Category:
Sri Lanka gives incentives to tea, rubber sectors
Dec 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s government has moved to protect and revive the tea and rubber industries with a host of incentives announced in a wide-ranging economic stimulus package. These measures meet long-standing demand of tea cultivators, especially small farmers, and factory owners. The government will also set up a state trading institution […]
State workers to take less pay to save country
SAIPAN, December 29, 2008 (AFP) – The Northern Mariana Islands, faced with an escalating economic crisis, needs a four-day working week to cut costs, Governor Benigno Fitial said Monday. Fitial, who rejected a proposed budget bill that contained pay increases for department heads, said cost-cutting measures were “critical.” The department of finance said the Northern […]
Sri Lanka government statisticians defend numbers
Dec 29, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s statistics office has defended their numbers from a growing tide of skepticism amid further revelations about the involvement of the island’s policymakers in manipulating the country’s price index. The skepticism about Sri Lanka’s growth numbers came at first because two different numbers were generated from the Central Bank […]
Sri Lanka rupee dips to 113.80
Dec 29, 2008 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka rupee dipped to a low of 113.80 against the greenback in spot trade Monday as it continued to adjust amidst excess liquidity in the inter bank market, dealers said. In late trading, the rupee steadied at 113.65/113.80 after opening at 112.95/113.15 levels. Authorities announced a repo auction […]
Sri Lanka stocks open flat, forex markets quiet
Dec 29, 2008 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka stocks opened flat Monday with trading in Seylan Bank shares halted pending an official announcement regarding a possible exit by the Ceylinco group, while the spot dollar was quoted at 112.95/113.15, dealers said. Money markets were liquid with call rates at 13.00/13.50 percent. The Colombo All Share […]
Sri Lankan stocks open the week marginally down
Dec 29, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks Monday opened the week with both indices down due to lack of buyers and steadily falling prices of blue chip stocks pulling trading volumes down, brokers said. The All Share Price Index dipped slightly by 0.65 percent (9.72 points) to close at 1,496.38 points while the more […]
Regulatory Action
Dec 29, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank’s board of directors has been dissolved by the monetary board of the Central Bank and its operations brought under state-run Bank of Ceylon, the regulator said. The Central Bank said it was “discontinuing the services” of the board of Seylan Bank but retaining the current chief […]
Stability Measure
Dec 29, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank’s board of directors has been dissolved by the monetary board of the Central Bank and its operations brought under state-run Bank of Ceylon, a senior bank official said. The Bank of Ceylon is expected to appoint a board and oversee the operations of Seylan, the official […]
Local Banks
Dec 29, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka ‘AA+(lka)’ rated Commercial Bank’s rating is unlikely to be changed following potential hedging losses after courts halted oil derivative payments, but capital build-up at ‘A-(lka)’ People’s Bank could be delayed, Fitch Ratings has said. Private-listed Commercial Bank (CB) has a ‘stable’ outlook on its rating and state-run People’s […]
Foreign Ratings
Dec 29, 2008 (LBO) – The ‘AAA(lka)’ ratings of Sri Lanka branches of Citibank and Standard Chartered are not affected following a court order that halted payments on oil derivatives with a state-run oil firm, Fitch Ratings said.The findings are expected to be presented at court hearings in February 2009. “As per regulatory requirements, both […]
No Control
Dec 29, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Ceylinco Insurance says its board has not been given control of Golden Key Credit Card Company, a troubled Ceylinco group firm that could not repay its customers earlier this month. Ceylinco Insurance said in a stock exchange filing that “the control of Golden Key Credit Card Company and […]
Bank Statement
Dec 29, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Seylan Bank has a issued a statement on a planned sale of its shares by the Ceylinco group. Seylan Bank is a licensed commercial bank which is regulated and supervised by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The full statement is reproduced below: Press release from Seylan Bank […]