Category: Industry
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 […]
Sri Lanka may lose EU trade concessions: report
Aug 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka may lose lucrative trade concessions to the European Union as the results of an initial investigation on human rights abuses in the country was very adverse, a media report said. EU has banned the Tigers as terrorists but relations with the West deteriorated in the last stages of […]
Sri Lanka apparel exporter goes east
Sept 02, 2009 (LBO) – A big Sri Lankan apparel exporter has set up a new factory in the east after it was cleared of Tamil Tiger rebels, saying its main baby wear product has not been affected by the slump in demand caused by recession.Kumar Dewapura, chairman of Tristar Apparel Exports, said the 50,000 […]
Bank Rating
Sept 02, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings said it has confirmed HSBC Sri Lanka’s (HSBCSL) National Long-term rating at ‘AAA(lka)’ with a stable outlook.In addition to conservative write-off policies adopted for unsecured consumer NPLs, HSBCSL’s provisioning is more prudent, with specific provision covering 69 percent of NPLs at FYE08. Profitability as measured by ROA (return […]
‘ Move
Sept 02, 2009 (LBO) – The Asian Shippers’ Council is to relocate its permanent secretariat to Sri Lanka from Singapore following the improved security environment in the island with the end of the 30-year ethnic war, an official said.The ASC has also decided to appoint Rohan Masakorala, former chairman of the Sri Lanka Shippers’ Council, […]
Sri Lanka must have budget terminal: Air Asia founder
Sept 01, 2009 (LBO) – Air Asia’s flamboyant chief executive says Sri Lankan tourism will get a boost if airport expansion plans include budget carrier-friendly infrastructure to reduce the cost of air travel. Air Asia, which began daily flights to the island from its Kuala Lumpur hub in August, had sold 30,000 tickets before its […]
Slow Transport
Sept 01, 2009 (LBO) – Vehicle imports to Sri Lanka fell 35.5 percent in June with motor cars falling 70.6 percent, three wheelers, 33.6 percent and motor cycles 24.1 percent, the latest official data shows.In the 6-months to June total vehicles imports were down 33.4 percent, according to data released by the Central Bank. In […]
Rail Move
Sept 01, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-owned railway has ordered wagons to transport petroleum products from Pakistan as it seeks to increase freight transport by rail to reduce congestion on roads, a senior official said.The railway service has been making heavy losses in recent years and has not been allowed by government to raise […]
Bond Profits
Aug 31, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run Nation Savings Bank (NSB) profits for the 6-months to June were up 207.8 percent on capital gains on government bonds held for trading, when market interest rates fell, officials said. “We were able to take the market opportunity when the rates came down and we made a […]
Green Shoots
Aug 31, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s corporate debt market is generating green shoots with rates coming down, lenders gaining confidence and credit spreads narrowing, officials said.“We are seeing the first securitizations transactions after the absence of more than six to eight months,” says Ajith Fernando, head of Capital Alliance Holdings. “Corporate debt markets are […]