Category: Banking and Finance

July 26, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Amana Bank, an Islamic bank said it has started banking services Saturday. Amana Bank has now opened its doors for banking on Saturdays facilitating greater convenience to its valued customers. “We are committed to ensure convenience and peace of mind to our valued customers,” Amana Bank’s head of […]

July 26, 2012 (LBO) – RAM Ratings Lanka said it had confirmed an ‘AA’ rating of Sri Lanka’s Sampath Bank with a stable outlook. “The ratings are supported by the Bank’s healthy asset quality and good market position,” RAM Ratings said in a statement. “On the other hand, the ratings are tempered by the Bank’s […]

July 26, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s PABC Bank has reported profits of 159 million rupees in the June 2012 down 24 percent from a year earlier, amid a steep rise interest expenses, interim accounts showed. Non-interest expenses also rose 49 percent to 533 million rupees. “The overhead increase is mainly due to the branch […]

July 25, 2012 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has confirmed a ‘BBB+(lka)’ rating of Sri Lanka’s state-run Regional Rural Development Banks with a stable outlook. “RDB’s rating derives support from its 100 percent state ownership,” the rating agency said. “The Stable Outlook reflects Fitch’s expectations of continued moderate state support in the event of stress. “The […]

July 20, 2012 (LBO) – LankaClear Private Limited, Sri Lanka’s main cheque and electronic clearing house, is spending 300 million rupees to deploy a nationwide common card and payment switch that allows customers to use any bank teller machine, officials said. The company, which is jointly owned by the Central Bank and local commercial banks, […]

July 17, 2012 (LBO) – NDB Investment Bank, a unit of Sri Lanka’s NDB group said it had been ranked the best investment bank in Sri Lanka by Euromoney, a specialist financial publication in its 2012 awards. NDBIB struck a partnership with DBS Bank Singapore last year. Vajira Kulatilaka, head of NDB group’s investment banking […]

July 13, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Multi Finance Plc, a registered finance company said it had raised 350 million rupees from the sale of asset-backed securities to fund hire purchase loans. The tenor of the securitization was not mentioned by most vehicle purchase loans in Sri Lanka are for four years. Sri Lanka’s interest […]

July 10, 2012 (LBO) – Ram Ratings Lanka has downgraded the Bimputh Lanka Investments Plc, from ‘BB’ to ‘BB-‘ after a related sugar mill was expropriated by the state last year. “The downgrade reflects the loss of financial and operational synergies derived from Sevanagala Sugar Industries (Pvt) Ltd, previously one of Bimputh’s significant counterparties.,” RAM […]

July 09, 2012 (LBO) – Credit to the state from Sri Lanka’s banking system eased in May 2012 and loans to business were back at levels seen before the Central Bank began to sterilize foreign exchange sales last year, official data show. Credit to private sector rose 36.1 billion rupees in May 2012 to 2,215 […]

July 6, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run People’s Bank has been upgraded to ‘AA+(lka)’ from ‘AA(lka)’ on strengthening links with the state, while the ratings of its subsidiaries have also been upped. Subsidiaries People’s Leasing Company has been upgraded to ‘AA-(lka)’ from ‘A+(lka) and People’s Finance has been upgraded to ‘A(lka)’ from ‘A-(lka)’. People’s […]

July 05, 2012 (LBO) – RAM Ratings Lanka has confirmed an ‘AA-‘ domestic long term rating of Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka and ‘P1’ short term rating of the company and a proposed billion rupee commercial paper. The full statement RAM Ratings Lanka reaffirms MBSL’s ratings at AA-/P1 RAM Ratings Lanka has reaffirmed Merchant Bank […]

June 27, 2012 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Employment Provident Fund, a central bank managed fund, said it had welcome a detailed statement from Standard & Poor’s which warned of risks facing lenders over the fund buying up bank stock. S & P said it warned of regulatory conflict under a standard rules which give higher […]