Banking

Sri Lanka bank – finance company mergers could deny credit to some borrowers: Fitch

Tuesday November 24, 2020 6:14 am

ECONOMYNEXT – A proposal in Sri Lanka’s budget for 2021 to merger finance and leasing companies with their parents will result in customers with a higher risk profile being denied credit, Fitch Ratings said.

“FLCs typically cater to sub-prime customers, which banks have very little appetite for,” the rating agency said.

“However, if the proposed mergers are enforced, we expect the risk appetite of the amalgamated bank to be lower than the simple aggregated risk appetite of the parent and the FLC subsidiary, as the FLC business is unlikely to be a core business line for the parent.”

In a re-organization of finance companies, banks bought some of the best capitalized finance companies.

As a separate entity, finance company subsidiaries could also pay slightly higher rate of interest.

Fitch said ratings of banks which merge with their subsidiaries are unlikely to be affected in the short term as the risks of the subsidiary were already factored in.

“However, the extent of the impact of absorbed FLCs on banks’ business models and their consolidated risk and financial metrics, particularly asset quality and profitability, will be important for the banks’ ratings in the medium term,” Fitch said.

“We believe banks will be reluctant to absorb their FLCs due to the significant difference between their risk profiles and underwriting practices, leading to elevated challenges in achieving effective management.”

Sri Lanka however has a large number of deposit taking finance companies, which are small and are less able to absorb shocks, though two of the biggest in the sector have also failed, partly due to regulatory forbearance and the lack of a mandatory resolution framework based on capital thresholds, analysts say.

Sri Lanka has seen higher levels of monetary instability and output shocks under a so-called ‘flexible inflation targeting’ regime, where consumption falls after each currency collapse, led to spikes in bad loans.

Two currency crises came quickly on top of each other (2015 and 2018) after Sri Lanka’s soft-pegged central bank dropped its policy rate band in favour of targeting a call money rate, as it also targeted a perceived output gap, critics have said.

“The sector continues to struggle with lack of access to capital, muted income generation and very weak asset quality despite the regulatory moratoriums for stressed loans,” Fitch said.

Fitch said the fragmentation at the lower end – where 33 FLCs, out of the total 44, accounted for only around 31 pecnt of sector assets – have posed challenges to Sri Lankan financial-sector stability, despite the sector’s moderate 8 percent share of financial-sector assets at end-2019.

The full statement is reproduced below

Sri Lankan Banks’ Ratings Unaffected by Proposed FLC Mergers

Mon 23 Nov, 2020 – 3:09 AM ET

Fitch Ratings-Colombo-23 November 2020: The mergers of Sri Lankan finance and leasing company (FLC) subsidiaries with their parent banks will not have an immediate impact on the banks’ ratings, says Fitch Ratings.

The agency’s assessment of our rated banks is based on their consolidated credit profiles and already factors in the risks of having subsidiary FLCs.

However, the extent of the impact of absorbed FLCs on banks’ business models and their consolidated risk and financial metrics, particularly asset quality and profitability, will be important for the banks’ ratings in the medium term. The proposal was announced in the government’s budget speech for 2021.

We believe banks will be reluctant to absorb their FLCs due to the significant difference between their risk profiles and underwriting practices, leading to elevated challenges in achieving effective management.

FLCs typically cater to sub-prime customers, which banks have very little appetite for. However, if the proposed mergers are enforced, we expect the risk appetite of the amalgamated bank to be lower than the simple aggregated risk appetite of the parent and the FLC subsidiary, as the FLC business is unlikely to be a core business line for the parent.

The proposal affects five Fitch-rated banks with FLC subsidiaries – Hatton National Bank PLC (AA+(lka)/Negative), which owns HNB Finance Limited (AA-(lka)/Negative), Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC (AA+(lka)/Negative), which owns Serendib Finance Limited (AA-(lka)/Negative), Sampath Bank PLC (AA-(lka)/Stable), which owns Siyapatha Finance PLC (A(lka)/Stable), Bank of Ceylon (AA+(lka)/Negative), which owns Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka & Finance PLC, and People’s Bank (Sri Lanka) (AA+(lka)/Negative), which owns People’s Leasing & Finance PLC (A+(lka)/Stable).

These subsidiaries’ assets account for 0.5%-7.7% of their group assets (median: 3%) and 0.5%-26% of profit before tax (median: 5%).

The government’s budget speech, presented on 17 November 2020, reiterated the importance of consolidation in the FLC sector, which has been on the cards since 2014 when the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) announced its ‘Master Plan for the Consolidation of the Financial Sector’.

It led to several banks acquiring FLC subsidiaries in 2014 and 2015, including the acquisition of HNB Finance (then Prime Grameen Micro Finance Limited) by Hatton National Bank and Serendib Finance (then Indra Finance Limited) by Commercial Bank of Ceylon.

Fitch thinks consolidation in the Sri Lankan FLC sector is positive for its long-term stability, but will not necessarily ease its near-term challenges.

The sector continues to struggle with lack of access to capital, muted income generation and very weak asset quality despite the regulatory moratoriums for stressed loans. For details, see Sri Lanka Finance and Leasing Dashboard: FY20, published 19 October 2020.

