Banking Ties

Apr 10, 2011 (LBO) – Amana Bank, Sri Lanka’s first licensed commercial bank operating on Islamic banking principles will receive technical support from Bank Islam Malaysia which has taken a 20 percent stake, a media report said. Malaysia is a centre for Islamic finance, where banking is conducted under Sharia law, which prohibits the charging […]

Sri Lanka officials learn WTO services rules from Singapore

Apr 09, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s government officials are learning more about World Trade Organization rules on services from Singapore as the country pushes ahead with becoming a trade and services hub. Experts from Singapore’s Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade and Negotiations (TFCTN) as well as experts from other countries are training Sri Lanka’s […]

China speaks better English than India: study

NEW DELHI, April 8, 2011 (AFP) – Emerging market giant China has pipped neighbouring rival India in English language proficiency skills, despite the South Asian nation’s strong anglophone tradition, according to a new study. Both countries were given a “low-proficiency” score, with China standing 29th, one place ahead of India in a list of 44 […]

Maldives forex shortages hit airlines: report

Apr 09, 2011 (LBO) – A dollar peg in the Maldives which is coming under pressure from excess domestic money has hit the airline business and also cut the real wages of expatriate workers, a media report said. Minivan News an online publication said Galaxy Enterprises which is the general sales agent for SriLankan Airlines […]

Oil Mercantilism

Apr, 08, 2011 (LBO) – A top US monetary economist has poured cold water on fears about the world running out of oil, an idea which gains special prominence when the US Fed loosens monetary policy, debases the dollar and sends commodities bubbling up. Nixon at the time even halted exports of food commodities, instead […]

Sri Lanka lingerie brand sees strong sales in India

Apr 08, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan apparel exporter MAS Holdings has said sales of its Amante lingerie brand are growing strongly in India and that it hopes to break even in the market this year. “We’re having phenomenal growth in India, averaging 40 percent,” said Ajay Amalean, director, MAS Holdings. “The category itself is […]

Sri Lanka tea prices hit by Middle East turmoil

Apr 08, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices fell at this week’s Colombo auction as turmoil in the Middle East, one of the main importing regions, affected shipments and payments, brokers said. All three elevations, high, medium and low have seen increases of 27.0, 20.45 and 7.28 rupees over last year. Prices of low […]

Loan Forecast

Apr 08, 2011 (LBO) – Loans by Sri Lanka’s listed commercial banks will grow 25 percent in 2011, up from 22. 5 percent in the with bad loans and also interest rates remaining low despite rising inflation, an equities research report has said. The report said PABC Bank reported highest loan growth of 80 percent […]

Support Vessel

Apr 08, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan ship builder Colombo Dockyard has laid the keel for the first of a series three Multipurpose Platform Supply Vessels for Singapore’s Greatship Global Offshore Services. The vessel is designed to have an accommodation area for 50 persons. The vessel, scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2012, […]

Sri Lanka shares end up 0.5-pct

Apr 08, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed higher with interest in a new conglomerate and associatd firm and poultry companies although trading volmes were lower than usual in the run-up to a holiday break, brokers said. The stock market will be closed for the latter part of next week owing to the traditional […]

Sri Lanka to get $300mn a year for infrastructure from ADB

Apr 07, 2011 (LBO) – The Asian Development Bank would finance Sri Lanka with about 300 million dollars annually over the next few years, with roads, water supply and sanitation getting attention, officials said. In the past three years Sri Lanka had got nearly a billion dollars of Asia Development Financing, with a peak of […]

Sri Lanka court grants bail for detained editor

April 7, 2011 (AFP) – The editor of a pro-opposition Sri Lankan news website was released on bail Thursday, a week after his arrest sparked protests from international media rights groups. Bennet Rupasinghe had been taken into police custody on charges of allegedly threatening a suspect wanted for a January arson attack on the offices […]

Page 1419 of 3053