lanka’s digital payments ecosystem and support sustainable business growth.’

The partnership leverages LankaPay’s national payment infrastructure and HNB’s digital banking capabilities to ensure that all transactions meet required standards of reliability, security and regulatory compliance. The introduction of account-based online payments also reduces dependence on foreign payment systems and retains greater value within the domestic economy.

By promoting bank account-linked payments for eCommerce and service platforms, the initiative contributes to stronger financial inclusion and supports the growth of local businesses participating in Sri Lanka’s digital marketplace. It forms part of a broader effort to accelerate the country’s transition toward efficient, secure and sustainable digital payment solutions.

MarxPay together with LankaPay and HNB, will continue to expand technology-driven solutions that enable customers and merchants to transact with greater confidence and convenience across online channels.

National Savings Bank (NSB) has successfully launched Tap and Pay contactless payment functionality on the NSBPay mobile application, becoming the first bank in Sri Lanka to introduce in-app contactless payments. This landmark initiative represents a major milestone in the country’s digital banking evolution and strongly reinforces NSB’s long-term Digital Drive, aligned with Sri Lanka’s vision for a modern, cashless, and digitally inclusive economy.

With this launch, NSBPay users can now make fast, seamless, and secure payments by simply tapping their smartphones at contactless-enabled payment terminals across the island. The solution eliminates the need for physical cards or cash, delivering greater convenience while enhancing payment efficiency for consumers and merchants alike.

The Tap and Pay feature is powered by Mastercard Digital Enablement Services (MDES), utilising advanced tokenisation technology to protect customer payment information. Tokenisation replaces sensitive card details with secure digital tokens stored on the mobile device, ensuring that actual account information is never exposed during transactions. This global-standard security framework enhances consumer confidence and supports the safe expansion of digital payments nationwide.

To successfully enable this capability, NSB collaborated with leading technology partners Entrust and Data Management System Ltd., for tokenisation services, while the Bank’s fintech partner PayMedia carried out the necessary enhancements to the NSBPay application to ensure a robust and seamless customer experience.

The introduction of in-app contactless payments holds significant importance for Sri Lanka, particularly as the country accelerates its transition toward a digital-first economy. By reducing dependence on cash, improving transaction speed, and promoting secure electronic payments, this initiative directly supports national efforts to improve financial efficiency, transparency, and inclusion. It also benefits small and medium-scale merchants by enabling faster checkout experiences and greater acceptance of digital payments.

As the country’s premier savings bank with a legacy spanning nearly two centuries, NSB plays a critical role in driving financial inclusion across all segments of society. The launch of Tap and Pay on NSBPay demonstrates the Bank’s commitment to leveraging next-generation technologies to serve customers across urban and rural communities, ensuring that the benefits of digital banking are accessible to all.

This innovation further strengthens NSB’s Digital Drive, positioning the Bank as a catalyst in shaping Sri Lanka’s digital future. Through strategic partnerships with global payment networks such as Mastercard and the adoption of advanced technologies like tokenisation, NSB continues to build a secure, trusted, and future-ready digital banking ecosystem that supports national development goals.

The Tap and Pay contactless payment functionality is now available to eligible NSBPay users, marking another significant step in NSB’s journey toward transforming everyday banking .

Sri Lankan Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports show major inconsistencies in how they assess and communicate social impacts, according to a new study by Centre for a Smart Future (CSF).

As Sri Lanka seeks to accelerate investment and infrastructure delivery amid heightened climate and environmental risks, EIAs are expected to function as a core tool to safeguard communities and ecosystems. But CSF’s analysis suggests that the social dimension of EIAs is not provided sufficient attention, despite being a key requirement specified in national guidelines and Terms of Reference (ToRs), undermining EIAs’ use for decision-making, accountability, and public confidence.

The report, titled ‘Assessing the Assessments: An Analysis of Social Impacts Reported in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) in Sri Lanka,’ presents the first systematic review of its kind in Sri Lanka, assessing 250 EIA reports published between 1991 and 2025 against national EIA guidelines and project-specific ToRs to examine how social impact reporting has performed over time. Findings point to systemic issues, including frequent gaps in reporting methods and data sources, inconsistent quality expectations in ToRs, and presentation and language styles that are often inaccessible to the public.

The author of the report, CSF Research Associate Senith Abeyanayake said: ‘EIAs are meant to anticipate and minimise harm to communities, especially those already exposed to environmental and economic vulnerability. But if social impacts are described inconsistently, supported by unclear evidence, and communicated in ways that the public cannot reasonably understand, EIAs cannot perform their intended role in development planning and governance.’

The report argues that improving social impact reporting is essential not only for affected communities but also for Sri Lanka’s broader development credibility. Better EIAs can strengthen investor confidence, reduce conflict and litigation risk, and help ensure development is more resilient in the face of climate-related hazards.

CSF is an interdisciplinary think tank working on research and advocacy to strengthen inclusive and sustainable public policies in Sri Lanka. The think tank emphasised that these recommendations are intended to support regulators, consultants, development partners, and civil society and to open a constructive conversation on how EIAs can better serve Sri Lanka’s long-term development goals.

The full report can be accessed from the CSF Website at www.csf-asia.org/knowledge-insights.

British University Recruitment Consultants Lanka Ltd.,(BURC Lanka), the premier student recruitment consultancy and advisory for British universities in Sri Lanka, is conducting curated, individually designed, and tailored English programs for corporates to build confident, fluent English communicators within Sri Lanka’s corporate sector, by prioritising effective communication. The programme targets corporate employees seeking to improve workplace communication, professional confidence, and English fluency in real business contexts to enhance overall corporate performance.

‘Our aim, with this curated program, is to strengthen a critical workplace skill: effective English communication, which helps to build confidence of the employee in client, stakeholder, and team interactions. Effective communication will, in turn, improve teamwork, productivity, and professional representation. Furthermore, effective communication supports talent development and leadership readiness while promoting a culture of confident communication across the organisation,’ said BURC Lanka Director and Co-Founder Imogen Thomsun.

These programs are especially designed for each company, based on a detailed needs analysis of the organisation and its employees, ensuring relevance and measurable impact. Furthermore, ongoing assessments and structured feedback are integrated to monitor development and ensure continuous improvement. The teaching approach is a balanced blend of practical and theoretical learning delivered through interactive sessions based on real-life business scenarios.

BURC Lanka has successfully delivered this teaching programme to several corporates, including Zimantra, Global Marine Group, and Synex International Ltd.

The program is delivered by BURC Lanka’s highly qualified in-house English teaching team, which comprises Nishani Tissera, who holds a BA (Hons) in English and brings strong academic expertise in language and communication, and Ruvini Weerasekara, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, specialising in practical, learner-centred instruction.