MBSL hosts interactive business awareness in Galle and Kandy as way forward to islandwide branches

A seminar on assisting entrepreneurs on methods of ‘increasing business profitability and investment returns’ was held at the Lighthouse Hotel, Galle on 30th March 2012 hosting 30 participants and Swiss Residence, Kandy on 18 May with 50 attendees.

The program reflected the urgent need to be better prepared for the challenging business environment and the need to make use of the opportunities available through the various financial advisory avenues on offer. A diverse audience from Small and Medium enterprises in the business community attended the seminar including senior Government officials, members of the banking and financial sectors, academics and researchers.

The interactive business awareness itinerary highlighted increasing profitability in existing businesses, improving the saving and deposit base of enterprises, financial restructuring, fund arrangement to expand business, preparing investment/business proposals, business/corporate plans, methods of procuring loan facilities, facing competitive markets efficiently and effectively and the advisory services in various areas of business offered by MBSL

The following statement was made by Corporate Advisory and Capital Markets DGM A.M.A Cader at the seminar: “Developing the domestic business infrastructure, especially making ground-breaking new strategic ventures more viable, efficient and attractive, is an effective way for the business fraternity to involve themselves in emerging market economies. This will reduce their indebtedness help increase profitability in such ventures, which will in turn have various beneficial effects on the private sector, facilitating funding and risk management, and through these channels help stabilise the economy and enhance growth.”

The participants benefited immensely from the seminar  which was designed by a team of qualified experts in MBSL Advisory and Capital market division, who after years of experience and identification of key factors, created an itinerary to suit the specific needs of the business sector to help them achieve their goals.

Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka, incorporated in March 1982, is the pioneer Investment/Merchant Bank in Sri Lanka and was quoted on the Colombo Stock Exchange in 1991. The Bank’s largest shareholder is the Bank of Ceylon which holds a strategic stake of 72% and in 2005 entered into a strategic alliance with SBI Capital Markets Limited, which is the largest investment Bank in India. MBSL boasts of a network of 30 branches situated in all the major cities in the country. Its subsidiary companies Merchant Credit of Sri Lanka Ltd. which has 13 branches island-wide including Jaffna and MBSL Insurance with 55 branches add strength and stability to its trade portfolio. In addition, MBSL holds a 29% share of Lanka Securities Pvt. Ltd.