Category: Industry
Group Rating
Mar 20, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has confirmed the ‘AAA(lka)’ rating of Sri Lanka’s John Keells Holdings (JKH) with a ‘stable’ outlook.The ‘AAA(lka)’ rating of the group’s senior notes were also confirmed “JKH’s rating reflects the diversified nature of its businesses, the currently strong financial profile driven in part by its high cash position, […]
No Scrapping
March 20, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has ruled out ship breaking as an industry under its efforts to promote the island as a maritime hub, going against the trend in the region, according to a new national port and shipping policy.Developed countries have had to face pressure from the public as well as environmental […]
Sri Lanka Allianz unit pre-tax profit up
March 19, 2009 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka unit of Allianz Insurance, a German insurer, said net profit before tax rose 63 percent to 86 million rupees in 2008 from 53 million rupees in 2007.Allianz Lanka said in a statement its pure Underwriting Profit comprises more than 47 percent of the total profit component. The […]
Sri Lankan hotels told of financial gains of cleaner production
March 19, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan hotels stand to make financial gains by adopting cleaner production methods if done in a systematic manner, the head of the hotel trade body has said. Srilal Miththapala, president of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, said many hotels have embarked on some form of energy conservation […]
Sri Lanka Jan 2009 exports, imports fall sharply
March 18, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s trade deficit contracted by 66.5 percent in January 2009 from a year ago to 208 million US dollars as exports and imports fell sharply, the central bank said.Private remittances also fell, largely owing to the strength of the dollar, it said, but exports of apparel, a key industry, […]
State Support
Mar 17, 2009 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan state-run bank that has lent money to a controversial state airline will get a 400 million rupee injection from the Treasury which will strengthen its balance sheet, an official said. In 1993 the government injected 24.088 billion rupees into two state banks and in 1996 another 23.873 […]
Managed Finance
Mar 16, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s The Finance Company, a member of the troubled Ceylinco group, will be run by a former senior state bank executive who has been appointed as ‘managing agent’, officials said. Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said Guy de Silva, a former deputy general manager of state-run Bank of Ceylon, […]
Default Window
Mar 16, 2009 (LBO) – Defaulters in Sri Lanka whose leased assets have been seized by financial institutions will be given a one month window to pay a quarter of their outstanding debt and get back assets without penalties, officials said.When the Central Bank presented to the cabinet of ministers a bailout package to stabilize […]
Sri Lanka senior players want better security
March 15, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s new cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara and star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan say they want security guarantees on future tours after their team survived an attack in Pakistan.The Sri Lankan team bus was ambushed by armed militants in Lahore on March 3 as it drove towards the Gaddafi stadium during […]
Scandalous Truth
Mar 15, 2009 (LBO) – India’s Satyam collapsed due to the company pouring millions of dollars into undisclosed real estate assets that delivered inflated profits, but crashed soon after the property bubble burst, a visiting financial expert said. On January 09, 2009, the Bombay stocks plunged more than seven percent when Ramalinga Raju, chairman of […]
Credit Watch
Mar 14, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has put the ‘BBB-(lka)’ rating of Sri Lanka’s People’s Merchant Bank (PMB) on a negative watch after the firm said it was taking over an unlisted financial firm whose financial profile was uncertain, the rating agency said.PMB, a listed firm which is 39 percent owned by Sri Lanka’s […]
Takeover Track
March 14, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka has confirmed the ‘A-(lka)’ rating of People’s Leasing Company (PLC) with a stable outlook following its announcement of a possible takeover of a rival leasing firm, Seylan Merchant Leasing (SML). Fitch said it believes the firm’s stronger financial profile should be able to comfortably absorb SML, which […]