AIA floats fully owned subsidiary to take over general insurance

AIA Insurance Lanka PLC has summoned an extraordinary general meeting on March 27 to formalize arrangements for separating its life and general insurance businesses.

In a circular to shareholders, AIA said that the company is currently engaged in both life and general insurance and these businesses have to be segregated under Section 53 of the Regulation of Insurance Industry (Amendment) Act No.3 of 2011.

AIA has therefore proposed to transfer its general insurance business to a newly incorporated wholly owned subsidiary of the company. This business has a net book value of Rs.1.89 billion according to the audited financial statements of the financial year ending December 31, 2013.

AIA plans to separate these businesses at the end of the third quarter of the current financial year and this transfer would be done at a value equal to the net book value of the General insurance business as at the date of transfer at a value that shall not exceed Rs.2.4 billion.

The company has told its shareholders that this value of Rs.2.4 billion has been projected as the maximum net book value at or around the date the transfer may take place. This has been done to ensure transparency.

The company said that it would make an announcement to the CSE at the time of the actual transfer stating the actual net book value at which the general insurance business will be transferred.

AIA will receive shares in the subsidiary to the value of the transfer.

The company explained that subject to relevant statutory and regulatory approvals, the proposed transfer of the general insurance business of the company would amount to the transfer of the assets, liabilities and staff of the company presently distinctly identified with the general business in relation to sales and distribution related functions, underwriting, claims and policyholder complaints management and re-insurance.

In terms of the regulatory requirements, a formal proposal in this regard has already been submitted to the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka (IBSL) last December and this proposal is under review by IBSL. As such, the proposed transfer may be subject to observations and/or conditions as may be issued by the IBSL and the relevant statutory and regulatory approvals pertaining thereto being secured.

The transfer will see AIA exclusively carrying out its life insurance business but the newly incorporated wholly owned subsidiary will handle general insurance.

As the transfer constitutes a major transaction in terms of the Companies Act, it is required to obtain shareholder approval by way of a special resolution. This resolution would be proposed for consideration at the March 27 EGM which will follow the company’s AGM.
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NDB Capital Holdings grows investment banking & wealth management portfolios

NDB Capital Holdings PLC (NCAP - previously Capital Development Investment Company or CDIC), has closed the year ended December 31, 2013 with group revenue of Rs.1.47 billion, up 85% from a year earlier and an after-tax profit of Rs.932 million, up 21% from the previous year, its recently released annual report said.

At company level revenue was up 41% to Rs.784 million and after-tax profit up 40% toRs.681 million.

The company is almost wholly owned by the NDB holding 99.62% of its equity with the balance held by 308 other shareholders most of whom own less than 1,000 shares.

The Chairman of NCAP, Mr. A.K. Pathirage has reported that they were able to deliver a sterling performance during the year generating attractive returns for their shareholders.

He expected that the proposed new Securities and Exchange Commission Act will set a solid foundation ensuring a level playing field with greater efficiency, transparency and accountability.

"I commend the Colombo Stock Exchange and the Securities and Exchange Commission for their initiatives to grow the market in a sustainable manner," he said.

Pathirage said that some key milestones including the pivotal positioning of their investment bank in the debenture market had been accomplished and they had further consolidated market leadership in their wealth management business.

A dividend of Rs.8.50 per share had been declared for the year.

NCAP divested its stake in Aviva NDB Insurance in the previous year and it also bought back shares held by minority shareholders.

Mr. Vajira Kulatilaka, CEO of the company said they had a significant presence in capital market transactions with their investment banking arm playing a major role in the surge of debenture issues seen recently.

The growth of this business has been consolidated by the budgetary tax concessions extended to develop the debt market in the country, he said, reporting that NDB Investment Bank had structured and placed ten debenture issues for leading corporates amounting to Rs.29.2 billion.

"This included the largest ever corporate debenture issue in the country of Rs.10 billion placed and managed for our parent, NDB, in December 2013," he said.

