Several branches of the state owned Bank of Ceylon (BoC) had closed their counters today (April 10) earlier than usual, inconveniencing customers, reports say.
Counters at certain BoC branches had closed at 12.30pm today, due to a result of a Trade Union action, reports add.

The BoC Board of Directors had previously approved an incentive for its employees based on the profit of the year 2024, and it is said that a delay in securing the Ministry of Finance’s approval for this had led to this situation.

‘Sri Lanka Mirror’ reached out to the Ceylon Bank Employees Union (CBEU) Chairman – Channa Dissanayake in this regard and was told that no bank branches were closed earlier than usual.

When we had insisted that certain branches had indeed closed their counters after 12.30pm and mentioned photographic evidence, Mr. Dissanayake’s phone line went dead.

BoC has been in the centre of controversy recently, after providing a hefty loan to Nawaloka Group which is already in deep debt.

Related News :

The cost of preparing a traditional kevili or sweetmeats table for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year has increased by 7% in 2025 compared to 2024, and is now more than twice as high as it was in 2019, according to a report by Verité Research.
The analysis found a 7% rise in the cost of ingredients between March 2024 and March 2025, driven primarily by significant increases in the prices of coconuts and coconut oil, which rose by 80% and 40% respectively. Most other ingredients either remained stable or decreased in price.

In 2024, the cost of ingredients had increased by 2.2 times compared to 2019, and by 2025, this figure has risen to 2.4 times the cost in 2019.

A kevili table typically features a selection of traditional Sri Lankan sweet treats that symbolise prosperity and happiness. While contents vary across households, common items include milk rice, kokis, bananas, aluwa, kevum, dodol, mun kevum and butter cake.

The analysis used quantities based on recipes from the popular YouTube channel “Ape Amma,” estimating portions for a household of 4–5 people. Only main ingredients were considered in the costing; utility costs (electricity/gas) and spices were excluded. Price data was sourced directly from the Department of Census and Statistics, specifically from its Open Market Weekly Average Retail Prices in the Colombo District for the following periods: April Week 1 of 2019 and 2023, and March Week 3 of 2024 and 2025.

(dailymirror.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailymirror.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

The Sri Lankan rupee has declined against the US dollar today (10), with the spot exchange rate surpassing the Rs. 300 mark for the first time since September 27, 2024.

According to the daily exchange rate data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), the buying rate for the US dollar stands at Rs. 294.13, while the selling rate is recorded at Rs. 303.20.

Meanwhile, the spot exchange rate has been registered at Rs. 301.20 today.

The spot rate reflects the weighted average of all spot transactions carried out in the domestic interbank foreign exchange market, including any market interventions conducted by the CBSL through Requests for Quotations (RFQs) on the previous or most recent business day.

(adaderana.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)