Oil retreats after Pakistan conveyed Iran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to the US.
Key demand: Washington returns to the Islamabad MoU.
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Sri Lanka Considers Raising Three-Wheeler Driving Age to 40 🚦
🛺 The minimum age for driving three-wheelers in Sri Lanka may be raised to 40 years in the future
👨🏫 Deputy Minister of Vocational Education Nalin Hewage shared this proposal
🎓 The goal is to stop young people from choosing three-wheeler driving right after finishing school
📚 Officials want to focus instead on building skills through education and vocational training
Sri Lanka's Reserves Improve
💰 Official Reserve Assets grew by 2.06% to $6,591 million in July 2026 from $6,458 million in June 2026.
💵 Forex inflows from remittances+tourism increased by 7.1% Y-O-Y to $929 million in July 2026:
👷🏻♀️ Remittances: $777.6 million
⬆️11.5% Y-O-Y
✈️ Tourism income: $151.1 million
⬇️10.8% Y-O-Y
🛢️ Improvement of inflows together with the easing of the fuel bill, enabled the Central Bank to net purchase $349 million in July 🛒
#SriLanka #forex #reserves
Rain Relief for Sri Lanka's Electricity Generation
Electricity generation from renewable sources (Hydro, Solar, Wind & Biomass) increased further to 70% on 6-Aug, from 54% a month ago.
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Coal+Thermal power generation reduced to 30% on 6-Aug from 46% on 6-Jul.
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#SriLanka #RenewableEnergy
HSBC Bank’s consumer banking operations in Sri Lanka officially come to an end today (30), following the completion of the transfer of its retail banking division to Nations Trust Bank (NTB).
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) received approval from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in December 2025 to hand over its consumer banking operations to NTB. A Binding Sale and Purchase Agreement signed between the two banks in September 2025 has now been finalized.
From May 1, 2026, HSBC’s premier banking customers, including credit card holders and personal loan clients, amounting to approximately 200,000 accounts, will officially transition to NTB.
HSBC has issued an important notice to customers, stating that branches, express banking centres, and ATMs would close at 3 p.m. today, while accounts, debit and credit cards, and digital banking services would remain accessible until 7 p.m.
After that, all HSBC cards and online platforms will cease to operate. The bank further advised customers to plan ahead for a temporary service interruption during the final transition, as systems will be unavailable until NTB brings them back online.
“HSBC Sri Lanka Facebook page will be closed today. We sincerely thank you for the trust you have placed in HSBC over the years and for being part of our enriching online community. It has been an honour to serve you, and we wish you and your loved ones the very best as you move forward,” HSBC said, confirming the closure of its official Sri Lanka Facebook page. (Newswire)
Strait Open: Oil tumbles
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says #Iran has opened the Strait of #Hormuz to all commercial vessels for the duration of the ceasefire
Oil (Brent) falls over 10% to below $90 a barrel