Kulatilaka also reported that their wealth management arm, NDB Wealth Management Limited, had exceeded expectations during the year under review to record an outstanding performance both in terms of funds collected from institutions and high net worth clients but also in the nascent retail segment.

"NDB Wealth Management continued to lead the industry by being the largest in terms of assets under management which crossed the Rs.65 billion mark," he said.

The unit trust funds has reached Rs.15 billion corresponding to over 29% of funds in the industry making NDB Wealth Management the largest unit trust fund manager in the country.

Kulatilaka also said that during the year concrete plans had been made to lay the initial ground work to set up a USD 50 to 60 million private equity fund and a management company in partnership with a US based global emerging markets investment manager, Zephyr Management LP.

"Our joint venture partner has the expertise and vast experience in implementing this business model in Latin America, Africa and Asia," he said.

"This will no doubt be our strength, not only in obtaining technical know-how but also supporting us to attract investors mainly that of bilateral and multilateral agencies and thereby moving this venture to the heights aspired."

Under the NCAP umbrella there are three subsidiaries, NDB Investment Bank, NDB Wealth Management and NDB Securities.

NDB Investment Bank operates in debt and equity structuring and distribution, corporate restructuring, manages and acquisitions and project financing for both listed and unlisted entities.

NDB Wealth Management is licensed by the SEC to provide wealth management solutions and mutual fund management for institutions and high net worth investors and the retail market.

NDB Securities (Pvt) Limited is a licensed stockbroker of the CSE providing investment advisory and securities trading services.

The directors of NCAP are: Messrs. A.K. Pathirage (Chairman), Sarath Wikramanayake, Rajendra Theagarajah, Indrajit Wickramasinghe, Vajira Kulatilaka (Director/CEO), Malinga Arsakularatne and Ms. Aruni Rajakarier.
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NDB – DFCC merger: preliminary talks begin

NDB posts best ever profit boosted by strategic divestment





Board of Directors

Both the new Chairman of the NDB and its CEO have stated in the recently released 2013 annual report of the bank that the directors of both the NDB and the DFCC Bank have commenced preliminary talks with a view to achieving such consolidation but given no timeframe for completing an arrangement.

Mr. Sunil G. Wijesinha, who assumed the chairmanship of the NDB on December 1, 2013 noted that "the regulators have expressed the desire to see the two development lending oriented banks, DFCC Bank and National Development Bank PLC merged in order to create a strong development bank that could provide a broader impetus development bank activities."

Wijesinha said that the talks between the two banks had begun in this context and has told shareholders "your bank is ready to embrace the positive changes that the consolidation of the sector will bring about."

NDB’s Director/CEO Rajendra Theagarajah said that the merger talks were intended "to create a strong development bank of significant strength and stature – an institution that will be one of Sri Lanka’s systemically important banks in the next few years."

"After all, size does matter," he asserted.

In a note on events occurring after balance sheet date, the report said that the NDB and DFCC Bank "are about to commence preliminary discussions with a view to achieving such consolidation."

"The consolidation of the two entities will be dependent on relevant approvals and possibly, passage of facilitative legislation."

Claiming "exemplary financial results" for the NDB, Theagarajah said that they have posted their best ever financial performance during the year under review including many firsts for the bank –

* The bank’s profit after tax reached an unprecedented Rs.7.7 billion, a staggering 164% year on year growth, albeit inclusive of an exceptional equity gain of Rs.5.3 billion arising from a strategic divestment.

* Amidst an environment of steadily declining margins, the bank successfully defended its position and maintained its net interest margin at 3.74% for the second successive year.

* The total operating income of the bank – comprising net interest income, fee and commission income and net trading income achieved an impressive 80% year on year growth to reach Rs.15.9 billion.

"However, the corresponding growth in net operating income was limited to 68% due to impairment losses totaling Rs.1.2 billion during the year. This was a result of increased stress levels within the industry for loan recoveries, and the bank’s prudent adoption of fair valuing the impaired loans based on sound judgment and objective evidence on future recoveries," he said.

