10-day rally checkmated by profit taking on Rs. 2 b turnover; buying returns at tail-end Retailers, who staged a dramatic bull run in recent weeks, propelling indices to rise by over 10%, yesterday took what one broker described as a “well-deserved breather” as profit taking ruled the Colombo Bourse. The ASI after a momentary rise ...

Reuters: Investors fed up with years of poor returns are deserting BRIC equity funds, pushing share valuations to record cheap levels and questioning the future of the high-profile investment theme. The term, coined in 2001 by Goldman Sachs banker Jim O’Neill, provided a catchy acronym to unite the four biggest emerging economies, two of which ...

Union Bank is pleased to announce the appointment of Sabry Ghouse and Sunil Karunanayake as a new independent non executive directors to the Bank's Board of Directors with effect from andnbsp;30 August 2012.

Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka PLC., the pioneering investment bank in the country and a subsidiary of andnbsp;Bank of Ceylon has made its presence felt in many districts, concentrating in the areas of leasing and hire purchase.

Forty-two loyal customers of Sampath e-remittance service were in for a bonanza during the Ramadan season participating in the Sampath Cash Wasi promotion. This was the second time that Sampath Bank conducted the Cash Wasi promotion to reward its loyal e-remittance customers. When it was introduced first time during the Sinhala New Year season, 32 ...

The Lanka Micro Finance Practitioners Association (LMFPA), as the apex body of Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs), in itsandnbsp; bid to address andandnbsp; create awareness about development and current status of the industry including best practices commenced a series ofandnbsp;Enabling Dialogues,andnbsp;where CEOs, General Managers, Directors of companies engaged in Micro-Financing (including Li...

Sri Lanka has much outside potential as the country is well positioned to attract Islamic finance and even non-Islamic segments of the society are lured to invest with Islamic windows of conventional banks which are developing into a major driver of the banking industry, Amana Bank CEO and Managing Director Faizal Salieh said.

Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) hosted their Priority Banking Customers to a Cookery demonstration, followed by breakfast at the Hilton Colombo recently.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES: ASEAN nations can help avoid world rice price shocks by reducing export restrictions, placing less emphasis on self-sufficiency, retooling Thailand’s rice pledging program, and expanding coordinated rice policies with India and Pakistan, according to a series of working papers from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).  “So far, the rice market appears to be ...

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, this week hosted an advanced trade finance seminar in Colombo to train bankers from Sri Lanka and Maldives on using sophisticated trade finance products, the better to serve small entrepreneurs engaged in international trade.

Reuters: China’s economy is stabilising slowly as pro-growth government policies gain traction while real estate curbs have suppressed speculation, the head of the country’s top planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission, said on Wednesday. Zhang told a meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, that China’s two-pron...

24th August 2012 Dr. P. B. Jayasundera, Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance & Planning The Secretariat, Colombo 1. Dear Dr. Jayasundera, Establishment of a Financial Services Authority and a Banking and Finance Commission I suggest for your consideration that you duly evaluate the long-term national economic benefits of enhancing effective fiscal management capability ...

DFCC Vardhana Bank (DVB) continues to uphold its status as one of Sri Lankaandrsquo;s fastest growing banks. Fitch Ratings Lanka re-affirmed the bankandrsquo;s national long-term rating of andlsquo;AA-(lka)andrsquo; (stable outlook) with DVBandrsquo;s subordinated debentures also rated at andlsquo;A+(lka)andrsquo;.

Sampath Bank, celebrating its 25thandnbsp;anniversary, recently concluded its popular series of educational seminars for grade five scholarship students.

Kahawatte Plantations, one of the largest listed Regional Plantation Companies in the island has commenced a project to construct new houses for estate worker families living in the Kataboola estate. The project is being financed by Hatton National Bank for a period of 10 years.

MBSL Savings Bank, a subsidiary of Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka (MBSL) continued its burst of expansion activity with the bankandrsquo;s relocation of its Kottawa Extension Office to no. 262/2A High-level Road.

A historic battle took place in the Kande Uda Rata Rajadhaniya, in the course of one of the many invasions by the Western colonial powers who once occupied what was known as the Maritime Provinces of Lanka, at the site of the ford at Wagolla village, a crossing point of the Mahaweli river on one ...

andlsquo;Haritha Kedalleandrsquo;, Hatton National Bank Nittambuwa branch building was presented andlsquo;Silver Flameandrsquo; Award at the andlsquo;Sri Lanka National Energy Efficiency Awardsandrsquo; held on 19 August at the Colombo Hilton.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC has announced the appointment of S. Swarnajothi to the Bankandrsquo;s Board of Directors with effect from 20th August 2012.

A unique new savings account with exclusive benefits for women has been launched by Commercial Bank of Ceylon, in recognition of the fact that women are shouldering an increasing number of responsibilities while heading more and more Sri Lankan households, resulting in the economically active female population in Sri Lanka undergoing rapid growth.

MBSL Savings Bank is pleased to announce the opening of its relocated Extension Office in Galle on 7August at No. 57 Wakwella Road Galle. This new office continues the Bankandrsquo;s planned expansion of its Extension Office network. The relocated office makes it even easier for customers in Galle to access the bankandrsquo;s wide range of personal and business banking products and signature custo...

National Asset Management Limited, Sri Lankaandrsquo;s pioneering Unit Trust Company, moved in to a new head office premises on 3 August 2012.andnbsp; The new NAMAL head office is now located at the Union Bank building at 64 Galle Road Colombo 3.

Developed economies heading towards a recession The global economy started off the second half of 2012 with a whimper as the latest data confirm that growth is faltering across all regions. Europe is clearly in the midst of an intensifying contraction, US consumers and businesses are pulling back in the face of increasing uncertainty, and ...