Category: Banking and Finance

Nov 24, 2007 (LBO) – After tax profits of Habib Bank in Sri Lanka almost doubled to 118 million rupees for the nine months ended September 2007, published company statements showed. The bank, a branch of the largest bank in Pakistan, posted an income of 285 million rupees for the three quarters ended September, up […]

Nov 23, 2007 (LBO) – People’s Merchant Bank (PMB) net profit for the September quarter fell 13 percent year-on-year to five million rupees, according to interim results sent to the Colombo bourse. Total income increased 26 percent to 90 million rupees in the same period. But net interest income was up only 10 percent to […]

Nov 22, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s PABC Bank said net profit for the September quarter was down five percent year-on-year to 40 million rupees. Interest income rose to 521 million rupees from 342 million rupees in the same period the year before, according to interim result given to the Colombo bourse. Net interest income […]

Nov 22, 2007 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka branch of HSBC has taken a record 1.4 billion rupee hit from bad loans which saw net profits plummeting 56 percent in the first nine months of the year, the bank’s interim accounts showed. HSBC made a specific provision of 1,414 million rupees, up from 120 million […]

Nov 20, 2007 (LBO) – Senkadagala Finance (SF) has seen slower lending and faster growth in higher purchase loans, Fitch Ratings Lanka said, confirming the finance company’s ‘BBB+(lka) investment grade rating. . “The rating reflects SF’s strong profitability and comfortable capitalisation as well as its medium sized asset base and limited revenue and funding diversity,” […]

Nov 19, 2007 (LBO) – The piercing of the sovereign ceiling by a Sri Lankan telco has raised hopes of better credit ratings for the country’s top companies, which have been saddled with junk ratings due the parlous state of the government’s own finances. Last week, S&P upgraded the credit rating of Sri Lanka Telecom […]

Nov 19, 2007 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has confirmed Sri Lanka Telecom’s BB- rating with a negative outlook and its AAA (lka) national rating with a stable outlook, the agency said Monday. “SLT’s ratings reflect the company’s strong positive free cash flow generation, its strong and improving financial profile and entrenched market position,” the rating […]

Nov 19, 2007 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka said Friday it has confirmed the ‘BB+(lka)’ National Long-term rating of Seylan Merchant Leasing Limited (SML). The Outlook on the rating is Stable. “SML’s rating reflects its modest financial profile, short operating history and limited revenue diversity,” Fitch Ratings said. “The rating also factors in the implied […]

Nov 16, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-owned Bank of Ceylon (BOC), the main commercial banker to the government, is planning to raise six billion rupees in debt next year to beef up regulatory capital, a top official said. At the rate we are growing the loan book we will have a two billion rupee […]

Nov 16, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s banks said they would dump customers who paid for child pornography though their services and would also report them to the regulator. The banks said Friday they would have “heightened watchfulness” on credit cards and “other methods of transaction[s] relating to child pornography”. The customers would be reported […]

Nov 15, 2007 (LBO) – Commercial Bank of Ceylon has reported a net profit growth of 30 percent to 1.1 billion rupees in the quarter ended September 2007 with foreign exchange earnings almost doubling to 519 million rupees. Total revenues grew 56 percent to 9.4 billion rupees, with net interest income also keeping pace at […]

Nov 14, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s National Development Bank (NDB) net profit for the September rose 45 percent to 298 million rupees, with a deferred taxation adjustment helping counter higher provisions for bad loans. Total group income for the quarter increased to 2.6 billion rupees from 1.7 billion rupees, according to interim results filed […]