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MSTI Relocates to New Premises in Dehiwala

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Sri Lanka’s Premier Seamen Training Institute

Sri Lanka’s premier Merchant Marine Education provider, MSTI marked the beginning of a new chapter recently when the institute relocated itself to No 32, Station Road, Dehiwala – Mount Lavinia. MSTI, formerly known as Mercmarine Training, operated from its old premises at Maradana, Colombo 10 for a long period and relocated to Galle Road to offer enhanced service with better facilities to students.

MSTI was started in 1986 as Mercantile Seamen Training Institute (MSTI) and later became Mercmarine Training. The institute recently came under a new management under the leadership of Capt. Ajith Peris, effecting a return to the old brand name ‘MSTI’ to mark the beginning of a new journey.

As Sri Lanka’s first privately owned Seamen Training School, MSTI has produced thousands of Sri Lankan seafarers who went on to conquer the global seafaring industry over the last 37 years. MSTI has been offering courses for prospective Engineering Officers/Ratings, Navigation Officers/Ratings and Catering & Housekeeping professionals and they possess some of the most advanced training facilities for merchant navy training in the country. High tech simulators used for equipping trainee engineers and deck officers with practical knowledge provide testimony to the high standard of education MSTI provides.

MSTI also stands out for the quality of the lecture panel they employ since most of them are current sea-going master mariners equipped with most up-to-date practical knowledge about the trade. Since inception, MSTI has also been the trusted go-to place for professional mariners to obtain their professional qualifications which are critical for their career advancement.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the entire world is dependent on sea trade for its survival due to the fact that over 90% of the global trade is carried out via the sea. As a result merchant navy professionals are a well respected group of professionals that are in high demand globally and earn lavish income. Although Sri Lankans have historically shown relatively little interest in the profession, developing countries in Eastern Europe and Asia such as India and Philippine have taken an active interest in promoting the trade among their citizens and gone on to dominate the global sea trade, ensuring a steady flow of foreign exchange into their economies.

MSTI has been instrumental in uplifting Sri Lanka’s seafaring industry for the last four decades by creating awareness and educating thousands of Sri Lankan youth to take up careers in sea, thereby significantly contributing to the national economy. Marking a new chapter in their journey, MSTI hopes to continue its mission with renewed vigor and strength to create even more impact.



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FRELLA launches world class wellness products locally with Baurs & Co.

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FRELLA partners with the French perfumer Véronique Gabai

FRELLA, Sri Lankan-born and internationally-respected natural beauty and wellness brand, is setting the stage to expand operations by entering the Sri Lankan retail market. As the country’s only dedicated wellness company operating at an international scale, this move marks a new chapter for a brand with a growing global presence that has already earned the trust of luxury hotels and international customers.

For over seven years, FRELLA has emerged as Sri Lanka’s leading wellness brand, serving clients and partners across more than 15 international markets. The brand’s entry into the Sri Lankan retail market marks a significant milestone, allowing local consumers to access globally respected wellness products developed from the island’s own healing traditions. This retail expansion is supported through a strategic partnership with Baurs, a trusted 170-year-old Swedish multinational company, ensuring sophisticated distribution and access aligned with international retail standards.

FRELLA is rooted in Sri Lanka’s ancient healing traditions and inspired by centuries-old Ayurvedic wisdom. All FRELLA products are specially designed as holistic wellness solutions for the body, skin, hair, and soul, and focuses on providing nourishment, balance, and healthy aging through refined, modern wellness systems.

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Writer Business Services enters Sri Lanka to partner with institutions to provide information management and payments solutions

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Writer Corporation, one of India’s leading business groups, announced the launch of its subsidiary, Writer Business Services Pvt. Ltd., and the commencement of its operations in Sri Lanka. The expansion reflects Sri Lanka’s strategic importance in Writer’s regional growth plans and its role in supporting a highly regulated digital and financial services market which is currently undergoing digital transformation.

