Category: Banking and Finance

Feb 13, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s NDB Bank said it has acquired a controlling interest of Capital Market Services Limited, a licensed merchant bank in Bangladesh. The acquisition was made after it fulfilled pre-investment conditions, National Development Bank said in a stock exchange filing. The announcement did not give the value of the investment […]

Feb 03, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Commercial Bank says the ‘ambiguity’ behind a suspension of payments on oil derivatives sold to state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is causing uncertainty, and leaving it in a tight position. “Unless there is a strict instruction by the regulator we feel that we have to honor the counterparties […]

Feb 03, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is developing a policy support package for registered finance and leasing companies that are facing liquidity problems, the Central Bank said. The Central Bank intervened to stop a run on Seylan Bank, dissolved its board of directors and put the bank under state-run Bank of Ceylon. Depositors says […]

Jan 31, 2008 (LBO) – Though Sri Lanka’s policymakers and borrowers are expecting banks to give loans, cut interest rates and extend repayment periods, the sector’s ability to bailout the broader economy is limited, officials said. Sri Lanka’s businesses were feeling the impact of local and external downturn from last year. Baited Breath “Even though […]

Jan 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa had met the heads of banks, finance and leasing companies to discuss recent turmoil and future direction, the president’s office said. Representatives of state and private banks, the Central Bank and Treasury were also in the meeting, held Thursday. The meeting discussed the steps take […]

Jan 27, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank said the government will pay a 20 percent bonus interest in rupees on the interest earned on foreign currency deposits in banks from February 1.“This aims to promote inflows of foreign remittances into Sri Lanka through the banking channels as well as to promote the general […]

Jan 23, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan registered finance company sector (RFC) which has been shaken by recent collapses of unregulated institutions should be able to overcome liquidity problems, a rating agency has said. RAM Ratings say that the collapse of Sakvithi and Golden Key, two unregulated firms had affected public confidence. “So much so […]

Jan 19, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank said it had won a court order impounding the passports of several officials of Okanda Finance Limited, an unlicensed finance company, to prevent them leaving the country. A bank statement said four of six organisations and individuals carrying on finance business without authority had failed to […]

Jan 15, 2009 (LBO) – People’s Leasing Company, Sri Lanka’s largest leasing firm, is slowing new lending and focusing on recoveries as a prudential measure as economic conditions weaken, a top official said. “About six to seven months back we expected that there might be a problem in the industry,” says D P Kumarage, the […]

Jan 13, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s LB Finance said net profit for the December quarter rose 39 percent to 84 million rupees from a year ago, with interest income almost doubling. Total income fell 11 percent to just over a billion rupees, according to results released by the firm, the first listed company to […]

Jan 11, 2009 (LBO) – The widening fallout on Sri Lanka’s inter bank markets of petroleum derivatives suspended by court took a new turn this week with state-run People’s Bank going to court against privately owned Commercial Bank.People’s Bank won a restraining order from Colombo Commercial High Court against Commercial Bank stopping the private bank […]

Jan 09, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank is now stable and is focusing on improving asset quality, and some customers who earlier withdrew deposits are now bringing them bank, officials said. Chief executive Ajita Pasqual said the bank had raised 800 million rupees and with the year-end profits, it was on its way […]