Category: Industry
Cost Management
Sept 07, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank is cutting costs and focusing on recoveries to put the bank back on a stronger financial footing, members of an interim board appointed by the regulator said. At bank level gross loans were 101.8 billion and bad loans were 32.1 billion rupees. Seylan reported 187.8 million […]
Freight Costs
Sept 07, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shippers say they will resist efforts by international shipping lines to raise freight rates this month at a time of over-capacity by switching to smaller lines if necessary.Global lines led by Maersk, the world’s biggest container carrier, have announced rate hikes from September 1. CMA CMG and Evergreen […]
Bank Issue
Sept 06, 2009 (LBO) – A 54.2 million sale of fresh voting shares in Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank to raise 1.9 billion rupees, after it was put under new management by regulators, has attracted the interest of foreign funds, a top official said. The Ceylinco group controlled the bank through its own shares as well […]
New Zealand embarrass Sri Lanka again in T20
September 4, 2009 (AFP) – Daniel Vettori’s New Zealand recorded their second Twenty20 success over Sri Lanka in three days with a 22-run victory on Friday that helped them sweep the two-match series. Bond removed the in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan with his fifth ball, caught at deep square leg, before Kyle Mills dismissed Mahela Udawatte and […]
New Managers
Sept 04, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Asian Finance Ltd, and Ceylinco Investment and Realty Ltd, two firms of the troubled Ceylinco group will be put under a new managing agent, the Central Bank said. MBSL has been asked to “restore their normal business operations to strengthen the viability of the companies,” by the regulator. […]
Indian Interest
Sept 04, 2009 (LBO) – India’s state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is planning to buy Luxembourg-based Millicom International Cellular’s Sri Lanka operations, a media report said.The management committee of BSNL on Wednesday approved a proposal to bid for thee firm, India’s Hindustan Times newspaper said. Millicom International is selling its operations in Sri Lanka, […]
Kiwi Oram stumped by his hat-trick feat
September 3, 2009 (AFP) – New Zealand’s Jacob Oram said Thursday he was unaware he had taken a hat-trick during the thrilling three-run win over Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 international. Oram’s three wickets in three balls, but in separate overs, was missed by almost everyone at the Premadasa stadium on Wednesday night, including Oram’s […]
Savings Rating
Sept 03, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Fitch Ratings has confirmed the ‘AAA(lka)’ rating of state-run National Savings Bank (NSB), with a ‘stable’ outlook. “The rating reflects NSB’s state ownership, systemic importance, the low risk nature of most of its asset base and explicit guarantee from the Government of Sri Lanka on its deposits,” Fitch […]
Rating Retained
Sept 03, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has confirmed HSBC Sri Lanka’s long term national Long-term rating at ‘AAA(lka)’ with a ‘stable’ outlook, on the strength of its parents ‘AA/negative outlook’ rating. HSBC Sri Lanka is a branch of Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Hong Kong’s largest banking group and is wholly-owned by HSBC […]
Loss Transfer
Sept 03, 2009 (LBO) – Citibank Sri Lanka has transferred billions of rupees of losses from a defaulted derivative deal with a state-run oil retailer to a foreign unit and the local branch has retained its ‘AAA(lka)’ rating, Fitch Ratings said. At end-December 2008, the top 20 loans had accounted for 93.1 percent of total […]
Abandoned Property
Sept 03, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank said it has issued new instructions to banks to put assets unclaimed by customers for a long period to an account in the Central Bank. All licensed commercial banks holding any abandoned property are required to inform the banking regulator each year and transfer such monies […]
Road Upgrade
Sept 03, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will upgrade 150 kilometres of provincial roads in the east of the country and 220 kilometres in the north central province with a 70 million US dollar credit from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a senior minister said.Information minister Anura Yapa said the total cost of the project […]