The Nation Trust Bank (NTB) has closed the year 2011 with a post-tax profit of Rs. 1.5 billion, a growth of 41% over 2010.   Current year achievement was driven by a noticeable growth in business volume, modest growth in top line revenue despite falling NII margins, controlled growth in operating expenses, provision reversals and ...

Avoiding a crisis The Pathfinder Foundation (PF) commends the Treasury and Central Bank for the policy measures introduced recently. This has prevented an external payments crisis. Without remedial action, the country would not have been able to meet its debt obligations and/or finance essential imports within a short period of time. The increases in the ...

Executive Vice President and CEO says IFC will explore a good mix of enhanced financing and advisory services on a range of sectors apart from promoting FDIs to the country Encouraged by the post-war optimism the World Bank’s private sector investment arm – International Finance Corporation (IFC) yesterday revealed plans to expand its support in ...

The Central Bank yesterday explained some of the events that led to the erosion of reserves that led to the depreciation of the rupee and assured that pressure on the exchange rate would ease, apart from projecting a balance of payments surplus this year. Noting that the current developments in forex market were ‘temporary,’ the ...

Asia Pacific Business Coalition on AIDS CEO attends event The Lanka Business Coalition for HIV and AIDS (LBCH) on Monday launched its HIV and AIDS awareness campaign for this year at an event graced by the CEO of its umbrella Asia Pacific organisation. Stephen Grant, CEO of the Asia Pacific Business Coalition on AIDS (APBCA) ...

NDB Investment Bank (NDBIB), the premier investment bank in Sri Lanka, concluded its most successful year to date, raising approximately Rs. 38 billion funds and retaining its unrivalled position as the market leader in investment banking. NDB Group Investment Banking Cluster CEO Vajira Kulatilaka commenting on this feat said: “We are proud to have retained ...

Sri Lanka and Indonesia this week set an ambitious goal of tripling bilateral trade to $ 1 billion within the next three years. The two countries have taken a decision to establish a Working Group on Trade and Investment to operationalise this goal, External Affairs Ministry said after the conclusion of Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Dr. ...

By Uditha Jayasinghe Sri Lanka’s impressive economic growth is motivating the US Department of Commerce to urge their companies to have a second look at the island nation, a top official said yesterday.  US Department of Commerce Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa, the Middle East and South Asia Holly Vineyard told the media that the ...

Facing the short-term economic challengesThe macroeconomic imbalances Sri Lanka has achieved a growth rate of 8.3% last year and inflation fell to 4.9% year-on-year in December 2011. These are noteworthy achievements at a time when the global economic landscape has been hostile with a slowdown in the US and a crisis in Europe; key markets ...

By Dinali Goonewardene The Institute of Chartered Accountants (CA Sri Lanka) ceremonially inducted its 21st President, Sujeewa Rajapakse, at a ceremony at the Cinnamon Grand hotel yesterday. Rajapakse, who is the Managing Partner at BDO Partners, the fifth largest audit firm globally, took over for a two-year term from outgoing President Sujeewa Mudalige. Newly-inducted President ...

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) seems to be set to hit the headlines again, after the Industry and Commerce Minister on a recent visit to India expressed strong interest in expanding business ties with Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour. Readers will remember that all past attempts to sign CEPA have resulted in many local businessmen ...

Sri Lanka readying for dedicated trade talks in MarchBeing the first FTA for India and Sri Lanka, the 1998 Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement carries substantial sentimental value for Sri Lanka. Together, both countries can play a major role in elevating Indo-Sri Lanka economic relations from the current level to a much higher plane. The ...

The Central Bank appeared to be unmoved by scepticism over its upbeat outlook for 2012, which was reiterated yesterday following the January monetary policy review leaving policy rates unchanged. UNP MP and Consultant Economist Dr. Harsha de Silva as well as Standard Chartered Bank have separately questioned some of the upbeat 2012 forecasts.   However, ...

“Our sense is that if we do not act boldly and if we do not act together, the economy around the world runs the risk of a downward spiral of uncertainty, financial instability and potential collapse of global demand… we could run the risk of what some commentators are already calling the lost decade” – ...

The Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) has opined the Central Bank’s forecast of $ 25 billion foreign inflow as “optimistic” given external headwinds whilst cautioning that pressure was mounting on the rupee given the rising import demand. This view along with weaker GDP forecast is contained in SCB's latest country update titled 'A challenging year ahead' ...

