Business
Sri Lanka’s Niftron raises Rs. 21Mn Capital from LAN’s Angel Fund

The Angel Fund has announced a Rs. 10 million investment in Niftron, a blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) platform that aims to make blockchain simpler and more affordable for businesses at all levels and industries.
The Angel Fund was established by the Lanka Angel Network (LAN) with the support of ecosystem development partner Ford Foundation and aims to catalyze the growth of Sri Lanka’s startup ecosystem.
Niftron is one of the first investments made by the Angel Fund since its launch last year. Additionally, Niftron has raised a further Rs. 11 million from Angel Fund investors based out of Singapore, Sri Lanka, UK and USA.
Niftron’s platform is especially innovative since it allows anyone to integrate blockchain with their products or projects easily and efficiently to improve trust by providing transparency, security, and ownership. The platform was developed to ensure ease of use, even for those without a complete knowledge of blockchain.
According to Co-Founder and CEO of Niftron, Sharmilan Somasundaram, the company was created to bridge the existing lack of client-side blockchain expertise, which often results in a too long and costly learning curve for companies. Via Niftron’s pay-as-you-go model, companies circumvent additional costs and delays and can integrate easily into any existing or new project/product without changing their own process/flow.
“Based on customer feedback, and analysis, we have found that Niftron reduces blockchain integration and development time by up to 80%, while cost reduction can be as high as 70%. In fact, the whole development with Niftron takes just a few weeks for large enterprise applications to only a few days or less for a small project, which makes business transformation very fast”, Somasundaram said.
The Rs. 100 million Angel Fund comprises 100 angel investors, including many high-profile entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, who represent close to 30 industries with proven competencies in over 40 functional domains, along with 20% of its investment from members based out of Canada, Dubai, Hong Kong, Qatar, Singapore, UK, and USA.
LAN Angel Investor, and Founding Partner of Hyperion Ventures, Navid Munas said, “We at Hyperion Ventures are excited at the prospect of working closely with founder-centric companies who are passionate, creative, and dedicated to executing their vision. With the team at Niftron and their BaaS platform, we feel they have the talent and skill-set to explore the arena of DeFi and smart contracts which whilst in its infancy now is set to boom into the future. As an industry-agnostic VC, we look forward to the ideas and businesses presented by the next cohort of startups.”
The Angel Fund hosts a quarterly open call for early-stage startups looking for investment. The Investment Committee will select the best startups from the currently-running Cohort 2 on April 28, 2021. Subsequently, all 100 investors will be meeting virtually on May 4, 2021, to meet the top startups. Cohort 2 includes startups from Fintech, Edtech and, for the first time, Femtech. Applications are currently open for Cohort 3 and will close on April 30, 2021.
Adding to this, LAN Angel Investor, and Director of CeylonAuctions.com, Dr. Rohitha de Silva said, “Scarcity drives value, especially with Blockchain. I’m pleased this journey brought me back home to Sri Lanka. I’m excited to be part of the Angel Fund and looking forward to the next cohort of startups.”
The Rs. 100 million Angel Fund has plans to eventually invest in six to 10 high potential startups in total, gearing them up to scale domestically, and even internationally.
Business
Colombo Tea Auction: BOP struggles while lower-grade teas gain

