Category: Industry
Implied Support
Dec 16, 2011 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka has confirmed Singer Finance (Lanka) Plc’s (SFL) national long-term rating at ‘BBB+(lka)’ with a stable outlook. SFL’s rating reflects Fitch’s expectation that support would be forthcoming from the parent, Singer (Sri Lanka) (SSLP) which is rated ‘A(lka)’, given the strategic importance of SFL, a statement said. In […]
Terminal Work
Dec 16, 2011 (LBO) – Construction work has begun on the first deep-water container terminal in a new harbour being built next to Sri Lanka’s Colombo port that will be owned and operated by a Chinese-led consortium. The 500 million US dollar South Container Terminal is to be built and operated by Colombo International Container […]
Sri Lanka exporters should reclaim duty before April 18: US
Dec 15, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s exporters should claim refunds under a resumed generalized system of preferences (GSP) tariff relief scheme before April 18, 2011, the US embassy said. The US GSP scheme expired on Jan 01, 2011 but was retroactively renewed from November 04, 2011. Duties paid during the period could be claimed […]
Sri Lanka insurers stable but claims up, lower investment income: Fitch
Dec 15, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s insurers are well capitalized and profitable but investment income is falling and areas such as motor are seeing rising claims amid price competition, Fitch, a rating agency has said. “As such, underwriting profitability remains under pressure with many companies posting combined ratios above 100 percent, and having to […]
Port Pursuit
Dec 14, 2011 (LBO) – An Indian conglomerate is keen to acquire a stake in ports in Sri Lanka given its location and growth potential, an investment advisor from PricewaterhouseCoopers India told an investor forum in Colombo. Rapid infrastructure modernisation will be critical to achieve high levels of economic growth, he told the forum. Much […]
Highway Access
Dec 14, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has got Asian Development Bank aid to upgrade six access roads linking the newly opened southern expressway with the rest of the island’s road network, an ADB statement said. The ADB will give a loan of 85 million US dollars (about 9,347 million rupees) for the project to […]
Sri Lanka identifies sites for wave energy
Dec 14, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has identified 14 sites along its coastline to build power plants using energy from ocean waves as part of a move to shift to renewable energy sources and reduce reliance on costly fossil fuel. The island’s energy deficit is increasing as rapid economic growth generates higher demand for […]
Visual Contact
Dec 14, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Dialog Axiata mobile phone operator is offering a ‘concierge-type’ video conferencing service to corporate customers that it says will reduce business travel costs and raise sales management efficiency. Rithesh Bhargava, Cable & Wireless Worldwide’s Head of Solutions India and South Asia, said the service using Web-based cloud computing […]
Tele Buy
Dec 14, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Dialog Axiata, said it will buy Suntel, a fixed access unit of Sweden’s Overseas Telecom AB for a little over 34 million US dollars to expand its fixed wireless business. Dialog Broadband had posted revenues of 1. 8 billion rupees for the nine months ending September 2011. Suntel, […]
Sri Lanka India coal plant seeks debt finance: report
Dec 13, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee Power Company, a joint venture between state-run Ceylon Electricity Board and India’s NTPC Ltd, has approached banks for a 385 million US dollar loan, a media report said. Bloomberg newswires, citing an undisclosed source said the 550 million US dollar plant would be financed with 406 million […]
Business Model
Dec 13, 2011 (LBO) – WSO2, a Si Lanka-based provider of ‘ middleware’ that lets information technology applications talk to each other, said it has been rated high in a new industry survey. The company has been cited as a strong performer in the ‘Standalone SOA Management Solutions, Q4, 2011’ report published by an independent […]
Sri Lanka mall planned by Singapore retailer
Dec 13, 2011 (LBO) – Singapore-based retailer Mohamed Mustafa will build a 115 million dollar mall and mixed development in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, the island’s ministry of economic development said. The mall will be built in the Colombo 15, postal area in Sir Ramanathan Mawatha, a ministry statement said. An agreement was signed with […]