Category: Industry
Umbilical Link
July 17, 2009 (LBO) – A proposal to build a bridge linking Sri Lanka and Indian across the Palk Straits is to be discussed at a meeting of south Asian transport ministers in Colombo, a senior official said.Amal Kumarage, chairman of the island’s National Transport Commission, said the bridge will help Sri Lanka regain its […]
Liquid Option
July 16, 2009 (LBO) – Depositors of a collapsed Sri Lankan financial firm should seek its liquidation under civil law to realize assets while criminal proceedings may put pressure on directors surrender other assets, a senior lawyer has said. “But in my view there is a limit to what could be realized and in my […]
Permit Fever
July 16, 2009 (LBO) – Private bus operators in Sri Lanka are clamouring for permits to ply the northern Jaffna route with the end of a drawn out civil conflict, Amal Kumarage, chairman of the island’s National Transport Commission said. Government forces defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May after a lengthy military campaign and […]
Sri Lankan stocks close down 0.2-pct
July 16, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed down on Thursday, as retail investors took profits on mid cap stocks and index heavy blue chips, brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index closed down 0.27 percent (6.30 points) to end at 2,366.74, while the Milanka index of liquid stocks gained 0.61 percent […]
‘s triumphant Sangakkara takes nothing for granted
July 15, 2009 (AFP) – Kumar Sangakkara on Wednesday celebrated victory over Pakistan in his first series as Sri Lanka’s captain with a warning to team-mates to guard against future setbacks. “It’s true you have got to enjoy the good times, but you need to make sure that the team is prepared to face the […]
Network Move
July 15, 2009 (LBO) – Aepona, a global provider of telecoms software products and services headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said it has bought Valista, and will expand operations in Sri Lanka. It enables mobile and broadband operators to treat their network and informational assets as marketable resources that can be made available to third […]
Virgin Market
July 15, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s National Development Bank (NDB) said it has launched its Bangladesh joint venture investment bank, NDB Capital Limited, positioning the group to be able to expand in a bigger market. “It’s a virgin market where professional investment banking services are currently not available,” Vajira Kulatilaka, chief executive of NDB […]
Cyber War
July 14, 2009 (AFP) – A media rights organisation on Tuesday accused Sri Lankan authorities of blocking access to websites critical of the government and stifling dissent.The Paris-based Reporters without Borders, RSF, said Sri Lanka most recently blocked a site for reporting alleged incidents inside a camp for civilians displaced by the war with Tamil […]
Sri Lanka hotel earnings growth seen subdued
July 14, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka expects more tourists this winter season with heightened interest in the destination after the war ended but hotel earnings are not likely to improve immediately, officials and analysts said.“We can’t definitely see a concrete increase in numbers right now but certainly there’s improved sentiment,” Tourist Hotels Association of […]
Forex Loss
July 14, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Nations Trust Bank, a unit of John Keells Holdings has lost 800 million rupees on a forex bet, but the bank had ended the June 2009 quarter with a 150 million rupees in the black with bond trading profits, its interim results showed.In the June quarter the bank […]
State Rating
July 14, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Sri Lanka has confirmed the ‘AA(lka)’ rating of state-run Bank of Ceylon (BOC) with a ‘stable’ outlook but noted rising bad loans and higher exposure to the state sector.The agency has also confirmed the ‘AA-(lka)’ rating of the bank’s subordinated debentures, individual rating at ‘D/E’ and support rating at […]
Credit Movement
July 14, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka said it has confirmed Sanasa Development Bank’s (SDB) national long-term rating at ‘BB(lka)’ with a stable outlook.“SDB’s rating reflects its historically high levels of profitability and moderate asset quality,” the rating agency said in a statement. “The rating is constrained by the riskier nature of its client […]