Category: Companies
CB Chief urges Sri Lanka banks to rethink its credit disbursement policies
Jan 06, 2020 (LBO) – Central Bank Governor Professor W D Lakshman urged Sri Lanka’s banking sector to rethink its credit disbursement policies, as the traditional ‘risk averse’ mindset has deprived emerging entrepreneurs and new ventures of much needed initial capital. Announcing the road map of the Central Bank for this year, Lakshman said credit […]
‘Manufacturing in 2020: Connecting machines to networks and companies to end-consumers’
Antony Bourne – President- IFS Industries While change is buffeting the industrial manufacturing industry from a number of directions, the most disruptive changes will be those which manufacturers can and should make for themselves. Many of these manufacturers are already taking advantage of technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and as we head into […]
Business as usual isn’t the future of Ecommerce
Ecommerce is an ever-expanding world and there are many contradictory articles online regarding the future of Ecommerce. Whilst many discuss the proliferation of Ecommerce, there are a few articles predicting its death, in 2018 Harvard Business Review for example said” no industry is failing faster than retail”. The rise of global consumers with escalating purchasing […]
Sri Lanka tea exports up in Nov 2019
Jan 02, 2020 (LBO) – Sri Lanka tea exports for November 2019 totalled 21.9 M/kgs, showing a marginal gain of 0.6 M/kgs vis-à-vis 21.3 M/kgs of November 2018, a new report showed. Packeted tea has shown a growth YOY, whilst bulk tea has remained static, Forbes and Walker Tea Brokers said in their monthly report. […]
New inclusions & exclusions of MBSL MIDCAP Index 2020 announced
Jan 02, 2020 (LBO) – New inclusions and exclusions of the MBSL MIDCAP Index 2020 have been announced. Accordingly, HNB Assurance, Sanasa Development Bank, Union Assurance, Commercial Bank, Dunamis Capital, Expolanka Holdings, Odel, Singer (Sri Lanka), Access Engineering and Ril Property have been excluded from the index. Seylan Bank, Pan Asia Banking Corp, First Capital […]
IRD issues circular to banks about new Withholding Tax structure
Jan 01, 2020 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Inland Revenue Department has issued a new circular to banks and financial institutions detailing the new Withholding Tax structure which will be effective from today to 31 March 2020. According to the circular, for the period from today to 31 March, aggregate interest income from all the accounts […]
Inland Revenue Dept. issues the list of VAT registration deactivated persons
Jan 01, 2020 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Inland Revenue Department has published the complete list of persons & businesses whose taxable supply has never exceeded 75 million rupees for any taxable period ended prior to 31 December 2019. Such inactivated persons are not permitted to collect VAT on the supplies made on or after today […]
CSE indices comparison for 2019: ASPI up 1.3-pct, S&P SL20 down 6.3-pct
Dec 31, 2019 (LBO) – Colombo Stock Exchange ended the year 2019 on Tuesday with a positive note, rounding up the gain of All Share Price Index (ASPI) by 1.27 percent to 6,129 as compared to the beginning of the year. The ASPI is the broad market index of the CSE and is designed to […]
ICICI Bank & Axis Bank to close down business operations in Sri Lanka
Dec 31, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has permitted Axis Bank Ltd and ICICI Bank Ltd to close down their business operations in Sri Lanka, subject to certain conditions, at the request of their parent banks. Accordingly, these two banks are currently not permitted to carry on banking business, including accepting deposits from […]
Weekly AWPR declines to single-digit levels after April 2016: Central Bank
Dec 30, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank says that the weekly Average Weighted Prime Lending Rate (AWPR) has declined to single-digit levels by 27 December 2019, the first time since 29 April 2016. According to the Central Bank, the overall weekly AWPR has declined by 230 basis points from 12.24 percent as at […]
Fitch revises Outlook on Sri Lanka Telecom to Negative; affirms at AA+
Dec 23, 2019 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has revised the Outlook on Sri Lanka Telecom PLC’s (SLT) National Long-Term Rating to Negative from Stable and affirmed the rating at ‘AA+(lka)’. They have also affirmed the National Ratings on SLT’s outstanding senior unsecured debentures at ‘AA+(lka)’. The rating action follows Fitch’s revision of the Outlook on […]
Government directs banks to suspend recovery of SME loans
Dec 20, 2019 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Finance Ministry says the government has issued directives to Chairmen and CEOs of all banks to suspend the recovery of loans obtained by the SME sector. Finance Ministry statement President, PM direct all banks to suspend recovery of SME loans President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa […]