Category: Banking and Finance

Oct 05, 2009 (LBO) – Lanka Orix Leasing Company (LOLC) and Brown and Company Limited, two related parties may own 20 percent of Seylan Bank after a capital raising is concluded, a media report said.The Sunday Island newspaper quoting an unnamed source said LOLC and Browns had each applied for 10 percent of the expanded […]

Oct 03, 2009 (LBO) – State-run Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka (MBSL) chairman Janaka Ratnayake owns a large stake in a Ceylinco group company in which the state bank has also invested an equal stake, a listed company filing has disclosed.The Finance Company (TFC), a troubled Ceylinco group firm which is also under MBSL management, […]

Oct 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank said its public share issue of 54.29 million shares at 35 rupees a share to raise 1.9 billion rupees has been oversubscribed. “The total capital expected to be generated from both the private placement and public offering will be 3.025 billion rupees,” the bank said in […]

Oct 02, 2009 (LBO) – Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka (MBSL) said it had raised its stake in Ceylinco Investment Company, part of the troubled Ceylinco group, to 46 percent, through a five million rupee cash injection.MBSL said in a statement it bought 500,000 shares of Ceylinco Investment Company at 10 rupees a share. MBSL […]

Sept 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-owned Bank of Ceylon said it has bought a 10 percent stake in Seylan Bank, once part of the troubled Ceylinco group.Bank of Ceylon said in a stock exchange filing that it bought 13 million Seylan shares at 35 rupees a share, amounting to an investment of 455 […]

Sept 28 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka said it has confirmed DFCC Bank’s (DFCC) national long-term rating at ‘AA(lka)’ with a stable outlook.It also confirmed the bank’s senior debentures at ‘AA(lka)’ and subordinated debentures at ‘AA-(lka)’, also with a stable outlook. “The ratings are driven by the bank’s strong capital base as supported by continued […]

Sep 28, 2009 (LBO) – The global financial crisis was triggered by the loose monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve but central banks remained unregulated, a top Indian Reserve Bank official said.“The crisis has happened because of two things,” Reserve Bank of India deputy governor K C Chakrabarty said at the Sri Lanka Association […]

Sept 25, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka has confirmed the ‘AA-(lka)’ national rating of DFCC Vardhana Bank Limited’s (DVB) with a ‘stable’ outlook, driven by the ‘AA(lka)/stable’ rating of its parent, DFCC Bank. DVB accounted for 29 percent of DFCC group’s assets, and Fitch says it is expected to play an important strategic role […]

LONDON, September 25, 2009 (AFP) – HSBC on Friday said its chief executive Michael Geoghegan would move to Hong Kong from London to be closer to the banking group’s “largest and most important region” of operation.HSBC, founded in Hong Kong and Shanghai in 1865, said it would remain headquartered in London and regulated by Britain, […]

Sept 24, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s NDB Bank said it plans to open five branches in the north and east regions which are recovering after the end of the island’s ethnic war.“Communities across the north and east now have a rare opportunity to rebuild their lives, reconstruct their homes, sustain a livelihood, pursue their […]

Sept 18, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Bartleet TransCapital, has linked up with Aprivaa and risk consulting and analytical service provider for banks, insurers and asset managers, the company said.“The ever increasing complexity of products in the financial services sphere and the volatility of financial markets, make risk management and regulatory compliance of utmost importance, […]

Sep 18, 2009 (LBO) – Ceylinco Finance, a Sri Lankan finance company that was part of the troubled Ceylinco group, has changed its name to Nation Lanka Finance to make a fresh start, a senior company official said. “The company is heading towards a new direction,” N B S B Balalle, chairman of Nation Lanka […]