Author: Mohamed Reehaan

The government has pushed back the Housing for All deadline to June 15 at 23:59hrs, giving applicants extra time to file for land and flats under the national scheme. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, the extension answers concerns raised by the public. Many applicants are traveling during the Eid holidays, and government offices remain closed for part of this period. As a result, several residents had struggled to collect the documents needed for their submissions. Why the ministry moved the date Officials say the earlier cut-off left little room for families juggling Eid travel and…

Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam met departing Swiss Ambassador Dr. Siri Walt to deepen Maldives-Switzerland bilateral relations across tourism, climate policy and trade. The farewell call took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Malé. Both sides reaffirmed their intent to widen engagement before Dr. Walt hands the post to her successor in Colombo. A diplomatic partnership rooted in 1981 Switzerland and the Maldives first established diplomatic ties in 1981, shortly after Maldivian independence. Since then, the two countries have built quiet but consistent cooperation, mainly through multilateral channels. Notably, both governments co-authored the landmark 2011 UN Human Rights Council…

The Maldives Cave Dive Recovery mission has entered a renewed and carefully reconfigured phase, with a multinational team of specialists now on the ground and a national operation that has, from its earliest hours, drawn the personal attention of the country’s highest office. The effort follows last Thursday’s tragedy in Vaavu Atoll, where five Italian visitors lost their lives during a dive into an underwater cave system off Alimathaa Island, a loss compounded on Saturday by the death of Sergeant First Class Mohamed Mahudhee of the Maldives National Defence Force during the second recovery attempt. Six lives in total are…

The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) has confirmed its Eid Banking Hours for the upcoming Eid al-Adha 1447 holiday period. The authority will open for a single working day midway through what is otherwise a closed week for government offices. The official holiday calendar runs from May 24 to May 30, 2026. Within that window, the MMA will operate on Thursday, May 28, to deliver essential banking services to its institutional clients. The counter will run from 08:30hrs to 14:00hrs, giving banks and other authorized entities a shortened but workable window to handle pressing transactions before the holiday resumes. The authority…

The FSM Fuel Station Meedhoo is now open and serving the public, marking another step in the government’s push to bring fuel access at standard rates within reach of every atoll. Fuel Supplies Maldives (FSM) confirmed the launch in an announcement today, adding the Dhaal Atoll site to a growing network of regional outlets the company has rolled out under the national distribution programme. A strategic piece of a national rollout The new station forms part of a broader policy direction aimed at standardizing fuel pricing across the country. The strategy is straightforward: ensure that motorists, fishing operators, and businesses…

STO Approves MVr 85 per share in dividends for the 2025 financial year, lifting its payout above last year’s level and rewarding shareholders for a year in which the company crossed MVR 15 billion in revenue. The resolution passed by majority vote at the Annual General Meeting held on Saturday evening, at Dusit D2 Feydhoo Maldives, with 263 shareholders and proxies in the room and a clear message that the company’s run of sustained profit has reached its shareholders’ pockets. A well-attended meeting with a clear mandate The AGM drew strong participation from across the shareholder base. A total of…

The Maldives entered 2026 wearing the crown of consecutive record months. By mid-may, the crown sits askew. Maldives Tourist Arrivals 2026 reaches 839,620 tourists through 13 May, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, a figure that would read as a healthy industrial performance in any other geopolitical climate. Against the 897,444 logged through the same window in 2025, however, it tells a more complicated story: one of momentum interrupted, of carefully laid plans colliding with forces no marketing budget can fully offset. The headline narrative breaks cleanly into two acts: January and February were record-setting, with February’s 247,722…

Here’s the short version: 2025 was a really, really good year for the Maldivian economy. Surprised? Don’t be. The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) earlier released its 2025 Annual Report, and the headline number jumps off the page. Real GDP grew by 6.3% in 2025. That is almost double the 3.5% growth recorded in 2024. But the report does not stop at celebrating last year. It also looks at the storm clouds gathering over 2026. So let us talk about the whole story together since the MMA Annual Report 2025 covers a lot of ground. We will break it down piece…

Visit Maldives Corporation (VMC) deepened its Maldives-PATA Board Engagement this week in Geyongju, Republic of Korea. The CEO and Managing Director of VMC, Ibrahim Shiuree represented the country at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual General Meeting on May 12, 2026. The VMC chief attended in his capacity as PATA Board Member, a seat he has held since August 2025. Board Seat Puts the Maldives at the PATA Table Shiuree’s PATA board role hands the Maldives direct influence over regional tourism policy; contribute to tourism industry reshape efforts. The PATA meeting reviewed its annual activities, and set out strategic…

The UK Government has cautioned its citizens about widespread travel disruptions, and its impact on connecting to Maldives routes. According to the UK Government, on its official website, the escalation in the Middle East “has caused widespread travel disruption, including airspace closures”. The statement, dated May 12, read that the continued flight delays and cancellations in light of the Middle East conflict could impact connections to and from the Maldives. The change log, from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) specifies the update as an “Addition of information about diving safaris (‘Safety and securite’ page)”. The Middle East…