Category: Policy
CB Governor says bank deposit and lending rates need to come down
Aug 08, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy expressed concern on the current deposit and lending rates of the banks. Speaking at a press briefing, Coomaraswamy said it is a matter of some concern because the deposit and lending rates are as rigid as they were in the past. “In fact […]
”s ratings at B1; maintains negative outlook
July 26, 2018 (LBO) – Moody’s Investors Service has today affirmed the Government of Sri Lanka’s foreign currency issuer and senior unsecured ratings at B1 and maintained the negative outlook. Moody’s Investors Service said the decision to affirm the rating at B1 reflects Sri Lanka’s progress in implementing the planned reform program, which entails fiscal consolidation and […]
‘s growth
By Dr. Ganeshan Wignarajah Fixing Sri Lanka’s Labour Market: Comparative Lessons July 17, 2018 (LBO) – The recently published ‘Sri Lanka Development Update 2018’1 by the World Bank focuses on creating more and better jobs for an upper middle-income Sri Lanka. It usefully analyses the state of Sri Lanka’s labour market and identifies challenges to […]
Simplifying exporter registration process is critical for export success: Study
July 10, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s current exporter registration process is unnecessarily lengthy, inefficient and unduly burdensome especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), a recent study has found.According to the main findings of a study conducted by Verité Research shows that many of these unnecessary steps cannot be justified on a rational basis. […]
Sri Lanka gross official reserves improve to USD 9.2 bn by end June
July 06, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s gross official reserve position is estimated to have improved to around 9.2 billion US dollars by end June 2018, compared to 8.0 billion dollars at end 2017. The reserves include international sovereign bond issued in April, the receipt of the fifth tranche from the IMF, receipts from the […]
Central Bank maintains policy interest rates at current levels
July 06, 2018 (LBO) – Monetary Board of the Central Bank, at its meeting held on 05 July 2018, has decided to maintain policy interest rates at their current levels.Accordingly, the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) remain at 7.25 per cent and 8.50 per cent, respectively. The Board’s decision is […]
Perpetual Treasuries suspension of business extended by 6 months
July 05, 2018 (LBO) – Monetary Board of the Central Bank acting in terms of the regulations made under the Registered Stock and Securities Ordinance and the Local Treasury Bills Ordinance, has decided to extend the suspension of Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL). Accordingly, PTL will be further suspended from carrying on the business and activities of […]
Transparency International calls for four key amendments to National Audit Bill
Jul 04, 2018 (LBO) – Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has released a legislative brief on the National Audit Bill detailing key amendments to be made in committee stage. The brief is being released ahead of a debate on the Bill in Parliament, Thursday. It highlights four key areas of concern with the provisions of the existing […]
No backward calculation to obtain GDP with pre-decided deflators: Stats Office
July 03, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s statistics office rejecting the recent claims on the GDP estimates said it is almost impossible to carry out backward calculations to obtain GDP with pre-decided GDP deflators. Releasing a statement, Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) said it is also not an internationally accepted practice of estimating national […]
Treasury puts record straight on central government’s outstanding debt
July 01, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s General Treasury says former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal has tried to present a different and distorted viewpoint on the Central Government’s financial statement in an article published recently under the caption “The Government’s Growth Scam”. The full statement issued by Finance Ministry is reproduced below. General Treasury […]
Sri Lanka’s outlook remains stable but is conditional on reforms: World Bank
June 28, 2018 (LBO) – World Bank says a challenging domestic political environment has already taken a toll, slowing down some reforms and complicating the stable medium-term outlook and an impending election cycle which will only elevate this risk. World Bank, releasing its June 2018 edition of the Sri Lanka Development Update said the reforms are […]
Central Bank says no involvement in manipulating GDP estimates
June 28, 2018 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank says allegations that the Central Bank is involved in manipulating Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates are totally unfounded. Central Bank issuing a statement said the sole responsibility of compiling GDP estimates is vested with the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) since 2007. “However, the Central […]