These headwinds and the fragmentation within the FLC sector at the lower end – where 33 FLCs, out of the total 44, accounted for only around 31% of sector assets – have posed challenges to Sri Lankan financial-sector stability, despite the sector’s moderate 8% share of financial-sector assets at end-2019.

The CBSL has taken regulatory action against several FLCs that failed to meet capital requirements, including cancellation of licences held by The Finance Company PLC and suspension of the business activities of ETI Finance Limited and Swarnamahal Financial Services PLC.

We expect significant increase in M&A activity within the FLC sector in next 12-24 months, even among standalone small FLCs, as there are at least 20 that are currently facing capital challenges, either on an absolute basis or to meet the regulatory capital ratios.

Several FLCs have already announced potential mergers, including Abans Finance PLC (BB+(lka)), which is on Rating Watch Evolving to reflect its potential amalgamation with Softlogic Finance PLC.

Markets

Sri Lanka stocks close down 0.60-pct, dragged by HNB and LOLC

Friday November 13, 2026 3:28 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Stock Exchange closed down on Friday, CSE data showed, with the benchmark All Share Price Index moving down 0.60 percent.

The ASPI was down 133.22 points at 22,024.18, while the more liquid S&P SL20 was down 1.06 percent, or 67.55 points, at 6,298.02.

The ASPI ended the week up 784.53 points from last Friday.

Positive contributors to the ASPI were Dialog Axiata (up 0.40 percent at 50.20 rupees), Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka (up 0.52 percent at 58.30 rupees), Aitken Spence (up 3.60 percent at 151.00 rupees), Ceylon Tobacco Company (up 1.05 percent at 1,828.50 rupees), and LOLC Finance (up 1.96 percent at 5.20 rupees).

Hatton National Bank (down 1.88 percent at 403.75 rupees), Richard Pieris and Company (down 6.21 percent at 27.20 rupees), LOLC Holdings (down 2.17 percent at 405.00 rupees), Sampath Bank (down 1.91 percent at 154.00 rupees), and Singer (Sri Lanka) (down 2.40 percent at 77.30 rupees) were top negative contributors.

Market turnover was 3.23 billion rupees. Capital goods led turnover with 869.21 million rupees. (Colombo/Nov13/2026)

Economy

Sri Lanka MP slams budget speech for omitting Tamil national question

Friday November 13, 2026 2:56 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – A Sri Lanka legislator has voiced strong disappointment that the President’s budget speech failed to make a single mention of the Tamil national question.

“It is very unfortunate that in His Excellency the President’s speech, there has not been a single word mentioned about the Tamil national question. Not a single word,” Shanakiyan Rasamanickam said.

“A budget speech generally, is a policy direction of the government for the next year. The budget speech is not only a statement of the country’s fiscal position or the economy’s position. It is the country’s, the government’s, plan, or what the government plans to do the following year. That’s a policy statement.”

Former presidents would at least mention the Tamil question even if it was not resolved, he said.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his speech, in his policy statement, he would mention: “The Tamil national question must be resolved,” Rasamanickam said.

Former Presidents Maithripala Sirisena and Gotabaya Rajapaksa also mentioned that the national ethnic question must be resolved, he added.

“Every President, every country’s Head of State, in their policy statements, have acknowledged the fact that there is an unresolved national issue, the Tamil national question, that it needs to be resolved. Various governments have proposed various mechanisms; none of them have succeeded, but at least it was mentioned.”

This year’s budget made allocations for the Office of Missing Persons, and the Office of Reparations.

“But the domestic mechanism is a mechanism that the victim community has rejected. So you all are allocating money to a mechanism where the victim community is not going to be part of.”

Last year’s budget 1 billion was allocated to be spent on the Trincomalee and Jaffna airports.

“Where was that 1 billion for the Trincomalee and Jaffna airports spent last year?”

“The trajectory of this government, Honourable Deputy Speaker, is worrying to me. It’s really worrying to me. Because if the objective is to say that there is no Tamil national question, if the objective is to say that you all have resolved any ethnic issue that this country faced, then Honourable Deputy Speaker, then I think the Tamil people will teach this government a very, very, very harsh lesson in the future.” (Colombo/Nov13/2026)

Bonds & Forex

Sri Lanka sells extra Rs6.5bn Treasury bills after auction

Friday November 13, 2026 12:32 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has sold 6,500 million rupees of treasury bills offered on tap at an average rate of 9.95 percent, the public debt management office said, bringing the total of bills sold in the week to 85.562 billion rupees.

The issue offered 90 billion.

Total market subscription was 6.5 billion rupees.

The debt office sold a 12-month bill at 9.95 percent.

On Wednesday (11) the debt office raised 79 billion rupees of 3, 6 and 12 month bills after offering 90 billion.

The settlement date is November 13. (Colombo/Nov13/2026)

Construction and Real Estate

Access Engineering Sept quarter group net profit surges 200-pct to Rs4.75bn

Friday November 13, 2026 12:15 pm

ECONOMYNEXT — Sri Lanka’s Access Engineering PLC recorded a group net profit attributable to equity holders of Rs. 4.75 billion for the quarter ended September 30, surging 200 percent from Rs. 1.58 billion a year earlier, interim accounts showed.

