Excerpts of an interview with Crysanthi Thambiah, Deputy General Manager, Network Management of Hatton National Bank PLC.

Reuters: China’s economy is set for a soft landing even as global headwinds increase, the International Monetary Fund said in a report on Wednesday that urged further reform and currency appreciation to rebalance growth and reduce risks. The report said economic reforms so far had substantially reduced external imbalances, but at the cost of significant ...

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, (IPS): The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is ready to be a catalyst for transforming the way the global environment is managed, said the next CEO and chairperson of the multilateral institution, Dr. Naoko Ishii, in this interview with Tierramérica *.  The GEF recognises the inseparable linkage between environmental and economic well-being, which was ...

Sri Lankaandrsquo;s Banking Watchdog andmdash; Central Bank said with the successful completion of the US$ 2.5 billion Standby Arrangement (SBA) facility extended by International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country now has sufficient funds, but would like to have an elite anchor in the alternative in order to endorse economic management in todayandrsquo;s global conditions.

Reuters: Asian shares slid and the euro hovered near multi-year lows hit earlier on Monday, as Spain sparked concerns about its ability to stave off a sovereign bailout after two indebted regions sought financial assistance from the central government. Fears the euro zone’s fourth largest economy will be forced to follow Greece, Portugal and Ireland ...

Sri Lanka will begin talks for fresh loans with the multilateral donor body- International Monetary Fund (IMFF) for an 'Extended Fund Facility', countryandrsquo;s banking watchdog- Central Bank of Sri Lanka, said following the receipt of the ninth and final tranche of US$ 2.5 billion Stand By Arrangement (SBA).

Sampath Bank PLC recently launched a platinum affinity credit card to all members of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Sri Lanka region.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka is hosting the inaugural SAARC Public Debt Managersandrsquo; Forum on 19 and 20 July 2012 at the John Exter International Conference Hall, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Colombo.

Industry experts urge disillusioned local investors to ‘buy when it’s down and sell when it’s up’ In a highly volatile atmosphere and with low investor confidence in the Colombo Bourse, experts earlier this week went against the negative sentiments and instead stated that now is the time to buy. These views were aired at a ...

Sevenandnbsp;branch offices belonging to the Southern cluster of the DFCC Bank and DFCC Vardhana Bank recently undertook a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project in which staff members departed from their busy work schedules voluntarily, to help clean seven hospital wards in the region.

Sri Lanka's NDB Investment Bank (NDBIB) Limited has clinched the titles for Sri Lankaandrsquo;s first investment bank to win an international award as well as the first local investment bank to win an award for excellence from andlsquo;Euromoney,andrsquo; one of the worldandrsquo;s leading financial markets magazines.

Sri Lanka's NDB Investment Bank (NDBIB) Limited has clinched the titles for Sri Lankaandrsquo;s first investment bank to win an international award as well as the first local investment bank to win an award for excellence from andlsquo;Euromoney,andrsquo; one of the worldandrsquo;s leading financial markets magazines.

Reuters: Asian shares extended their rally on Monday as fears of an economic hard landing in China subsided, with last week’s softer growth data within expectations and Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday raising the prospects of more policy stimulus if needed.  MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan inched up 0.3 percent after jumping ...

Four examples; two bad and two goodThe website of the London Economist newspaper has a reference to an official of a certain country referring to a journalist in words similar to what follows – I have substituted words which would be appropriate to an officer and a gentleman addressing a lady, for what was actually ...

REUTERS: Little more than a dozen years after the region’s crippling financial crisis, Southeast Asia is looking more a safe haven than a risky bet, with foreign investors souring on China and India and pouring money into markets proving resilient to the global gloom. Short-term investors in Southeast Asian stocks and bonds are being overtaken ...

Reuters: Asian shares slid on Thursday as a surprise rate cut from South Korea and an unexpected slump in Australian employment deepened worries about global economic growth. The news weighed on sentiment already hurt after minutes from a Federal Reserve meeting in June showed conditions may need to worsen before policymakers possibly buy more bonds ...

Sri Lankaandrsquo;s leading private banking giant- Sampath Bank PLC will launch an internationally valid affinity card to all Charted Institute of Marketing (CIM) Sri Lanka Region members on 18 July.

Reuters: China, Europe and Britain loosened monetary policy in the space of less than an hour on Thursday, signalling a growing level of alarm about the world economy, although suggestions of coordinated action were played down. Of the three, the surprise move was from Beijing which lowered its lending rate by 31 basis points to ...

By D.C. Ranatunga The ‘Badaada kesel pola’ – Wednesday Banana Fair – is a popular weekly event at Sooriyawewa in the Deep South of Sri Lanka. Hundreds of banana growers in the surrounding areas find their way to the fair with loads of their produce stacked in two-wheel tractors, three-wheelers and even on motorcycle pillions. ...

As a trailblazer in the banking and financial industry, Sampath Bank PLC, a truly local bank, earned yet another accolade in its 25thandnbsp;year by being honored as the Best Banking Group in Sri Lanka at the World Finance Awards held recently.

The need of policy framework and regulations for Sustainable Tourism (Economic wealth distribution, protecting environment, promoting social values) was the focal point of Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Dr Nalaka Godahewa at the evening public lecture organised by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and held at the CBSL training centre auditorium last evening.

Last week I was on the Air Force flight on route to Jaffna for a meeting with 52 investors who wanted to invest in the first industrial estate in the Northern Province – Atchchuveley. In my hand were the key sites that one can visit in Jaffna as a tourist. The first thought that struck ...

In celebration of the 51standnbsp;Anniversary of the Peopleandrsquo;s Bank, the Manager and staff of the Bankandrsquo;s branch in andlsquo;Lucky Plazaandrsquo;, Kollupitiya organised andlsquo;Seth Pirithandrsquo; chanting on 02 July. A andlsquo;Vasana Saving Certificatesandrsquo; draw was also conducted at the occasion and celebrations were held thereafter, with the participation of customers.

LONDON, (Reuters): Barclays Plc chairman Marcus Agius quit on Monday, saying “the buck stops with me” after an interest rate rigging scandal that has dealt “a devastating blow” to the bank’s reputation. Agius, chairman of Britain’s third biggest bank for 5-1/2 years, is the first major scalp from the scandal, which is likely to draw ...

Merchant Credit of Sri Lanka Limited (MCSL) is a Licensed Finance Company in Sri Lanka which is jointly owned by premier state commercial bank, Bank of Ceylon (BoC) and pioneering local investment bank, Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka (MBSL).