Highly confident Central Bank outlines ambitious forecasts for 2012 and beyond 2011 GDP growth at record 8.3%; 2012 outlook revised to 8% from 9% previously Eyes over $ 25 b inflows in 2011 Low interest rates helped to reduce Govt. expenditure by Rs. 15.5 b CB profit transfers to Government over Rs. 46 b between ...

UNP MP Harsha de Silva yesterday alleged Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal’s 2012 and beyond road map was “nauseatingly one-sided propaganda” whilst it failed to address the balance of payments issue. Here is the full statement of Dr. de Silva. Without taking away from the hard work of the private sector for having driven this ...

AS expected, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry made a booming start to the New Year with the news that South Africa’s Sun City is planning to invest a hefty US$ 800 million in a massive project in Katana. This brings the total investment from large-scale foreign hotel projects to nearly US$ 2 billion, with Sheraton, Shangri-la, ...

From war and destruction to peace and reconstruction Both before and following the end of Sri Lanka’s 30-year separatist war in May 2009, it was recognised that rapid economic recovery in the Northern Province would be the key to lasting reintegration and reconciliation within a united country. Nearing the two-and-a-half-year point since the cessation of ...

In a major indictment on the country’s macro stability and a wakeup call to policy makers, Fitch Ratings yesterday warned that Sri Lanka has now become one of the four highest-risk financial systems in Asia Pacific and nine in the world. The warning on and labelling of Sri Lanka comes ahead of Christmas and could ...

It is the season for giving, which we all know is a reason to look beyond ourselves and find some worthy cause to take up for Christmas. Everyone is familiar with the warmth connected with giving and the quiet pleasure in ensuring that someone else has a happy time as well. It can be something ...

Reuters: Sri Lanka’s tea production rose 11.7 per cent in November, its first year-on-year rise in eight months, due to better application of fertiliser and agricultural practises, State-run Tea Board data showed on Wednesday. Tea output in November recorded 31.23 million kilogrammes against 27.95 million kg in the same month last year. The output in ...

After bringing down the nearly-25-year-old civil war, Sri Lanka is now working towards improving its investment climate. The economy is now in a high-accelerating mode, on the back of the political will and stability in the new era. India will play a big role in this development and will be a key partner for Sri ...

Reuters: Sri Lanka’s Central Bank can continue to maintain the rupee exchange by selling dollars from the foreign reserves as it expects large dollar inflows in the coming months, the Central Bank Governor said on Tuesday. The rupee was devalued three per cent on 22 November, a day after President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity ...

Sri Lanka will welcome its 800,000th tourist today, getting a step closer to the new target of 850,000 arrivals by end 2011. The country’s tourism industry has grown in leaps and bounds this year, surpassing the original target arrival for 2011 of 750,000 in November. It is hoped that December, known as the peak month, ...

Sri Lanka’s trade deficit rose 137.4% to US$ 905.2 million in September from $ 381.4 million in the same month last year, the Central Bank said yesterday in its monthly review. September imports rose 61.3% to US$ 1.76 billion compared to $ 1.09 billion a year earlier making the trade deficit in the first three ...

Around 100 attend New World Securities event; Ambassador Karannagoda and Lankan  firms highlight post-war rebound and potential Nisthar Cassim reporting from Tokyo December 8: Around 100 Japanese firms and investors today got a thorough update on post-war Sri Lanka’s rebound and unprecedented opportunities at an Investment Forum organised in Tokyo by New World Securities. Held ...

The Ceylon Income Fund recorded an after-tax net return of 12.39% to emerge as the best performing fixed income fund in Sri Lanka for the financial year ending 31/03/2011. It is also the best performing fund of all Unit Trusts in Sri Lanka during the 10 months to October 31, 2011* while being amongst the ...

CIMB and the Colombo Stock Exchange jointly concluded a Sri Lanka Corporate Day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 30 November 2011, themed ‘Invest Sri Lanka: Opportunities in a New Era’. This conference aim was to provide a snapshot of what lies ahead for the Sri Lankan economy and why Sri Lanka is one of the ...

The following report is based on the speech Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa made, concluding the debate on the second reading of the Budget for the year 2012. This is the seventh budget presented by the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa I regret there was no constructive criticism at all during the debate on the ...