Shiran Fernando

At Frontier, Shiran leads Macro Economic presentations, while also playing a key role in building strong business relationships. He is a member of the Economic Policy Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and also a member of the Investment Climate Sub-Committee of the National Agenda Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Shiran is an alumni of the University of London International Programmes with a BSc. In Economics and Finance, a CIMA passed Finalist and a 2017 Level III Candidate in the CFA Program. His interests revolve around global and local markets, investments, sports and learning more about entrepreneurship
All Media Appearances

2Q records 2.6% growth on floods and policy inconsistency
16-9-18
Sri Lanka’s 2Q grew by only 2.6% compared with 5.5% in 1Q due to floods and inconsistent policy making, official data showed, with agriculture, industries and construction dragging down growth.Frontier Research's Shiran Fernando gave his insight.

Economist bets on another round of policy rate hike
16-7-24
Still higher private sector credit growth and the rising inflation will put pressure on the Monetary Board to increase the policy rates and it is only a matter of time the new Central Bank Governor settles in before the next policy tightening takes place, an economist said.
President Sirisena's second visit to Beijing to boost China-Sri Lanka ties
16-6-21
While this may be good news for both countries, observers in Sri Lanka view President Maithripala Sirisena’s pro-China tilt as an act of desperation after his administration had failed to bring in substantial foreign investments. The government’s U-turn on Colombo Port City Project by giving it green light in March this year has angered greens who view it as a sellout to China.
Sustainability After Weliweriya
16-2-8
Last week, The Sunday Leader spoke to politicians, civil society and lawyers for their input on the Weliweriya incident. This week, the focus turns to the business world, as residents in Rathupaswala pointed an accusatory finger at a factory in the area which they said was contaminating the groundwater, making it acidic.

Interview: Sri Lanka BOP pressured by consumer spending, external woes
15-8-27
Post-war stimulus packages by Sri Lanka’s government have pushed up consumption demand which is now having an adverse impact on the trade deficit and balance of payments. This is one reason for the negative BOP position so far this year, Shiran Fernando at Frontier Research said.

Economists say govt. policy reforms ad-hoc, unsystematic
17-1-26
The government’s current reform agenda is both ad-hoc and unlikely to be completed, according to a panel of economists who said this could exacerbate the current low growth climate, adding to the woes of a volatile coalition administration.

Central Bank flags FDI and export slumps
16-12-2
While the government is harping on adopting neutral foreign and liberalized trade policies to push exports and investments, positive policy pronouncements do not appear to bear tangible results by trickling into the official data, Shiran Fernando further discusses this statement.

PM spells out Sri Lanka's third generation of economic reforms
16-11-5
Sri Lanka plans to overcome the current economic challenge by uplifting the country from a lower –middle-income country to a higher –middle income country in the first instance and thereafter to a high –income country within the next 3 to 4 years.

Sri Lanka's VAT fiasco adds pressure, makes budget crucial
16-9-29
Sri Lanka's finance ministers strike at midnight, while the country sleeps. The public wakes up to the shocking news in the Gazette, the government journal that prints official decrees, of price increases in selected goods following overnight tax increases.
Sri Lankan shares close lower for 3rd day on firms' ratings downgrade
16-3-1
Sri Lankan shares fell for a third straight session on Wednesday as a downgrade by Fitch Ratings of some companies that hold dollar bonds hit investor sentiment, traders said, days after the ratings agency downgraded the country’s sovereign rating.

Sri Lanka's biz community happy with 2016 budget concessions
15-11-21
Sri Lanka’s 2016 budget presented on Friday drew mixed reviews while two issues stood out – whether the bureaucracy is capable of quickly implementing the decisions, particularly taxes, and not addressing the foreign exchange crisis.

Sri Lanka's economy in 2013 in positive rebalancing mode:Report
14-6-14
Despite a strong headline Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2013, many Sri Lanka businesses serving domestic consumers experienced very subdued business conditions during the year. The reason as to why strong economic growth failed to translate into better business opportunities can simply be explained using a different approach in calculating the GDP

India-Pakistan stand-off: Economists say no immediate effect on Lanka
16-10-1
Sri Lanka will not suffer grave economic downfall owing to the tense situation between India and Pakistan, economists predict. However, there may be a trickle down impact on the country if the situation continues and will be a setback to the government’s efforts to revive trade within the region.

UPDATE 1-Sri Lanka cenbank keeps policy rates steady
16-4-25
Sri Lanka’s central bank on Tuesday kept benchmark rates steady, as expected, as it gauges the effects of recent tightening, amid the final stages of talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $1.5-billion loan to tide over a payments crisis.

UPDATE 1-Sri Lanka keeps interest rates on hold after recent tightening
16-3-28
Sri Lanka’s central bank kept interest rates on hold on Tuesday as it gauges the impact of its recent tightening measures and monitors government efforts to secure a $1.5 billion IMF loan to avert a balance of payments crisis.

Sri Lanka cbank switches to public bond auctions after scandal
15-8-12
Sri Lanka’s central bank has formally announced that it will issue all treasury bonds by public auction, and no longer by direct placement, responding days before a parliamentary election to criticism of a controversial offering in February.

Sri Lanka holds rates at record lows as credit picks up, inflation benign
14-11-17
Sri Lanka’s central bank kept key policy rates steady at record lows for a 10th straight month on Tuesday, and said stable inflation and steady credit expansion should help the economy grow by around 8 over this year and next.