Sri Lanka Ocean Watch app to track marine pollution, coordinate coastal clean-ups

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:01 am ECONOMYNEXT — Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) has launched a web-based mobile application called Ocean Watch to digitize marine and coastal conservation efforts, the agency said. The platform aims to streamline waste mana…

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:01 am

ECONOMYNEXT — Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) has launched a web-based mobile application called Ocean Watch to digitize marine and coastal conservation efforts, the agency said. The platform aims to streamline waste management across the island’s coastline and ports by improving coordination between government bodies, local authorities, and private organizations. Through the app, users can report marine pollution incidents and lodge environmental complaints in real time. It also allows authorities to map out coastal areas requiring immediate clean-ups and identify strategic locations in canals to install waste barriers, preventing land-based trash from reaching the ocean. “The new digital platform will improve the efficiency of marine environmental management while empowering citizens to contribute to protecting Sri Lanka’s marine resources,” MEPA said in a statement. The app is also designed to act as a bridge between the state and the private sector, facilitating coordination for beach clean-up programmes. MEPA noted that the application will encourage private firms and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to adopt designated coastal stretches for maintenance over agreed periods through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. (Colombo/July 14/2026)

Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:15 am

ECONOMYNEXT – BPPL Holdings subsidiary Beira Brush (Private) Limited will acquire the customer base of Ravi Industries Limited (RIL), along with rights to the “Ravi” trademark and related intellectual property, under a business transfer agreement, BPPL said. The payment will be spread over 5 years, linked to revenue from the acquired base and trademarks, with a minimum total of 300 million rupees. “This transaction would enable the BPPL group to unlock synergies and cost efficiencies by integrating production and manufacturing for RIL’s customers at Beira Brush’s existing manufacturing facilities,” the company said in a market filing. “It will also place Beira Brush amongst the largest manufacturers of industrial brush-ware in Asia.” BPPL Holdings is a brush manufacturer and plastics upcycler headquartered in Sri Lanka. Its subsidiaries, like Beira Brush and Eco Spindles, produce industrial brushware, recycled polyester yarn, and synthetic monofilaments. (Colombo/Jul14/2026)

Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:02 am

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has sold 150 billion rupees in 2030, 2034 and 2037 bonds, data from the public debt management office showed. All offered 70 billion rupees of 15 October 2030 (LKB00730J158) bonds were sold at an average yield of 11.57 percent. All offered 50 billion rupees of 15 October 2034 (LKB00934J156) bonds were sold at an average yield of 12.04 percent. All offered 30 billion rupees of 01 July 2037 (LKB01237G019) bonds were sold at an average yield of 12.58 percent. All 3 bonds are available on tap. (Colombo/Jul14/2026)

Tuesday July 14, 2026 7:05 am

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Commercial Bank is listing 20 billion rupees of 13.00 percent and 13.25 percent debentures, it said in a stock exchange filing. The bank plans to issue 200 million Basel III compliant – listed, rated, unsecured subordinated, redeemable debentures with a non-viability conversion feature. The Colombo Stock Exchange has approved the listing in principle.

Initially a 100 million debentures will be offered at 100 rupees each, with another 50 million, and another 50 million offered in case of an oversubscription of the initial issue. The subscription list opens on July 16. (Colombo/Jul14/2026)