Basic earnings per share rose to Rs. 4.08 for the September quarter, up from Rs. 1.58 previously.

Quarterly group revenue expanded 36 percent to Rs. 20.39 billion from Rs. 14.94 billion, underpinned by condominium property handovers — reflected in inventories dropping Rs. 7.69 billion since March to Rs. 35.71 billion — alongside strong automobile sales and steady civil engineering execution.

Cost of sales rose at a slower 27 percent to Rs. 14.34 billion, lifting gross profit by 64 percent to Rs. 6.05 billion and expanding gross margins to 29.7 percent from 24.7 percent.

Other income jumped 144 percent to Rs. 259.9 million, while administrative expenses rose 75 percent to Rs. 1.14 billion, leaving operating profit up 64 percent at Rs. 5.16 billion.

However, finance costs more than doubled, rising 107 percent to Rs. 1.18 billion on elevated group borrowings of Rs. 43.74 billion, partly offset by finance income climbing 302 percent to Rs. 42.2 million.

Share of results from equity-accounted investees rose 122 percent to Rs. 26.7 million, pushing pre-tax profit up 56 percent to Rs. 4.05 billion.

Income tax swung to a net reversal of Rs. 186.6 million from an expense of Rs. 804.1 million, boosted by deferred tax assets on unrelieved losses from a 100 percent enhanced capital allowance claimed by 60 percent-owned radiopharmaceutical subsidiary Access Medical Tracers (Private) Limited.

Total period profit rose 136 percent to Rs. 4.24 billion, with non-controlling interest declining 24 percent to Rs. 164.9 million following last year’s buyout of minority shareholders in Harbour Village (Private) Limited.

No separate exchange gain or loss was itemized in quarterly earnings, though foreign currency translation via associates recorded a Rs. 17.4 million loss in other comprehensive income, alongside USD 16.6 million in corporate guarantees.

Notes also flagged an expected Rs. 1.45 billion recovery from the terminated South Asia Commercial and Logistics Hub project, a Rs. 225 million post-quarter legal settlement already provided for, and a Supreme Court appeal over a 2011/12 PAYE tax ruling.

Group assets stood at Rs. 132.4 billion as of September 30, with net asset value per share at Rs. 46.70, as the Employees’ Provident Fund raised its stake to 5.69 percent.

Access Engineering shares closed at 80.00 rupees at the end of September and are currently trading around 85.80 rupees. (Colombo/Nov13/2026)

Economy

Sri Lanka private sector says timely implementation of Budget 2027 key

Friday November 13, 2026 11:43 am

ECONOMYNEXT – Private sector body, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, said it was encouraged by the broad direction of Budget 2027, noting that it reinforces Sri Lanka’s commitment to economic transformation while maintaining policy continuity, macroeconomic stability, and fiscal discipline.

“This continuity is particularly important as the country seeks to transition from economic stabilisation to a more durable, investment-led growth trajectory.”

The chamber also noted several areas where the Budget could have placed greater emphasis to strengthen the country’s growth prospects.

“In particular, there is a need for a stronger focus on attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), accelerating factor market reforms, particularly in land and labour, and fast-tracking public procurement reforms to improve the efficiency and speed of project implementation.

“More targeted and actionable proposals could have been introduced to unlock the potential of sectors with significant growth opportunities, including tourism, agriculture, IT/BPO and logistics.”

The chamber said the budget contains positive measures aimed at enhancing competitiveness, and external sector resilience, while presenting opportunities for focus on sectors that can accelerate growth.

“A number of the key structural reforms identified in last year’s Budget have been carried forward and strengthened, providing greater certainty and predictability to businesses and investors.

“These include the continued implementation of the Trade National Single Window (TNSW), the phased removal of para-tariffs, the rollout of the Digital ID framework, efforts to expand market access through new Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), the strengthening of one-stop-shop investment facilitation mechanisms, progress on Customs reforms, the expansion of Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), enhanced financing support for SMEs, and reforms relating to the management of State-Owned Enterprises.”

The CCC said that more than 20 proposals submitted by it have been reflected in Budget 2027.

These include measures to strengthen investor facilitation through the establishment of a professionally managed investment promotion agency; continued efforts to improve trade facilitation and export competitiveness; the Government’s consideration of a successor programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF); accelerated progress on key legislative reforms; the expansion of digital government services; and the promotion of cashless payments and broader digital adoption. The Budget has also captured several priorities relating to energy security, including the accelerated deployment of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and investments in fuel storage infrastructure, initiatives to optimize underutilized agricultural land, measures to support the expansion of the digital economy and the IT/BPO sector, and tax reforms to support exporters, including the acceptance of newly VAT-registered exporters as eligible exporters.

“The inclusion of these priorities reflects the value of sustained public-private dialogue and demonstrates increasing alignment between national policy objectives and the needs of a competitive, export-oriented economy.

“The priority now must be effective and timely implementation to translate policy commitments into investment, competitiveness, exports and sustainable growth.” (Colombo/Nov13/2026)