Category: Banking and Finance

July 26, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank has capped the penalty interests on defaulted loans of banks to two percent a year and those from leasing and finance companies to three percent a year.The regulator said at the moment penalty rates on overdue advances range from 2 to 20 percent above the original […]

July 25, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run Bank of Ceylon will use a 200 million dollar syndicated loan to expand corporate lending, acting chairman Raju Sivaram said.Others included Axis Bank DIFC Branch, Band of Baroda, Indian Overseas Bank Singapore, Union National Bank PSJ, Doha Bank and Habib Bank. The loan was arranged by Dubai-based […]

July 25, 2013 (LBO) – Emirates NBD Capital which syndicated a 200 million dollar loan for Sri Lanka’s state-run Bank of Ceylon is looking to provide more local firms with Islamic and conventional finance, a top official said.“We are looking to do similar transactions with other financial institutions,” chief executive Mohammad Wajid Kamran said. “We […]

July 24, 2013 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s state owned enterprises are a threat to the country’s banks and authorities should device system to monitor credit and prevent a collapse of the banking system, a parliamentary report has said.If money is printed (central bank credit) for subsidies it triggers inflation and currency depreciation (like in 2011 and […]

July 23, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run National Savings Bank has been rated ‘B+’, the same as the sovereign rating by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services with a ‘stable’ outlook. “We believe the Sri Lankan government is almost certain to provide extraordinary support to the bank, if needed,” Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Amit […]

July 19, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run National Savings Bank has been given a ‘BB-‘ international rating by Fitch, ahead of a planned bond sale.“NSB’s ratings reflect Fitch’s expectation of the government of Sri Lanka’s high propensity but moderate ability to provide support to the bank in case of need,” Fitch said. “The state’s […]

July 18, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run Bank of Ceylon said it had been ranked as one of the 1,000 top banks in the world by UK-based The Banker Magazine, ahead of other domestic banks. Bank of Ceylon has over 10 million customers and is the largest commercial bank by assets in Sri Lanka. […]

July 18, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will begin regulating micro financing institutions with large entities coming directly under the central bank information minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said.A third category coming under the Commissioner of Co-operative Development and Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Divineguma Department will be exempted from Central Bank regulations. They will come under existing […]

July 14, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is looking to be flexible on banks share ownership limits to make it easier to merge and allow sector consolidation, a top regulatory official said.However analysts say financial institutions play in different risk categories. Non bank financial institutions generally play in the more risky categories not accessed by […]

July 02, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s money markets were flooded with 35 billion rupees in excess cash after a cut in the statutory reserve ratio despite pre-emptive moves by the Central Bank to kill some liquidity.“But often liquidity is generated when the Central Bank buys dollar especially capital inflows to the government,” says fuss-budget. […]

July 02, 2013 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings said it had given Sri Lanka’s National Development Bank a ‘B+’ international rating with a stable outlook. The SR and SRF are sensitive to the sovereign’s ability and propensity to provide timely support, particularly if the sovereign rating were to change. The SRF could be upgraded if NDB’s […]

July 1, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation had settled a claim over an oil derivative for 60 million US dollars, a media report said.State-run CPC refused to pay on a complex options position which went against it after oil prices collapsed in later 2008 as the US monetary system de-leveraged, amid […]