Asia Financial Services

A post-war boom has been followed by a mixed few years for Sri Lanka’s capital markets, with a strong performance in 2014 followed by two slower years. The outlook is now brightening again as the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Sri Lankan government look to build the bourse’s role in the...

Strong demand for Sri Lankan sovereign bonds is broadening the government’s funding options, while indicating rising investor confidence in the country’s economic outlook and reform programme.

With strong asset growth, reliable profitability and solid capital adequacy, the Sri Lankan banking sector stands in sound health these days as it looks forward to a period of continued economic stability. Like other sectors, the industry is moving in the direction of greater capital and technological requirements, and continues to undergo a...

Although Sri Lanka has numerous banks, a large part of the population – particularly outside the major urban areas – has looked to other types of financial intermediaries to meet its needs, or has remained outside of the financial system altogether. In addition, years of conflict denied large numbers of citizens contact with normal banking...

Positioned between west and east Asia, Sri Lanka sits on major maritime route between Europe and the Far East and its natural resources have made it a trading centre for millennia. As the country’s economy has liberalised and grown in recent decades, its trade volumes to developed markets and emerging ones have risen strongly. The country has...

With a population of 1.3bn and an economy growing 7%-plus each year, India is a good neighbour for Sri Lanka to have. Trade volumes between the countries have soared in recent years thanks to a beneficial free trade agreement (FTA). Talks have been ongoing about how to deepen this relationship while taking into account political and economic...