Analysts see budget-conscious international buying amid global economic pressures
This week’s Sri Lanka tea auction recorded the highest volume since February, with total offerings reaching 6.45 million kilograms (M/Kgs). However, the market displayed a mixed performance, with high-quality Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) varieties facing price declines while lower-end teas saw appreciation.
Select Western BOP/BOPF teas, typically among the most sought-after, dropped by over Rs. 100 per kg, while others in the category saw smaller declines. Nuwara Eliya BOPs, known for their delicate flavor were mostly unsold, and when sold, fetched up to Rs. 200 per kg less than previous levels. Uva BOPs also declined by up to Rs. 50 per kg, reflecting weaker demand for premium liquoring teas.
In contrast, teas at the lower end of the market fared better. Below Best BOPs remained steady, while BOPFs in the same category fell by Rs. 50 per kg or more, influenced by inconsistent quality. Meanwhile, Low Grown PF1s (CTC grade) saw a firmer trend, with some appreciation in value.
The Leafy and Semi-Leafy sector saw Select Best BOP1s maintain stable prices, while OP1s (Orange Pekoe) were irregular—well-made varieties eased, but others appreciated. In the Tippy segment, high-priced FBOPs dipped, but Best and Below Best grades held firm, with the lowest-end teas gaining value.
Despite price corrections, all categories met fair demand, with Low Growns dominating at 2.6 M/Kgs. The Premium catalogue showed selective firmness for very tippy teas, while others eased or declined.
Analysts suggest that the dip in high-quality teas may reflect subdued demand from key export markets, while the resilience of lower-grade teas indicates steady domestic and budget-conscious international buying.
“With global economic pressures persisting, auction trends may continue fluctuating in the coming weeks,” they said.
– Reported using data from Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers
By Sanath Nanayakkare
Business
CBSL releases publication on financial statements for 2024

The publication on the Financial Statements and Operations of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka 2024, a requirement under Section 99(2) of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, No 16 of 2023, was presented to the President and the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, by Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 29 April.
Dr. N S Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, Ms. Lasanthi Sirimanne, Chief Accountant and Ms. Samudra Jayasundera, Director Policy Review and Monitoring Department of the Central Bank were also present at this occasion.
The Financial Statements and Operations of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka 2024 present an overview of the Central Bank’s institutional performance during the year 2024. The publication is structured into three main components: Operational Insights, Financial Statements, and Supplementary Information.
The Operational Insights section outlines the Central Bank’s strategy and its core responsibilities, including maintaining domestic price stability, ensuring financial system stability, overseeing payment and settlement systems, managing currency issuance, and strategic communication. This section also covers the Bank’s international engagements, the execution of other entrusted responsibilities including agency functions, and internal management arrangements.
The Financial Statements section presents the IFRS-compliant financial statements of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for the year ended 31 December 2024, along with the independent report of the Auditor General. This segment also includes a financial review, providing an analysis of the Bank’s financial performance during the year.
The Supplementary Information section provides details on the Bank’s regional presence, the list of institutions regulated and supervised by the Central Bank, and a summary of corporate information.
The interactive PDF of this publication can be accessed through; https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/en/publications/economic-and-financial-reports/financial-statements-operations
Business
Emirates deepens strategic partnership with Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau to support local travel industry

At the Arabian Travel Market 2025, Emirates and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) have renewed their partnership aimed at further developing the country’s tourism and trade industries. The partnership was sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties.
The MoU was signed by Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates’ Senior Vice President of Commercial West Asia & Indian Ocean and Sampath Nissanka, Managing Director – Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. The signing ceremony was also attended by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer; Alexi Gunasekera, Consul General-designate of Sri Lanka to Dubai and the Northern Emirates in addition to other representatives of the airline and tourism board.
First inked in 2022, the renewed MoU will strengthen the collaboration between Emirates and SLTPB, with both the airline and tourism body reiterating their commitment to actively promote Sri Lanka as a destination to key markets within Emirates’ network.
Through joint initiatives, such as developing excursions and familiarization trips to promote the island nation to key feeder markets, Emirates and SLTPB aim to grow the tourism industry of the popular Indian Ocean destination by showcasing the destination to customers across the airline’s global network.
The joint efforts to boost the nation’s tourist industry have supported a steady increase in inbound traffic into the island, which recorded just over 2 million visitors in 2024. Between April 2024 and March 2025, Emirates carried over 240,000 passengers into Sri Lanka from key markets around its network including Russia, the UK, Germany, Australia, China, and the US, among others.
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