The Bank of Ceylon with 9.94% of the NDB is its biggest individual shareholder followed by the EPF (9.72%) and the General Fund of the SLIC with 5.70%. The Life Fund of SLIC has 4.74% and the ETF 3.22%.

Dr. Sena Yaddehige with 5.26% is the biggest individual shareholder and Mr. Ashok Pathirage is among the top twenty. Several foreign funds and local banks like HNB and insurance companies such as Asian Alliance Insurance are also among the top 20 shareholders. The NDB’s own Employees Share Ownership Plan owns 2.51%.

The directors of NDB are: Messrs Sunil G. Wijesinha (Chairman), Ashok Pathirage (Deputy Chairman), Rajendra Theagarajah (Director/CEO),Trevine Jayasekara, Sarath Wickramanayake, Mrs. Kimarli Fernando, Anura Siriwardena, G.D.C. Ekanayake, Sujeewa Rajapakse, Mrs. Indrani Sugathadasa, Hemaka Amarasuriya (Chairman - Retired 30.11.2013), Russell de Mel (Director/CEO – Retired 23.8.2013) and Ms. Shehani Ranasinghe (Asst. Vice-President).
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Union Assurance claims growth momentum

Dirk Pereira

Union Assurance (UA) continued to report growth in terms of premium income and profitability. Combined life and non life insurance premiums crossed Rs. 10 billion in 2013 and profit after tax passed the Rs. 1 billion mark as wel, a press release saidl.

‘Life insurance premiums increased by 10% from Rs. 5.1 billion in 2012 to Rs. 5.5 billion in 2013. Non life insurance premiums also grew by 17% from Rs. 4.6 billion to Rs. 5.4 billion over the same period. The life segment reported a profit of Rs. 791 million and the non life segment accounted for the balance profit after tax.

‘As in previous years, several steps have been taken to strengthen UA’s balance sheet. Net assets increased from Rs. 4.3 billion in 2012 to Rs. 5.1 billion in 2013, and the company is well positioned to meet the enhanced capital requirements as per the risk based capital framework proposed by the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka.

"The commitment and innovative spirit of the UA team is evident in the results achieved by the company," noted Dirk Pereira, CEO of Union Assurance. "The future landscape for both life and non life businesses is very bright, and we believe we have the right people, products and brand to reap maximum benefits," he added.

Union Assurance continued to receive accolades for transparency, good governance and excellent business practices both nationally and internationally.

The company’s financial disclosures and corporate governance practices were judged amongst the best in Sri Lanka and the South Asia Region by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) and the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) respectively. UA was adjudged the overall winner in ‘Excellence in Performance Management’ and the Gold award winner for ‘Business Excellence’ in the insurance sector at the prestigious National Business Excellence Awards organised by the National Chamber of Commerce.

Initiatives to enhance the UA brand was recognised for the 2nd consecutive year as the company received a silver award in the ‘Service Brand of the Year 2012’ category at the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing, Brand Excellence Awards ceremony.

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Sri Lanka shares fall to more than 2-wk low; turnover slumps

(Reuters) - Sri Lankan shares fell for a fifth straight session on Friday to their lowest in more than two weeks with turnover slumping to almost a quarter of this year's daily average as investors awaited direction from a U.N. resolution on the island nation's human right records.

Analysts said investor sentiment has been dented on concerns over the U.N. resolution, which could have an impact on the country's economy and many potential buyers in risky assets are staying on the sidelines for want of clear direction.

The main stock index fell 0.3 percent, or 17.71 points to 5,896.23, its lowest close since Feb. 26.

The day's turnover was 251.4 million rupees ($1.92 million), around a quarter of this year's daily average of about 938.9 million rupees.

Analysts said most investors were waiting for direction ahead of voting on the resolution later this month.

Shares of Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC fell 1.03 percent to 1,099.90 rupees, while those of top conglomerate John Keels Holdings Plc fell 1.26 percent to 220.00 rupees.

Foreign investors turned net sellers for the first time in eight sessions. They have sold a net 20.28 million worth of shares on Friday, but were net buyers of 224.9 million rupees worth of shares in the last eight sessions.

