Arutha in the News

In a world where over 270 million people live amid conflict zones, the ripple effects reach far beyond borders — reshaping economies, energy security, and everyday lives. What do these global tremors mean for Sri Lanka?

Arutha's Co-Founder and Director-Civic Education, Rehana Thowfeek, spoke to ABC Asia on how the war in the Middle East will affect Sri Lanka in the short term and long term and whether Sri Lanka was adequately geared for the shock. She explained that since the crisis, Sri Lanka has rebuilt some macroeconomic buffers. Foreign exchange reserves are in good shape, and the government's fiscal measures allowed for additional spending on Ditwah recovery. Inflation has remained low,

Arutha's Civic Education and Outreach Consultant, Amalini De Sayrah speaking to The Morning on the new Microfinance bill explained the implications of reliance on the microfinance sector by the vulnerable amidst crises. “People are likely to take, or have already taken, loans to help rebuild their homes or livelihoods. They are then faced with twice the pressure to repay: repaying these new loans and repaying any loans they had taken before the disaster. At a time when they

Arutha's Co-Founder and Director-Civic Education, Rehana Thowfeek, spoke to The Morning about the impact of the ongoing conflict on Sri Lanka recovery and how it will impact energy prices and inflation. She noted that inflation has been relatively low for the past two years, however, given the increasing prices of fuel and gas, there will be a cascading effect on prices and the cost of living if supply chain disruptions persist. She also noted that Sri Lanka has high exposu

Arutha's brief on the new microfinance bill was cited in the Examiner. The Microfinance and Credit Regulatory Authority (MCRA) Bill 2025, is a new legislation which introduces a consolidated regulatory framework to govern Sri Lanka’s microfinance and moneylending sectors. By repealing the Microfinance Act No. 6 of 2016, the Bill establishes a more empowered statutory authority with expanded supervisory, licensing, and enforcement capabilities. Arutha’s brief analysed the lat

Arutha Executive Director Yolani Fernando speaking to The Morning, commented on new collection strategies to strengthen tax compliance.

Executive Director of Arutha, Yolani Fernando shed light on the current economic situation following Cyclone Ditwah.

"If revenue from PAL, CESS and SCL are expected to grow every year until 2028, signaling a clear mismatch between the hashtag#budget2026 policy announcement and the numbers underpinning the budget".

The Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) has expressed support for the 2026 Budget’s proposed daily wage increase for plantation workers, while urging clear implementation and wider structural reforms.

“In some ways you want a boring budget,” says Yolani Fernando, an ex-Treasury staffer who now heads Arutha, a think tank. “On the fiscal side, this budget is boring. That's a good thing. It means there is policy continuity. The rest of it isn’t bold. You're staying on the track, going as fast as you were in the past. But that’s not going fast enough for seven percent growth.”

Executive Director of Arutha, Yolani Fernando spoke to Savithri Rodrigo on what to expect from this year’s budget. "People often see the reduction of subsidies as austerity, but, subsidies tend to be poorly targeted welfare.

Arutha's Rehana Thowfeek warns that Sri Lanka’s inward-looking trade policies have backfired. She urges tariff reform, fewer bureaucratic procedures, more digitisation, and better infrastructure to boost exports.