Category: Industry
Breaking Free
Government negotiators have finalised a deal with Emirates to partially lift monopolies enjoyed by the national carrier.Secretary to the Ministry of Aviation Cecil Amaresinghe told LBR that under the recent MOU SriLankan Airlines would lose some monopolies that it would have otherwise enjoyed till 2008.rn rnHowever, some aspects of the monopolies will remain with SriLankan.rn […]
Final Cost
Telco firms on Thursday agreed on a set of termination charges, setting the stage to launch a caller party pays (CPP) regime by September. However, Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has said it would agree to CPP on condition that the regulator resolves a number of its concerns including approval of its long over due tariff […]
Big Smile
Shareholders of the troubled MERC Bank have agreed to sell up to 90 percent of the company to DFCC Bank for just under Rs. 60 mn.MERCs shareholders will sell their Rs.10 share for Rs. 2.65, effectively pocketing Rs. 59.6 mn in the process.rn rnEconomic Reforms Minister, Milinda Moragodas family is currently the largest shareholder commanding […]
Losing Interest
The Mahapola Trust Fund could pursue legal action against the Presidents Fund to recover over Rs. 1 billion due since 1997. Mahapola Trust officials claim the delay in payment has cost them an estimated Rs.200 million in interest income. rn rnReturns from the Trust, funds monthly allowances to over 7000 students, this number now expected […]
More Probing
Investigations into accounting irregularities at Pramuka Bank are gathering pace with the Sri Lanka Accounting Standards Monitoring Board and the CID intensifying their activities.SLAASMB and the CID visited the bank today and questioned senior officials.rn rnSleuths are said to have gathered information about the so-called parallel ledger that was operated after balance sheet date to […]
Rate Card
Telco firms have till the weekend to give a final verdict on termination rates proposed in a new cost based study. Industry giant Sri Lanka Telecom was absent at the Tuesday morning meeting, where the regulator met with the industry to discuss the rates.rn rnThe study also will set the base for the industrys move […]
Base Cost
Telco firms will meet the telecom watchdog Tuesday to discuss termination rates proposed in a recent consultant cost study.Telecommunications Regulatory Commission senior officials say the meeting will help complete the study, which will set termination rates between networks.rn rnThe study was initiated earlier this year to impose actual cost based call termination rates.rn rnThe new […]
Tourism bull
The tourism market is expected to grow at 20% a year over the next five years according to stockbroker estimates. They also say that high spending tourists and business travel traffic is improving with positive effects on the industry.Analysts say the sector could expand if the current trends in politics and global tourism continue.rn rnDFCC […]
DFCC gets Merc Bank
DFCC bank plans to offer more commercial banking products to its customers once it acquires a small commercial bank.DFCC says they will not merge operations with troubled Merc Bank when they take up a significant controlling stake in it within days. rn rnAlthough DFCC does not plan to merge the Merc Bank business with its […]
Private port
Colombo South Harbor, which will be more than double the ports capacity to handle containers, is likely to be built with private sector help.Colombo Port will run out of space in 2012 after the Jaya Container Terminals (JCT) is expanded to its full potential of 5.5 million containers a year in the medium term.rn rnThis […]
Beyond Beaches
Surviving through two decades of fluctuating fortunes, tourism is now moving to giddier heights of the big spenders and a niche of expensive boutique hotels. With war fears somewhat allayed, analysts expect an annual 20 percent growth rate for tourism over the next five years if the ceasefire holds.rn rnIn the first year of the […]
Floodgates
The market raced past the 1000 point mark on Friday in a frenzy of largely local interest, in levels last seen eight years ago.rnrn The All Share Index climbed to 1001.61 towards the end of trade today, closing at 995, while the blue chip Milanka index rose 23 points to end the day at 1913.1.rn […]