Category: Industry
University of Jaffna’s new Dean of the Faculty of Medicine talks about international engagement
By Jekhan Aruliah Interviewing Dr Rajendran Surenthirakumaran (Suren), the newly appointed in September 2021 Dean (Head) of the Faculty of Medicine University of Jaffna, I realised the vital importance of international outreach. International collaboration for expertise, experience, research, and for funding is as key to academia as it is for business. I am impressed how […]
Interview : A closer look at Bancassurance with Vindya Cooray
Bancassurance is a relatively novel concept in the financial services industry of Sri Lanka. It enables consumers to fulfill both financial needs and insurance needs under one roof through their preferred banking partner. In an exclusive interview with Lanka Business Online, Vindya Cooray, the Chief Bancassurance Officer of Union Assurance PLC, explained the concept and […]
Property Prices in Sri Lanka Remain Positive & Stable in Q2 Despite COVID Waves: report
A recent study on the House Price Index developed by LankaPropertyWeb which is based on the asking prices of its listings revealed that overall residential land prices (per perch) had soared by 44.19% from Q2 2020 to Q2 2021. 4 bedroom house sales prices had increased by 15.68% from Q2 of 2020 while average 3 […]
Lankan Angel Network & Angel Fund Appoint First Female Chairperson
The Lankan Angel Network (LAN), the country’s largest network of angel investors, has appointed Chandi Dharmaratne as its Chairperson for 2021/2022, at its most recent Board Meeting held in September. Ms. Dharmaratne is the first woman to lead the Lankan Angel Network. As she steps into this role, Ms. Dharmaratne succeeds Mano Sekaram, Founder/CEO – […]
UK removes Sri Lanka from the red list for entering England
Sri Lanka will move to the amber list for entering England from 22 September 2021, updating its foreign travel advice, the Government of the United Kingdom said. Currently, Sri Lanka is on the red list for entering England. Research conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed Sri Lanka’s economy could face […]
United States Delivers USD40 Mn to Support Small Businesses & Empower Sri Lankan Women
The United States has provided $40 million in financing to SDB Bank in order to bolster Sri Lanka’s Small and Medium sized Enterprise (SME) sector and assist women entrepreneurs. The loan is part of $265 million in funding the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is providing to Sri Lankan banks, including SDB Bank, DFCC […]
Total motor vehicle registrations fall to a decade low in 2020: report
Total motor vehicle registrations of 2020, hit the lowest for the last decade and even lower than the registrations recorded in 2009 when the world experienced the global financial crisis, a new report highlighted. Motor Vehicle Industry Report released by the Economic Intelligence Unit of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce covering key trends in 2019 […]
Weak Operating Environment Continues to Pressure Sri Lankan Banks’ Ratings: Fitch
Heightened risks from the challenging operating environment stemming from the Sri Lanka sovereign’s (CCC) weak credit profile and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continue to pressure the ratings of large Sri Lankan banks, says Fitch Ratings in a new report. Large banks’ financial performance since the pandemic’s onset has been better than we expected, supported by […]
Standard Chartered wins ‘Most Responsive Bank against COVID-19’ Award from ADB
Standard Chartered affirmed its position as one of the largest trade finance counter parties of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), winning the ‘Most Responsive Bank against COVID-19’ Award at the Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program Awards 2021. The Bank won the award for its partnership with ADB to finance the import of 15.4 million […]
PickMe partners with LankaQR to reduce the Dollar outflow
PickMe recently partnered with LankaQR to facilitate direct payments. LankaQR (LQR) is a common Quick Response (QR) code standard adopted by financial institutions in Sri Lanka to facilitate fast, secure and low-cost digital payments to any merchant, especially small and medium enterprises. It enables customers to pay merchants directly from their bank accounts (CASA) and […]
First Capital Looks to Future Growth with a Performance First Outlook
First Capital Holdings PLC, a Janashakthi Group Company with over 35 years of industry knowledge, recently concluded its Annual General Meeting presenting the Annual Report 2020-21 on the theme of ‘Performance First’ to its shareholders. The group recorded an exceptional year reaching new financial and non-financial performance milestones, recording Rs. 2.09 billion in Profits After […]
‘s Basel III Sub Debt A-(lka)(EXP)
Fitch Ratings has assigned the proposed Basel III-compliant subordinated unsecured debentures of Sri Lanka’s National Development Bank PLC (NDB, A+(lka)/Stable) an expected National Long-Term Rating of ‘A-(lka)(EXP)’. The proposed debentures will total up to LKR8 billion with maturities of five and seven years, and will be listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange. NDB plans to […]