However, Sri Lanka has seen net selling in stocks worth 5.2 billion rupees in the last 25 sessions as some offshore funds exited, while net outflows so far in 2014 stand at 3.82 billion rupees, after net inflows of 22.88 billion rupees last year.

Sri Lanka last week hit back at a report by the U.N. human rights chief, questioning the independence of the human rights office of the U.N. after the United States asked it to investigate violations by the Sri Lanka government. 

($1 = 130.7000 Sri Lanka rupees) 

(Reporting by Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez; Editing by Sunil Nair)

Sri Lanka stocks end down 0.3-pct

Mar 14, 2014 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's stocks end lower for the fifth straight day with tobacco and diversified stocks losing ground, brokers said.

The Colombo benchmark All Share Price Index closed 17.71 points lower at 5,896.23 down 0.30 percent. The S&P SL20 closed 15.02 points lower at 3,207.11, down 0.47 percent.

Turnover was 251.77 million rupees, down from 336.48 million rupees a day earlier with 65 stocks close positive against 82 negative.

Foreign investors bought 100.17 million rupees worth shares while selling 120.45 million rupees of shares.

Asiri Surgical closed 90 cents higher at 14.00 rupees, attracting most number of trades during the day.

John Keells Holdings closed 2.80 rupees lower at 220.00 rupees with two off market transactions of 66.10 million rupees contributing to 26 percent of the daily turnover while contributing most to the index drop.

JKH’s W0022 warrants closed 20 cents higher at 62.00 rupees and its W0023 warrants closed 30 cents lower at 64.70 rupees.

Ceylon Tobacco Company closed 28.70 rupees lower at 1,111.30 rupees and Carson Cumberbatch closed 9.70 rupees lower at 340.30 rupees.

Nestle Lanka closed 26.60 rupees lower at 1,973.30 rupees and SLT closed 50 cents higher at 44.50 rupees.

Lion Brewery closed 8.90 rupees higher at 394.00 rupees and Bukit Darah closed 40 cents lower at 544.60 rupees.

George Steuart Finance closed 21.90 rupees higher at 136.90 rupees and HNB closed 1.20 rupees higher at 152.40 rupees.

Arpico Finance to merge with Richard Pieris

To fall in line with Central Bank consolidation plan
H.D.H Senewiratne

Arpico Finance Company PLC that operates as a finance company is now in the process of merging with Richard Pieris and Company. This is with regard to the Central Bank road map for the 2014 on the finance company consolidation plan.

"At present the negotiations are ongoing with regard to this merger with Richard Pieris Company.We need to inform the Central Bank on or before March 31, about this move," Chief Finance Officer, Arpico Finance Chandrin Fernando told the Daily News Business.

He said that still the company engages in accepting public deposits; and providing vehicle leasing and hire purchase services, as well as term loans, consumer durable loans, and gold loans. It also markets real estate home plots and invests in securities.

Arpico Finance Company was incorporated as an associate company of renowned Richard Peiris Group on May 1, 1951 and is the second oldest finance company in Sri Lanka. Central Bank's consolidation process aimed at reducing by half the number of finance companies through mergers and acquisitions and merger of the two main development banks is going on smoothly.

The CB said in a statement that the process would not, in any way, affect current transactions and deposits by customers of banks and finance companies.

Where the rationale of the consolidation was explained to bankers and finance company officials as well as auditors and other concerned parties, the CB also held one-on-one meetings with almost all "boards of directors and senior management of the local banks and finance companies with the expectations of the consolidation process was further clarified and specific issues pertaining to particular institutions were discussed in detail".

The statement said the CB informed the banks and Non Banking Finance Institutions s to approach the consolidation process in a professional manner by seeking specialized IT, Legal, Tax and HR services in order to ensure the objectivity and integrity of the process.

In keeping with the request of the CB, banks and Non Banking Financial Institutes agreed to submit their preliminary proposals by March 31,2014.
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