Category: Banking and Finance

Media institutions who carry advertisements for financial institutions that promise unrealistic returns may be liable for damages if they later fail to deliver, a top legal expert warned.Government advisor and member of the Financial Sector Reform Committee Dr.Wickrema Weerasuriya warned that print and electronic media could be sued under common law if they continue to […]

The consortium led by the Distilleries Co. Group will float a holding company to take up the lion share of Sri Lanka Insurance Corp.s ownership.Cabinet on Wednesday gave its consent to dispose a 90 percent slice in SLIC to the Distilleries consortium for Rs. 6,050 mn. rn rnThe consortium is made up of the Distilleries […]

Cabinet on Wednesday agreed to sell Sri Lanka Insurance Corp. to a consortium led by the Distilleries Group for Rs. 6 bn.The Distilleries consortium comprised of Distilleries Company, Aitken Spence Group, CT Smith Stockbrokers and Asia Box Consultancy, with ING group coming in as technical partners, offered Rs.600 mn more than the original assessment of […]

Seylan Bank plans to raise about a billion rupees in this year through a combination of equity and debt to boost its capital adequacy.The bank said Monday it is issuing quoted non-voting shares at a premium, but stopped short from disclosing the price or quantum.rn rnThe new shares on offer will be subject to regulatory […]

Plans to ease Colombos mega traffic jams are finally getting off the ground with the Urban Development Authority scouting for investors to set up a mass rapid transit system. The mass transport system will stretch along Galle Road and reach the airport and the outskirts of Colombo city.rn rnAt least four firms have so far […]

Bank of Ceylon said Monday its profits crossed the billion rupee mark in 2002, despite a slight drop in its turnover.rnrnrnrnrnrnrnNew Page 1rnrnrnrnrn rn Financial highlights: rn rn rn Bank rn Group rn rn rn rn 2002 rn (Rs. mn) rn 2001 rn

The Employees Trust Fund is talking to potential buyers to dispose its 20 percent stake in NAMAL, a leading unit trust management company.NAMAL or National Asset Management Ltd has around Rs.2.3 bn under its management.rn rnChairman Dinesh Weerakkody told LBO that ETF is keen to expand its own fund management operations and also invest in […]

Hatton National Bank said Friday its group net profits rose to 486,976 mn despite a hefty 25 percent provisioning for its bad and doubtful debts.Sri Lankas largest private bank said group income grew 3 percent to Rs.11.284 bn from Rs. 10.916 bn in 2001.rn rnThe fee and commission income picked up 22 percent to Rs. […]

State-run Peoples Bank hopes to transfer about Rs. 9 bn of its hard-core large non-performing loans to the upcoming asset management company.The bank managed to bring down its old bad loan portfolio by 9 percent to Rs. 23,105 mn in 2002. But nearly 40 percent of this portfolio is proving difficult to recover, as they […]

The Employees Trust Fund is knocking on regulators doors to expand its investment reach, as the local capital markets offer limited scope.The Rs. 40 bn state Fund, saw its revenues hit Rs.5 bn in 2002, for the first time since its inception in 1981.rn rnRevenue growth largely came from capital market gains (Rs. 73.2 mn), […]

Sri Lankas largest private insurer, Ceylinco Insurance Co. is looking overseas with plans to add a few branches to its existing operations.Talks are under way to open up branches in Burma, Pakistan and Uganda in the coming months, Chairman Deshamanya, Lalith Kotelawala told journalists.rn rnThe company currently has operations in Nepal (joint venture with Sagarmatha […]

The Asian Development Bank has selected Sri Lanka as one of the test beds, for a survey on economic data gathering based on purchasing power equivalence.The project is part of the global International Comparison Programme (ICP) to calculate purchasing power parities (PPP) of countries.rn rnThis will allow comparisons between countries of the levels of economic […]