Category: Banking and Finance
Standard Chartered supports MAS Intimates’ combat against COVID-19
Jun 08, 2020 (LBO) – Standard Chartered announced today that MAS Intimates (Pvt) Ltd., a division of MAS Holdings, became the first company in South Asia to complete a drawdown under the Bank’s USD1 billion COVID-19 financing commitment. The Bank extended a USD11 million loan to Sri Lanka-based MAS Intimates to facilitate the purchase of […]
First phase of compensation payment for The Finance Company depositors
Jun 04, 2020 (LBO) – The Central Bank has taken steps to pay compensations up to 600,000 rupees to all insured depositors of The Finance Company (TFC) as per the Regulations of Sri Lanka Deposit Insurance and Liquidity Support Scheme. The Central Bank said in a statement that the balance amount if any will be […]
Sri Lanka export earning drop 42.3-pct in Mar 2020
Jun 02, 2020 (LBO) – The deficit in the trade account narrowed in March 2020 to US dollars 549 million, from US dollars 592 million in March 2019, as the decline in imports in value terms exceeded the decline in exports, the Central Bank said. However, on a cumulative basis, the trade deficit widened to […]
How can we adjust our capitalist system to face post COVID-19 challenges?
An article by Tharaka Balasuriya With the chaos resulting from Covid 19, many have questioned the effectiveness of the neoliberal economic model. A debate about the negative impacts of the open economic system has been on going in Sri Lanka ever since the introduction of free market reforms in 1977. Although successive governments have experimented […]
ComBank raises another Rs.10Bn to support COVID-19 affected SME exporters
Jun 01, 2020 (LBO) – The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has announced the commitment of approximately Rs 10 billion to a Bank-funded COVID-19 Support Loan Scheme to assist affected SME enterprises. This assistance would be in addition to the working capital loans scheme implemented under a credit line provided by the Central Bank of Sri […]
Commercial Credit appoints D Soosaipillai as new Chairman
May 26, 2020 (LBO) – D Soosaipillai, a pioneer in the leasing and financial services industry both in Sri Lanka and overseas was recently appointed as the new Chairman of Commercial Credit. He succeeds Cecil Perera, a finance industry veteran and senior attorney-at-law who chaired the Board before him and retired after the regulatory 9 […]
Central Bank cancels finance business licence of The Finance Company
May 22, 2020 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has decided to cancel the finance business licence issued to The Finance Company (TFC), in terms of the FBA with effect from today. Accordingly, TFC is not permitted to engage in Finance Business under the Finance Business Act No.42 of 2011 (FBA) with effect from such […]
HNB Finance completes successful CSE listing
May 21, 2020 (LBO) – HNB Finance a financial services provider, announced that the company’s shares are now listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange under the Diri-Savi Board. The first to be listed in over two years, HNB FINANCE’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) via an Offer for Sale on the Colombo Stock Exchange, was oversubscribed […]
Commercial Bank reduces lending rates of loans, leases, pawning & OD facilities
May 21, 2020 (LBO) – The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has announced a reduction of lending rates across the board in response to the present needs of individual and corporate borrowers and in line with the downward trend of interest rates in Sri Lanka. Effective immediately, the rate cut encompasses all categories of new loans […]
Fitch affirms &’s ratings
May 20, 2020 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has affirmed and withdrawn Sri Lanka-based National Savings Bank’s (NSB) Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of ‘B-‘ with a Negative Outlook. The affirmation of NSB’s IDRs, Support Rating and Support Rating Floor reflects that there have been no material changes from the last review on 5 May 2020. […]
HNB operating profit down by 13.5-pct, PAT up due to tax concessions
May 18, 2020 (LBO) – The operating profit of Sri Lanka’s Hatton National Bank (HNB) before VAT and taxes declined by 13.5% to Rs 4.2 Bn compared to Rs 4.9 Bn in the corresponding period of 2019, interim accounts showed. “The removal of Nations Building Tax (NBT) and Debt Repayment Levy (DRL) with effect from […]
Sri Lanka official reserves at USD 7.9Bn at end Feb 2020
May 18, 2020 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s gross official reserves stood at 7.9 billion dollars at end February 2020, equivalent to 4.7 months of imports, the Central Bank said. Total foreign assets, which consist of gross official reserves and foreign assets of the banking sector, amounted to 10.9 billion dollars at end February 2020, equivalent […]