Category: Economy and Markets
Norges Bank exits from Access Engineering’s top 20 shareholders list
Nov 15, 2019 (LBO) – Norway’s sovereign wealth fund managed by the Norwegian Central Bank, Norges Bank has exited from Access Engineering’s top 20 shareholders list during the September quarter, the company’s interim data showed. Norges Bank held 13,973,487 shares as of 30 June 2019 and was its 14th shareholder in the top 20 shareholders […]
ComBank Group posts net profit growth of 21.2-pct for Q3
Nov 15, 2019 (LBO) – Significant improvements in the third quarter, which positively impacted its year-to-date performance, have enabled the Commercial Bank Group to post creditable results for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Comprising of Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, its subsidiaries and associates, the Group reported operating profit before taxes on financial […]
Sri Lanka Prosperity Index increased in 2018 with improvements in all sub-indices
Nov 15, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Prosperity Index (SLPI) that measures the level of prosperity of the country increased to 0.783 in 2018 from 0.548 recorded in 2017, the Central Bank data showed. SLPI is a composite indicator compiled by the Statistics Department of the Central Bank and comprises three sub-indices measured using 43 […]
Hayleys Group delivers improved performance in 2Q 2019/20
Nov 14, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s diversified conglomerate, the Hayleys Group, posted improvements in turnover, operating performance and overall profitability during the 2nd quarter of 2019/20 supported by the strong performance of its export businesses. Meanwhile, the Group also recorded an improvement in turnover and operating profit for the 1H of 2019/20, although overall […]
‘s stocks move up, but foreigners sell Rs1.5bn ahead of Presidential election
November 13, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s stock market was strong ahead of Sri Lanka’s impending Presidential election to be held on Saturday November 16th. The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) major indices were up roughly .5% on relatively heavy turnover of Rs2bn (US$11mn). However, despite what appeared to be positive sentiments, foreigners took the other […]
Sri Lankan banks facing pressure on credit profiles, rising NPLs: Fitch Ratings
Nov 13, 2019 (LBO) – Pressure on Sri Lankan banks’ financial profiles due to challenging operating conditions became more apparent in the banks’ 1H19 results, Fitch Ratings says in a new report. According to the new report, the sector’s non-performing loans (NPLs) continued to rise rapidly, up 39 percent in 1H19 (64% in 2018) and […]
Sri Lanka nominated for destination of the year award in UK for technology: SLASSCOM
Nov 13, 2019 (LBO) – SLASSCOM announced that Sri Lanka has been nominated for this prestigious award by the Global Sourcing Association (GSA). The Delivery Destination of the Year Award was established to champion best practice in sourcing programmes and to recognise and reward delivery destinations that deliver excellent results and value-add to the strategic […]
Moody’s Analytics Knowledge Services rebrands as Acuity Knowledge Partners
Nov 13, 2019 (LBO) – Moody’s Analytics Knowledge Services announced its rebrand as Acuity Knowledge Partners (“Acuity”) following the completion of its management buyout from Moody’s Corporation, supported by the European mid-market private equity investor Equistone Partners Europe Limited (“Equistone”). Acuity, a leading provider of bespoke research, analytics and automation technology to the financial services […]
Attorney General advises Central Bank not to make Forensic Audit reports public
Nov 12, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Attorney General has opined that the findings of the Forensic Audit reports should be treated as having the potential to be evidence in investigations and access should be limited to those who have statutory authority to access them. Given the nature of findings, the Monetary Board sought the […]
Sunshine Energy’s third Hydropower Plant adds 2.4MW to national grid
Nov 11, 2019 (LBO) – Sunshine Energy (Pvt) Ltd, a fully-owned subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s diversified conglomerate Sunshine Holdings, opened its third hydropower plant Elgin recently in the Lindula Region. Sunshine Energy’s Elgin plant generates 2.4MW, contributing to the national grid. With the addition of the third plant, Sunshine Energy now contributes close to 7MW […]
Taj Lanka Hotels (TAJ) revenue up 12% as Sri Lanka tourism recovers
November 11, 2019 (LBO) – Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) listed Taj Lanka Hotels (TAJ) reported surprisingly robust revenue growth for the quarter ended September 2019. Revenue was up 12% year over year for the second quarter to Rs704mn. TAJ, the owner of the five star Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo, reported a small loss for […]
Sri Lanka official reserves at USD7.8bn by end October
Nov 08, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s gross official reserves were 7.8 billion US dollars (USD7,783.6mn) by the end of October, up from 7.6 billion US dollars in September, the latest Central Bank data showed. By the end of October, the foreign currency reserves were 6,757 million dollars while the reserve position in the IMF […]