Category: Banking and Finance
Sri Lanka budget deficit to be 4.7-pct in 2017, FinMin tells IMF
Sep 14, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister said that the island plans on reducing the budget deficit to 4.7 percent in 2017. “We had a budget deficit of 6.7 percent of the GDP last year and this year’s target will be 5.4 percent. it will be further reduced to 4.7 percent in 2017,” […]
Sri Lanka Sampath Bank gets new MD
Sep 09, 2016 (LBO) – Sampath Bank Sri Lanka named Nanda Fernando as it’s new Managing Director following the retirement of Aravinda Perera. Nanda Fernando was Chief Operating Officer of the bank and has been with the bank since its founding, the bank said in a stock exchange filing. He will assume duties from 13 […]
Central Bank says no new licenses for finance companies
Sept 09, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank says it will not issue new licenses for finance companies and, as a result, licenses of existing companies will have a higher market value in the future. Releasing a statement, the Central Bank said this is a key factor in encouraging new investors. A good number […]
Opinion: Big banks exploit countries like Sri Lanka, probe finds
Sept 07, 2016 (LBO) – Big banks have turned to the powerful worldwide legal system and commandeered it for profit, exploiting countries like Sri Lanka in the process, according to a Buzzfeed probe. In 2006, big international banks presented officials who ran Sri Lanka’s state oil venture with a way to hedge against further price […]
Uber launches cash payment for rides in Sri Lanka
Sep 06, 2016 (LBO) – Uber, the smartphone app that connects riders to drivers, has launched cash payments as an option in Colombo giving users options to choose between credit or debit cards or cash when paying. “We know that cash is still the dominant payment option for people around the world, especially in emerging […]
Sri Lanka seals USD100mn credit from World Bank for economic reforms
Sep 05, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka signed a 100 million US dollar credit from the International Development Association (IDA), an arm of the World Bank, today to support economic reforms in the island. “This program will support the Sri Lankan Government’s commitment to unleash the potential of Sri Lankan enterprises to grow, become more […]
IFC ready to finance Sri Lankan private sector projects
Sep 01, 2016 (LBO) – The International Finance Corporation, a part of the World Bank group, is ready to finance Sri Lanka’s private sector projects by providing mid to long term loans through a multiple of financing methods, an official said. “The loan component for potential partners would start from around 3 million US dollars […]
HNB approves USD50 mln share issue to ADB, up to 9.9 pct stake
Sept 01, 2016 (LBO) – The Hatton National Bank PLC board has approved issuing shares for 50 million dollars to the Asian Development Bank by way of a private placement, making the development lender a strategic investor. “The proceeds of the issue of shares by private placement as aforementioned will be utilized for the purpose […]
Sri Lankan rupee steady after cbank chief allays fears of upward pressure
COLOMBO, Aug 31 (Reuters) – The Sri Lankan rupee traded steady on Wednesday, a day after the country’s Central Bank Governor Indrajith Coomaraswamy said the currency was not under upward pressure as capital inflows had not been of sufficient magnitude to exert such pressure. Dealers said the rupee could appreciate if the central bank does […]
Sri Lanka’s Central Bank keeps policy rates steady
Aug 30, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has decided to keep its key interest rates steady despite rising inflation and high private sector credit growth. The full text of the statement is reproduced below. Monetary Policy Review – August 2016 Both headline and core inflation, measured on a year-on-year basis, edged down in […]
‘s National Development Bank CEO to resign, Chairman retires
Aug 26, 2016 (LBO) – Chief Executive Officer of National Development Bank, Rajendra Theagarajah will resign with effect from November 30 and Chairman of the bank, N G Wickremeratne will retire on August 31 , a statement said. Ananda W Atukorala, had been appointed as a non-executive director and chairman of the bank subject to […]
Asian Regulatory Reforms to Increase Appetite for Reinsurance: Fitch
Fitch Ratings-Singapore/Hong Kong-22 August 2016: Fitch Ratings believes that various regulatory initiatives in the region could lead indirectly to greater demand for reinsurance, as direct insurers rethink risk-management strategies and appetite. Asian regulators have implemented – or are in the process of implementing – a range of measures that would alter the operating and business […]