Central Bank improves efficiency and transparency of Govt. securities market

The Central Bank yesterday announced a series of key measures to improve efficiency, transparency, governance and regulation of the Government securities market.

It said as a further policy measure to develop the government securities market, the Central Bank from yesterday has commenced releasing summary trading statistics on actual trading of Government securities in the secondary market. 

It said from 1 August, all primary dealers have been required to undertake inter-primary dealer trades in the trading platform arranged by the Central Bank through Bloomberg, which is a major international financial trading and information electronic platform.

Further, all primary dealers will report all outright sales of Government securities of value in excess of Rs. 50 m to investors to this platform within 30 minutes of each transaction. 

Accordingly, the Central Bank will monitor these transactions on an on-going basis and summary of trading information consisting of yield rates and volume by each series of securities traded will be published in the Central Bank website. 

The Central Bank plans to release such information twice a day, at noon and close of the day, in due course when the reporting system is fully operative. 

This information will help investors to study the current status of Government securities market conditions along with other financial market and economic information and make more informed decisions in relation to their investments. 

The availability of such market information will further promote transparency, price discovery and outreach of the Government securities market in parallel to other financial markets. In due course, outright secondary market sales of Government securities by non-primary dealer banks to their customers also will be brought into this system.

In addition, the Central Bank has commenced procurement process for setting up a dedicated electronic trading platform along with Central Counterparty System which will provide market information on real time basis similar to other developed financial markets and further develop the Government securities market to international standards. 

Meanwhile, several measures are in the process to strengthen the regulation and supervision of the market in line with international standards. 

For this purpose, the regulation and supervision of the Government securities market has been assigned to the Department of Supervision of Non-Bank Financial Institutions whereas the Public Debt Department will undertake functions relating to issuance, registry, market development and debt management. 

These policy initiatives are expected to promote fair market practices and yield benefits of the Government securities market to all participants.

Nihal Fonseka appointed to Monetary Board

President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed Nihal Fonseka as a Member of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka with effect from 27 July in terms of Section 8(2)(c) of the Monetary Law Act.

Fonseka is a veteran banker who held a number of key managerial positions in Sri Lanka as well as overseas. He was the Chief Executive Officer of the DFCC Bank for over 13 years and the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the HSBC Colombo for 10 years. 



He held the post of Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Lanka Ventures PLC, Acuity Partners Ltd., Lanka Industrial Estates Ltd., National Asset Management Ltd. as well as the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and Pacific, Manila. 

He also held directorships in several Government and private companies such as Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, Employees’ Trust Fund Board, DFCC Vardhana Bank PLC, National Procurement Commission, Presidential Commission on Taxation and Credit Information Bureau Gte Ltd. 

Currently, Fonseka is the Director and Chairman of the Group Audit Committee of John Keells Holdings PLC, Chairman of the Group Audit Committee of the Brandix Lanka Ltd., President of the Sri Lanka National Council of the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investments and a Member of the US-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission.

Fonseka holds a B.Sc degree from the University of Ceylon, Colombo. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, UK and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, UK.

He has authored many articles and conducted a large number of presentations at various seminars and

conferences locally and internationally.