Rural Outsourcing

Oct 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s rural economy can take a slice of India’s 12 billion dollar Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry by catering to the bottom of the pyramid customers who look at costs over optimum service, a foreign investor said. “India does about 12 billion dollars of knowledge base process work; 10 […]

Sri Lankan tea prices fall

Oct 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices fell at this week’s auction, raising concern that plantations corporations may not enjoy the high price levels required to cope with a recent near 40 percent wage hike. Brokers Asia Siyaka Commodities said there was “fair general demand at lower rates” for teas from regional plantations […]

Merchant Reach

Oct 02, 2009 (LBO) – Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka (MBSL) said it had raised its stake in Ceylinco Investment Company, part of the troubled Ceylinco group, to 46 percent, through a five million rupee cash injection.MBSL said in a statement it bought 500,000 shares of Ceylinco Investment Company at 10 rupees a share. MBSL […]

Fresh Capital

Oct 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank said its public share issue of 54.29 million shares at 35 rupees a share to raise 1.9 billion rupees has been oversubscribed. “The total capital expected to be generated from both the private placement and public offering will be 3.025 billion rupees,” the bank said in […]

Terminal Trends

Oct 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) is in talks with international shipping lines on new services through Colombo port despite the global downturn in trade which has reduced cargo volumes, a senior official said.SLPA chairman Priyath Wickrama said there were signs cargo volumes were picking up as the global economy recovers […]

Sri Lanka stocks hit new high

Sep 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed at a record high Friday, with investors expecting the bull run to continue in the short term with periodical profit taking, while forthcoming quarterly results will point at the bourse’s long term direction, brokers said. Brokers said 18 million Seylan Merchant Bank non-voting shares changed hands. […]

Sri Lanka plantations industry demands former benefits

Oct 01, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s plantations industry is demanding the release of funds taken as an export tax and is asking to treated as exporters under the value added tax regime as they were before, to help cope with a recent wage hike to workers. “We’ve got to see where we can get […]

Sri Lanka aims to save last reef on south coast

Oct 01, 2009 (LBO) – A coral reef described as the last remaining living, extensive reef on Sri Lanka’s south coast was cleaned up in an effort where international and local agencies worked together, the ministry of fisheries said.The initiative aims to improve the quality and condition of the Kapparathota coral reef in Weligama Bay, […]

Trading Platform

LONDON, October 1, 2009 (AFP) – Britain’s London Stock Exchange announced Thursday that it is in exclusive talks to buy pan-European electronic trading platform Turquoise.“London Stock Exchange Group plc announces that it has entered into exclusive discussions with Turquoise Trading Limited, which may lead to a transaction,” the LSE said in a brief statement. “A […]

Sri Lanka inflation slows to 0.7 percent in September

Sept 30, 2009 (LBO) – Consumer prices in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo rose 0.7 percent in September from a year earlier, down from 0.9 percent in August, the government’s statistics office said.The monetary authority, which keeps the rupee pegged to the US dollar, has relaxed policy rates, but has been engaging in steady “quantity tightening” […]

Sri Lanka insurance upgrade on national rating, Fitch says

Sept 30, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings said it was correcting a previous announcement on Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC), saying it had upgraded its National Long-term rating, and not the National Issuer Default Rating. It said in a statement the announcement corrects the version issued on 14 August 2009. According to the corrected version, […]

India over the moon with water discovery

BANGALORE, September 25, 2009 (AFP) – India on Friday hailed the discovery of water on the moon as a triumph for its lunar programme as the country aims to cement its reputation as a serious player in the space industry.“There could be much more interesting facts.We will talk about all of it once we have […]

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