The Sunday Leader » LEASING

Ceylinco Life CSR Activities Touched 16,000 Lives In 2010

sanjeewa — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 19:15:25 +0000

Multifaceted community initiatives of Ceylinco Life

The lives of more than 16,000 Sri Lankans have been enriched by a series of multifaceted healthcare and education related social responsibility initiatives implemented by life insurance leader Ceylinco Life in 2010.
The company’s flagship project, ‘Waidya Hamuwa’ (Meet the Doctor) in its seventh year, provided access to free physical examinations and medical advice to 11,411 people at 40 camps in many rural areas of the country including Batticaloa, Tissamaharama and Anuradhapura. Each participant was provided with a medical report containing the doctor’s findings and recommendations after undergoing comprehensive structured examinations at these camps.
In addition, the company educated 1,721 people on pre and post natal care through its ‘Senehasaka Udanaya’ (the birth of love) programme designed to educate expectant mothers of how the health and wellbeing of their children can be influenced even before they are born. Ceylinco Life conducted eight ‘Senehasaka Udanaya’ workshops in the concluded financial year.
Meanwhile over 1,000 pints of blood were collected by the National Blood Transfusion Service within the year at 12 blood donation camps organised by the company.
The company also continued with its commitment to the development of educational infrastructure for underprivileged schools by spending more than Rs. 4.1 million in 2010 for the construction and renovation of classrooms at 11 underprivileged schools in rural areas such as Kahatagasdigiliya, Jaffna, Moneragala and Embilipitiya. This included the construction of 10 classrooms, five of which were completed within the year. The construction of the other five classrooms is nearing completion, the company said.
“Ceylinco Life’s enduring commitment to projects that have a tangible impact on improving lives, especially in rural areas, is a defining feature of the company’s ethos,” said R. Renganathan, the company’s Managing Director and CEO. “These projects have been supported over several years to ensure that they have a lasting impact,” he added.
Ceylinco Life also contributed to the construction of four houses for disabled soldiers in 2010 in collaboration with the Seva Vanitha Unit of the Sri Lanka Army.
Ceylinco Life defines its Corporate Social Responsibility as ‘The continuing commitment of the company to create a sustainable business environment even in the remotest areas of the country through meaningful interventions in sectors such as healthcare and education for underprivileged people, while providing protection and financial security of the highest quality.’
The company has covered more than 750,000 lives through active policies and has been the market leader in long term insurance for the past seven years.

Standard Chartered Unveils A Range Of Priority Banking Services

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:03:08 +0000

Standard Chartered Bank recently unveiled their new Priority Banking (PRB) proposition, as part of efforts to offer its customers a personal and unique banking experience.
As part of the Bank’s superior products and services, priority banking customers can enjoy a host of special features such as:
Global Recognition – where all accounts would be recognised under one PRB relationship across the world. A customer who has a PRB account in any one country will be given PRB status in another country even if the required balance is not maintained, simply based on the first relationship;
Access to international Priority Banking centres – where a customer qualifies as a Priority Banking customer in any one country, his/her status will extend worldwide. This will allow the customer as well as his/her family to enjoy the same privileges for accounts in other countries.
Remote Account Opening – where a customer will have the benefit of opening an offshore account pre arrival in the event of migration to another country.
Emergency Cash – where customers have the benefit of having emergency cash delivered to any of the Bank’s Priority Banking Centres worldwide in the event of an unexpected incident such as losing your wallet.
ATM fee waiver – this feature enables a customer to use his/her Standard Chartered Bank ATM card to access accounts and make cash withdrawals free of charge at all Standard Chartered and Visa/MasterCard ATMs worldwide.
Cross border OTT fee waiver – where a customer can enjoy complimentary international fund transfers whenever money is sent to overseas Standard Chartered bank accounts or transfer funds in different currencies between a customer’s accounts, either online or through the Bank’s branch network. Travelex foreign exchange discounts – where a customer can present his/her Priority Banking cards and receive special discounts on foreign exchange at Travelex outlets in over 740 locations across 20 countries.
Total Relationship rewards – this exclusive and unique total banking rewards scheme allows customers to earn points not only on card spends but on all banking accounts with the Bank including savings, deposits, loans, channel related transactions, bancassurance etc.
Ask once and done service – Express and priority service on all customer requests and queries; All you have to do is ask ‘just once.’
Free lifetime Debit Card with enhanced limits on ATMs and point of sale terminals.
Lifetime free Platinum Credit Card (subject to verification).
“We have identified the priority needs of our customers and offer a range of superior banking products and services to cater to those specific needs. With our priority package, our customers will receive VIP treatment both locally and internationally,” said General Manager, Premium Banking, Branch Sales and Service of Standard Chartered Bank, Sri Lanka, Sanjay Wijemanne.
He said those eligible for the priority banking package include persons with a monthly income of over LKR 250,000 or those who could deposit and maintain a balance of LKR 5 million (USD50,000).
Priority Banking customers will also receive the benefit of maintaining savings and current accounts, time deposits, special foreign investment deposit accounts as well as other benefits such as globally accepted credit card services; personal and auto loans, range of other lending solutions and Bancasurance – a scheme that provides a host of insurance solutions including life, motor, health, and home insurance.