Monday July 13, 2026 6:51 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange revenue from tourism recorded its lowest monthly revenue in June 2026 and fell 10.9 percent from a year ago to US$151.1 million, the central bank said, quoting tourism promotion authority data. It was the lowest monthly revenue from tourism since October 2023, the data showed. The fall also come a month after the government-owned tourism promotion body revised its daily average spending per tourist and the duration of tourist stay last month. The revenue from the tourism has been on the fall in terms of year-on-year after the U.S./Israel bombing on Iran started on February 28. Total tourism revenue in the first six months also fell 11.8 percent to US$1,511.1 million, compared to US$1,712.6 million in the same period last year. The state-owned Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) revised the methodology for compiling monthly tourism earnings estimates retrospectively since January this year in May, citing the need to “enhance the accuracy and representativeness”. The island nation’s tourism revenue has been lower since August last year compared to arrivals after the relevant authority revised down per-day tourism spending, officials have said. The monthly revenue in June showed a fall for the 10th time in the last 12 months, excluding September and October last year, despite an increase in the number of arrivals. Sri Lanka has set ambitious target of 3 million arrival and US$4 billion revenue for 2026. The island nation witnessed US$3.22 billion in revenue in 2025, a 1.6 percent jump compared to US$3.17 billion in the previous year, the data showed. Arrivals picked up 15.1 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year with the number of foreign visitors to Sri Lanka rising to a record 2,362,521 from 2,053,465. Tourism accounted for nearly 5 percent of Sri Lanka’s economy when the sector was at its peak in 2018. Since then, it has been hit by the violent Easter Sunday suicide attack in 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 followed by an unprecedented economic crisis. The tourism earnings figure is estimated from a survey conducted by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority. Sri Lanka’s imports and the merchandise trade deficit have gradually picked up as tourism earnings came in and people in the sector spent their wages and other earnings. (Colombo/July 13/2026)

Monday July 13, 2026 6:50 pm

ECONOMYNEXT — Sri Lanka’s National Insurance Trust Fund (NITF) will enforce a strict digital update mandate for public sector employee records on July 31, 2026, transitioning all ‘Agrahara’ insurance benefit disbursements exclusively to its online portal, NITF Chairperson Visakha Wanasinghe said. “We intend to use only this data system in the future to disburse the benefits we provide,” Wanasinghe said. “We request officers to log into our portal and complete the update without waiting until the final days.” Officials said the digital shift aims to clear severe administrative bottlenecks. To accommodate the heavy administrative load, the NITF processes between 18,000 and 19,000 of the 22,000 to 25,000 hard-copy benefit claims it receives every month, with the remainder delayed due to incomplete paperwork and mismatched certificates. Under this initiative, the NITF will transition all Agrahara health insurance services and benefit payments into a digitalized framework, aiming to eliminate paperwork burdens and slash claims processing timelines for state workers, NITF officials said. The verification drive, initiated under Public Administration Circular 12/2005 (10) on March 5, applies to currently serving state officers. Registry operations are underway across 1,900 state institutions, though the retired community and semi-governmental workers remain exempt as their databases are already synchronized. Operations began on April 1, and approximately 600,000 out of 900,000 active public servants have registered, he said. NITF Assistant General Manager (Insurance) Nimali Pathirana said the centralized database will eliminate the hassle of state workers repeatedly submitting certified copies of vital documents. “If you update all this data once in the requested manner, we can significantly reduce the need for certified copies,” Pathirana claimed. “It will allow us to minimize delays and provide this service efficiently.” The new digital registry will also secure uninterrupted access to specialized commercial healthcare perks. By maintaining an active, verified profile, public servants and their families can seamlessly utilize exclusive discounts and medical privileges offered by major semi-governmental and private hospitals across Sri Lanka. The government asked the public service community to complete registration to avoid technical disruptions. To assist the remaining 300,000 unregistered employees, the NITF has deployed virtual Zoom awareness programs through 100 Zonal Education Offices and activated dedicated hotlines to handle technical glitches and password resets before the end-of-month cutoff. (Colombo/Jul13/2026)

Monday July 13, 2026 6:00 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s rupee closed at 336.00/20 to the US dollar in the spot market on Monday, from 335.70/90 Friday, while bond yields closed broadly steady, dealers said. A bond maturing on 15.09.2027 closed flat at 10.30/45 percent. A bond maturing on 01.05.2028 closed flat at 10.60/70 percent. A bond maturing on 15.12.2029 closed flat at 11.05/15 percent. A bond maturing on 15.05.2030 closed flat at 11.30/40 percent. A bond maturing on 01.08.2030 closed flat at 11.40/45 percent. A bond maturing on 15.10.2030 closed at 11.50/55 percent, up from 11.45/50 percent. A bond maturing on 15.12.2032 closed flat at 11.65/75 percent. A bond maturing on 15.01.2033 closed flat at 11.65/75 percent. A bond maturing on 01.11.2033 closed flat at 11.75/85 percent. A bond maturing on 15.06.2034 closed flat at 11.80/90 percent. (Colombo/Jul13/2026)