Tag: Finance

June 15, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will see the next wave of foreign exchange liberalization after the budget, which is due at the end of June, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said. “Regulations are being drafted,” Cabraal said. “As soon as the regulation are drafted and tested we will announce them. The next set […]

June 14, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s budget gap has narrowed in the first quarter of 2010, with revenues picking up and the government also keeping a lid on current expenses from a year earlier, official data show. Total revenues were up 26.3 percent to 182.7 billion rupees in the three months to March and […]

June 14, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is rolling over 275 million US dollars in two and three-year government bonds which pay a 6-month month floating rate coupon, the government’s debt office said. Only 92 million US dollars in bonds out of a total of 100 million was sold through an auction and the balance […]

June 11, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s first quarter growth is likely to be “more than 6.0 percent” allowing year-end growth to reach 7. 0 percent, higher than originally forecast, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said. The Central Bank originally projected a growth of 6. 5 percent for 2010. “Our estimates are the first quarter […]

June 11, 2010 (LBO) – India will lend about a billion dollars to help develop Sri Lanka’s transport infrastructure, rebuilding railways, a port and an airport in the war-torn north, a joint statement by the two neighbours said. India will give soft loans of about 800 million dollars for railway projects in Sri Lanka and […]

June 11, 2010 (AFP) – Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang will hold talks with Sri Lanka’s president at the weekend and sign several trade and economic deals, the island’s foreign ministry said Friday. China is also building a port in the south of the island and is involved in constructing highways, power stations and petroleum […]

June 11, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka should target investment led growth and minimize borrowings which could lead to a future debt crisis, former Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir Mohamed said. As a result Sri Lanka has run up national debt to almost 86 percent gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009 from just 16 percent at […]

SINGAPORE, June 9, 2010 (AFP) – The IMF warned Asia Wednesday of the potential spillovers of the European debt crisis, saying it could dampen trade, make capital flows volatile and overheat economies in the region. Greece is at the epicentre of a mounting debt crisis that threatens to spread across the eurozone and has pulled […]

June 09, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Hemas group said its fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) division grew revenues at double digit rates in the latest financial year and it re-launched brands as consumer spending rebounded. Sri Lanka had high inflation in 2008. It hit a peak of 28 percent in mid-2009 but fell thereafter. […]

June 9, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s central bank raised its growth forecast for the year on Wednesday, citing strong post-war expansion in reconstruction and agriculture, particularly in former conflict zones. Cabraal also said the central bank was in the process of evaluating two international banks who have sought to open branches in Sri Lanka. […]

June 08, 2010 (LBO) – South Asian countries like Sri Lanka must reduce high budget deficits and public debt to gain from the global economic recovery that is underway, the World Bank said in a report. The region weathered global recession much better than any other, showing remarkable resilience and is the second-fastest growing area […]

June 08, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will spend at least 202 billion rupees on defence, 87. 8 billion rupees on roads, 53 billion rupees on health, 26. 2 billion rupees on ports and 25.1 billion rupees on water supply this year, a bill submitted to parliament said. In 2009 Sri Lanka spent 188.6 billion […]