Sri Lanka’s continued focus on strengthening regulatory frameworks, digital platforms, and financial systems is shaping how institutions across banking, government, and enterprise sectors approach their business operations. There is a clear emphasis on secure, compliant, and resilient information and transaction environments that can scale with regulatory and business needs. Writer’s entry into Sri Lanka aligns with this direction, bringing global experience and a partnership-led approach to the market.

As part of its launch, Writer will establish a secure records and information storage facility in Seeduwa, Colombo. Designed to meet global standards for security, compliance, and disaster resilience, the facility will support banks, financial institutions, government bodies, and large enterprises in managing physical and digital information across its lifecycle.

Alongside information management, Writer brings established expertise in integrated payment services to support the modernization of transaction infrastructure across the banking and financial services sector. Its payments capabilities focus on strengthening availability, transaction continuity, and transparency across critical payment channels that underpin institutional reliability and customer confidence.

Writer’s digital payments offerings in Sri Lanka include end-to-end ATM and self-service terminal outsourcing, integrated channel ownership and managed services, field management applications, payment and reconciliation platforms, and remote monitoring with near real-time reporting. These solutions support financial institutions in improving uptime, strengthening governance, and enhancing operational efficiency across payment networks, in line with the continued evolution of electronic and automated payment systems.

Across information management and payments, Writer operates with an integrated portfolio spanning records and information management, business process outsourcing, cloud and digital services, data privacy, cybersecurity and enterprise payments infrastructure. These capabilities support institutions in addressing evolving regulatory requirements, digitization of legacy environments, and rising operational and cyber risks.

Writer’s local presence enables closer collaboration with clients and on-ground delivery, while supporting the development of Centres of Excellence across cybersecurity operations, SOC and NOC services, AI-led solutions, and payments operations and monitoring.

Writer’s Sri Lanka operations will be built, led, and run by Sri Lankan professionals, reflecting a long-term commitment to local talent growth and development.

Commenting on this development, Satyamohan Yanambaka, CEO, Writer Global Services Pvt. Ltd., assured Writer’s long-term commitment to the country’s digital ambitions. He said, “Writer’s entry into Sri Lanka reflects our belief that digital ambition in regulated environments must be supported by trust, sound governance, and strong execution. As institutions scale digital services, the reliability of information and payment systems, channel operations, and governance frameworks becomes increasingly important to public and institutional confidence. Our experience across information management, digital transformation, and enterprise payments enables us to support secure, large-scale financial ecosystems, with a clear commitment to building and leading these capabilities locally.”

Sri Lanka’s Digital Personal Data Protection framework raises expectations around how personal and sensitive information is secured and governed.

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Altair issues over 100+ title deeds post-ownership change

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Thilan Wijesinghe

Altair Residences have, over the past six months, seen more than 100 individual title deeds being executed by apartment owners, providing owners with a clear, registered, legal title to their apartments in accordance with Sri Lankan property law. This has been a key initiative by the new owners and management of Altair to improve governance and will continue in an orderly manner in the coming months.

With the transition of ownership to Blackstone India, Altair’s Management Council has also been formally constituted, enabling owners to play an active and proactive role in the management of the Altair building. In addition, the management council has appointed Realty Management Services (RMS), a subsidiary of Overseas Realty Ceylon PLC, as the new facility manager of Altair.

Commenting on these milestones, Thilan Wijesinghe, Chairman of TWC Holdings, who, together with a team from TWC, represents Blackstone’s interests in Sri Lanka, said, “The issuance of individual title deeds is a critical step in any professionally developed residential asset. Over the past six months, this process at Altair has moved forward in a structured and transparent manner, alongside the formal establishment of owner-led governance. This, combined with the appointment of experienced facility managers are fundamental building block for long-term value-creation for apartment owners and proper asset stewardship.”

With ongoing improvements to the building being undertaken by Indocean Developers Pvt Ltd (IDPL), the owning company of Altair, the issuance of deeds to owners is expected to accelerate over the coming months.

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