Writer
Hassan Waheed
Senior business writer. Former banker, now watches the rufiyaa, the fishing fleet and anything that arrives by container ship.
Saturday, 1 August 2026
Ismail Rasheed leaves Dhiraagu after four decades, eleven of them as CEO
The country's largest telecom passes to Valdemar Ferradaz, a thirty-year international operator.
Friday, 31 July 2026
BML's Mohamed Shareef becomes first Maldivian to chair the Asian Bankers Association
The appointment took effect on 31 July — and brings the ABA's annual conference to Malé in September.
Thursday, 30 July 2026
BML sold US$478 million in foreign currency in the first half
A monthly average of US$80 million, up 30 per cent on last year — sold into an economy still short of dollars.
STO revenue climbs to MVR 6.98 billion as fuel margins narrow
War-driven oil prices pushed the trader's quarterly turnover up 96 per cent on last year — and squeezed its gross margin to 10.8 per cent.
Bank of Maldives posts MVR 1.3 billion half-year profit, up 21 per cent
Revenue of MVR 3.2 billion and a cost-to-income ratio of 28 per cent make it one of the bank's strongest halves — with MVR 8 billion in new loans issued.
Maldives switches on real-time transfers to India
The MMA's Favara system now connects to India's UPI — the country's first live international payment link, starting with BML and MIB.
Wednesday, 22 April 2026
Maldives settles the five-hundred-million Islamic bond
The April maturity is met on time as a fresh sukuk of US$350 million is placed with Gulf and Asian investors.
Saturday, 18 April 2026
Maldives to host the 30th Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission
A milestone for a fishing nation that has long wanted the regional treaty body in its own harbour.
Friday, 10 April 2026
India approves thirty-billion-rupee drawdown as Male' settles October 2024 swap
The Reserve Bank of India and the Maldives Monetary Authority move in concert — a drawdown and a settlement on the same day.
Tuesday, 7 April 2026
Debt servicing is projected to peak at a billion dollars this year, World Bank says
A high-water mark for the balance of payments, arriving at the same moment as tourism revenue softens.
Tuesday, 31 March 2026
Thilamalé bridge reaches 72 per cent completion as first segment nears handover
The largest infrastructure project in the country's history is, at last, visibly closing in on its destination.
Saturday, 21 March 2026
The war and us
A column on the Iran war and what it is doing to the Maldivian economy in real time.
Thursday, 5 March 2026
Fuel prices rise sharply: petrol at MVR 16.01, diesel at MVR 17.54
State Trading Organisation raises pump prices from 5 March, citing supply disruptions in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Saturday, 7 February 2026
Drug seizures valued at US$149 million since November 2023, authorities say
Police and customs publish a two-year tally: 1,366 kilograms of drugs and 14,825 bottles of liquor.
Saturday, 24 January 2026
MSC certification is extended to cover yellowfin handline fishery
The Marine Stewardship Council brings the whole of the Maldivian tuna fleet under certification coverage.
Tuesday, 20 January 2026
Five hundred million: a plan for the Islamic bond takes shape
A refinancing of US$350 million paired with a drawdown from the Sovereign Development Fund is the shape of the arithmetic.
Sunday, 18 January 2026
Maldives skipjack tuna fishery wins a first-of-its-kind sustainability rating
Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch assigns a country-specific rating to the island nation's pole-and-line fleet.