Sri Lanka is planning a 6,000 acre industrial zone in Monaragala as well a total of 6,000 acres of industrial areas in Hambantota, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said. “The industrial z…
Economy
Opportunities in the halal economy
The word “halal”, or what is deemed permissible in Islam, used to be applied to mainly food and drink. But today, it encompasses a much broader area of products and services, including healthcare, tra…
Grow with Grab will help micro-entrepreneurs and SMEs scale in ASEAN
It made its name as a ride-hailing business that took Southeast Asia by storm, but since then Grab has expanded into payment solutions, and now it will be launching a service for SME lending and micro…
Japan to propose G20 aid rules to check China’s Belt and Road
Japan will propose new guidelines on development assistance when it hosts the Group of 20 summit in June, as it tries to check China’s growing influence through infrastructure projects, sources …
China to aid Mekong’s development
China has pledged to work closely with Thailand under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) framework to help promote the development of the Mekong Basin region. The pledge was conveyed by China’…
Asean’s challenges and potentials
The current and future role of Asean has recently been discussed among academic scholars, political analysts and Asean leaders. The challenges that Asean is facing, such as the South China Sea dispute…
North korea: ready for economic reform?
PATRICK POLESHUK WRITES- If the recent Trump-Kim summit has told us anything about North Korea’s relationship with the U.S, it is that the two leaders appear to be on separate wavelengths. The summit’…
Philippines pursues stronger trade, investment ties with Malaysia
The Philippines wants to expand trade and investment ties with Malaysia by taking advantage of opportunities available in agriculture, manufacturing, technology and innovation, halal and infrastructur…
Myanmar’s second largest city to hold int’l trade fair, business forum
Myanmar’s second largest city of Mandalay in the central part will hold an international trade fair and business forum on March 23 to attract foreign entrepreneurs to invest and do business in t…
Sri Lanka: ADB boosts over 1,700 micro and SMEs with $125m worth lending
ADB commends SL banks for achieving MSME lending targets NPLs under the credit lines are below industry average as banks performing well, ADB believes banks can continue to lend to MSMEs in future via…