Category: Economy and Markets
Sri Lanka Govt allows internal flight operation for foreign airlines
Oct 02, 2019 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka govenments cabinet of ministers has given the nod for foreign airlines to operate domestic flights, a statement said. Sri Lanka’s civil aviation authority will issue one year operating licenses to foreign airlines that are interested in flying within Sri Lanka, the state information office said in a […]
MTD Walkers (KAPI) loses another billion, equity wiped out
October 2, 2019 (LBO) – Embattled construction firm MTD Walkers (KAPI) has reported a loss for the June quarter of approximately Rs1bn, and its equity base has been almost completely wiped out. Trading in the CSE listed KAPI has been halted for some time as the company has been in violation of regulatory guidelines and […]
Imposition of lending rate caps, a credit positive: Central Bank replies to Moody’s
Oct 01, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank says that the imposition of caps on lending rates of licensed banks would, in fact, be credit positive, contrary to the view held by Moody’s Investors Service. Releasing a statement, the Central Bank said it does not expect a material change in interest margins of the […]
IOSCO launches World Investor Week to promote investor education
Sep 30, 2019 (LBO) – The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) today launched its third annual World Investor Week (WIW) following its success in previous years at attracting more than one thousand financial organizations to showcase their initiatives for promoting investor education and protection across the globe. From 30 September to 6 October 2019, […]
‘s to become upper-middle-income economy
Sep 27, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka needs to invest in people to unlock its productive potential, a senior official said. “People are the most valuable resource in any country and investing in people is smart economics,” said Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough, World Bank County Director for Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives. “Technology and automation are radically changing the very nature of work […]
Morison receives shareholder approval to delist from CSE
Sep 27, 2019 (LBO) – The shareholders of Morison have approved the delisting of its voting and non-voting shares from the CSE by way of a special resolution, the company said. The company said over 75 percent of the shareholders voted at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the company held today. The Company will now […]
Sri Lanka’s lending rate cut is credit negative for banks: Moody’s
Sep 27, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s recent lending rate cut will compress banks’ net interest margins (NIMs) and add to their existing profitability challenges, Moody’s Investors Service said. On 24 September, the Central Bank mandated commercial banks to cut lending rates on all Sri Lankan rupee-denominated loans by at least 200 basis points beginning […]
”; outlook stable
Sep 27, 2019 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has affirmed Sri Lanka’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘B’ with a Stable Outlook. KEY RATING DRIVERS Sri Lanka’s ‘B’ rating balances high government debt and contingent liabilities, a challenging external financing profile and subdued economic growth against higher human development standards and per capita income […]
Ceylinco Life named one of Sri Lanka’s 10 most admired companies
Sep 27, 2019 (LBO) – Ceylinco Life Insurance was named among the 10 most admired companies in Sri Lanka at the 2019 edition of the International Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka (ICCSL) collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) awards. The only insurance company in this pantheon of corporate giants, Ceylinco Life was […]
Central Bank withdraws order on maximum interest rates on deposits
Sep 25, 2019 (LBO) – The Monetary Board of the Central Bank has decided to withdraw the Monetary Law Act Order No. 01 of 2019 issued on 26 April 2019 imposing Maximum Interest Rates on Sri Lanka Rupee Deposits, with effect from 24 September 2019. The decision has been taken after the issuance of the […]
IMF says end-June fiscal target missed by a large margin; earlier targets no longer within reach
Sep 25, 2019 (LBO) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that the protracted impact of the 2018 political crisis and the Easter attacks are significantly impacting the fiscal performance of Sri Lanka. According to the IMF, the end-June fiscal target was missed by a large margin, due to frontloading of spending from the clearing […]
‘s Extended Fund Facility
Sep 25, 2019 (LBO) – International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that the Sri Lankan authorities are taking steps to complete all the pending actions and structural benchmarks for the sixth review of Sri Lanka’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) over the next few weeks. A staff team from the IMF led by Manuela Goretti visited Colombo […]