Banking Online

Nov 14, 2006 (LBO) – Bank of Ceylon (BoC), Sri Lanka’s biggest lender in terms of assets, plans to finish linking up all its branches within the next few days, allowing customers to carry out their banking needs by using the Internet, officials said Tuesday. “We have 302 local branches and 248 of those branches […]

Sliding

November 14, 2006 (LBO) – High taxes have hit profits of DFCC on the September quarter but six months profits are still higher than the previous year.After tax profits of DFCC group after minority interest fell to 395 million rupees for the latest quarter down from 451 million for the same period last year. At […]

Sri Lankans brace for high growth and high inflation

November 14, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka may have to settle for high inflation in the coming months as the government is keen to keep up the high economic growth momentum, treasury secretary P B Jayasundara said Tuesday. Though the budget will announce measures to contain demand pressure, it may not go as far as […]

‘s Central Bank continues to fight inflation with negative interest rates

November 14, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank on Tuesday froze interest rates, maintaining a wait-and-see policy over the economy, amidst soaring inflation, an expansion in money supply and real interest rates being negative. The bank said its benchmark reverse repurchase rate, used to manage liquidity and contain inflation, will remain at 11.125 percent. […]

Seylan Bank opts for private placement to beef up capital

November 14, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank Ltd plans to raise a billion rupees by privately placing two tranches of 500 million rupees worth of debentures, the bank said Tuesday. The funds are required to meet capital adequacy requirements stipulated by the Sri Lanka’s Central Bank, Seylan’s Assistant Company Secretary, N N Najumudeen […]

Eight killed in Sri Lanka in fresh violence

Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – At least four Sri Lankan soldiers and four Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in separate violence in the island’s embattled northeast, the defence ministry said Tuesday.Three soldiers were killed when Tamil Tiger rebels detonated a bomb in the northern district of Vavuniya on Tuesday, the ministry said, adding that another […]

Sri Lanka steps up security ahead of protest over assassination

Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s police stepped up already tight security in the capital Monday ahead of a mass protest over the assassination of a moderate Tamil legislator and growing rights abuses, officials said.Several major roads in the city were closed and vehicle inspections intensified as anti-war demonstrators prepared to stage a march […]

Sri Lanka faces child soldier charge as Britain tries to save peace

Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – The United Nations accused Sri Lanka Monday of recruiting child soldiers to battle Tiger rebels as Britain moved to help save a crumbling peace process.Even as mourners protested the assassination of a moderate Tamil legislator, a top UN official issued a scathing attack on government security forces, accusing them for […]

British to push for Sri Lanka peace

Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former colonial ruler Britain will send a special envoy to the island Tuesday to help salvage a tattered peace process, diplomats said.British MP Paul Murphy will meet with Sri Lankan leaders during a three-day visit and share his experience of the Northern Ireland peace process, the British High […]

Saudi posted 58-billion-dollar budget surplus in 2005

RIYADH, Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – Oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia posted a record budget surplus of 58 billion dollars in 2005 on the back of surging crude prices while its gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.5 percent, newspapers reported Monday. In its annual report on the Saudi economy, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), […]

On Tap

Nov 13, 2006 (LBO) – Increasingly wealthy countries tend to have better access to water and sanitation, but some countries like Sri Lanka do far better despite lower incomes, a new report on human development, shows. This is well below Australia ranked number one with 113.2 percent but close to Niger ranked last at 172 […]

November 13, 2006 (LBO) – HDFC Bank, Sri Lanka’s largest housing bank, retained its ‘AA-(lka)’ rating for their home loan securitization trust series, Fitch Ratings Lanka said Monday. The rating is for the timely interest payment and the ultimate payment of principal. The pass-through certificates or PTCs are backed by a pool of residential mortgage […]

Page 2482 of 3054