Category: Banking and Finance

Dec 17, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s commercial bank credit to the state surged in October 2013 following a net payback in September, while credit to business also rose, official data showed. Sri Lanka is recovering from a balance of payments crisis, which was originally fired by central bank credit injections to the banking system […]

Dec 10, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s HSBC unit said its payment processing service can be linked to enterprise resource planning software of clients boosting productivity and reducing errors. HSBC said it had integrated its payment processing and cash management system HSBC Connect to SAP Lite (C2SAP Lite) at MAS Active, a top apparel manufacturer […]

Dec 02, 2013 (LBO) – Sunil Wijesinghe, an accountant and senior executive who had managed and chaired a number of private and public organizations has been appointed chairman of National Development Bank.Wijesinghe replaces Hemaka Amarasuriya. He is currently chairman of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, President National Chamber of Commerce and President of Sri Lanka […]

Nov 29, 2013 (LBO) – LankaClear, Sri Lanka’s interbank clearing house, said a new backbone is being developed to integrate multiple networks, which will speed up transactions and allow mobile-enabled payments.The firm recently launched LankaPay a switch that connected automated teller machines of different banks. “LankaPay CAS is a precursor to the launch of the […]

Nov 29, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s finance ministry had run an overdraft of 120.9 billion rupees at banks by September 2013 which was about 1.2 percent of gross domestic product, official data showed. Though the gap was higher than the 98.1 billion rupees deficit in September 2012 it was lower than 144.5 billion rupee […]

Nov 29, 2013 (LBO) – Consumer prices in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo rose 5.6 percent in the 12-months to December from a year earlier, slowing from 6.7 percent a month earlier, with the index climbing 0.2 percent during the month. Under Sri Lanka’s so-called flexible exchange rate, where the Central Bank buys all capital inflows […]

Nov 25, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank said budget proposals to boost mergers will strengthen finance companies.The full statement is reproduced below:- Strengthening Finance Companies and Banks The Central Bank notes the several measures proposed in the Budget 2014 to strengthen the licensed finance companies, where, with a view to encouraging consolidation in […]

Nov 21, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka finance companies with subsidiary finance companies as well as banks having subsidiary finance companies will be asked to merge, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.“¦I propose that any finance company which is a subsidiary company owned by a main company be absorbed by the main company to consolidate their operations,” […]

Nov 14, 2013 (LBO) – Profits at Sri Lanka’s Commercial Bank of Ceylon group rose to 2.7 billion rupees, up 21 percent from a year earlier, helped by other operating income, despite higher loan losses, interim accounts showed. The group reported earnings of 3.25 rupees for the quarter. For the nine months to September the […]

Nov 13, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s National Development Bank said it was planning a junior debt sale of up to 10 billion rupees.The bank wanted to sell 5.0 billion rupees in unsecured subordinated redeemable debt with an option to sell a further 5.0 billion rupees. There has been a spate of listed debt issues […]

Nov 08, 2013 (LBO) – Profits at Sri Lanka’s Sampath Bank group fell to 859 million rupees in the September 2013 quarter, down 33 percent from a year earlier, on loan loss charges, interim accounts showed.The group reported earnings of 5.12 rupees per share for the quarter.For the nine months to September the firm reported […]

Nov 02, 2013 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has lowered the outlook on Sanasa Development Bank’s ‘BB+(lka)’ rating from ‘positive’ to ‘stable’. “The revision of the Outlook on SDB reflects an unexpected deterioration in its credit profile,” Fitch Ratings said. “SDB has failed to sustain the improvement in its capitalisation and to maintain its asset quality […]