Sri Lanka Banks’ Association Partners Asia Microfinance Forum

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:02:10 +0000

Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (Guarantee) Ltd (SLBA), the premier institution for commercial banks as well as specialised banks in Sri Lanka has teamed up with the Banking With The Poor Network (BWTP) as a Supporting Partner for AMF 2010.
Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (Guarantee) Ltd (SLBA) with the membership of all the commercial banks and specialised banks, which operate in Sri Lanka takes this important step of partnering the Asia Microfinance Forum.
In the last decade many commercial banks have looked at Microfinance as an important business initiative and have downscaled to create access to financial services to Micro Entrepreneurs. By being a Supporting Partner of the conference, Sri Lanka Banks’ Association will inspire its memberships’ greater involvement in the Microfinance industry in Sri Lanka.
After 30 years of civil war and now when Sri Lanka is at the threshold of major economic development and whilst the commercial banks have taken major steps towards partnering economic development in Sri Lanka, particularly in rural Sri Lanka, it is indeed a timely partnership between Banking With The Poor Network (BWTP) and Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (SLBA) for this involvement for AMF 2010.
AMF 2010 will be held from October 12th – 15th and will bring in the whole of Asia as well as representatives from other parts of the world. Over 550 delegates are expected to attend, among them would be leading practitioners, investors, policy makers and other capacity builders. The conference will showcase the future direction of the Microfinance Industry in Asia. Among the participating institutions are central banks, commercial banks, specialised banks and leading Microfinance institutions, which are expected to be involved in this conference.
Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (SLBA) will inspire its members to be greatly involved in the conference and also strongly advocate financial inclusion in their respective institutions.

CIFL Introduces New Products

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:00:33 +0000

Central Investments & Finance Limited (CIFL), a pioneer finance company registered with Central Bank of Sri Lanka, on its 44th Anniversary, launched a new product branded “Kalin Poli” in an effort to introduce one of the most rewarding investment solutions to the public.
The unique feature the new Product “Kalin Poli” is that the customer doesn’t have to wait till the maturity of their fixed deposit to receive the interest, but gets the interest immediately after placing the deposit. Deposits can be placed for six months and one year on very attractive interest rates.
This is a Central Bank Approved product and the first of its kind to be introduced by a finance company in Sri Lanka. CIFL hopes to bring multiple benefits to the customer by providing investors with an opportunity to shift their deposits from other institutions on maturity and reinvest with CIFL to receive interest upfront, or receive interest upfront at the placement of the new deposit.
Launching of this product is one their initiatives to increase inflows to the company to enhance the micro-financing activities in rural areas of Sri Lanka with the help of the wide network of branches and services centers around the country.
The Micro finance & rural community development activities of CIFL were presented to the Sri Lankan cricketers in an effort to increase more participation from the public towards rural development programmes. Talented Thilina Thushara of the Sri Lankan Cricket Team made the first deposit under the new product which will be utilized for the upcoming micro financing projects..
“Once again with the guidance and support of the Central Bank, we hope to move forward with our Micro Financing activities to benefit rural communities and Kalin Poli is an ideal vehicle to give the investors an opportunity to participate in such activities through a responsible mediator such as CIFL. This is a win-win situation for all,” stated Assistant General Manager-Business Development, Chathura Lakindu.

Rewards For Union Motor Star Customers

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:59:44 +0000

Settling the claim in the event of an accident is any insurer’s responsibility. However, Union Assurance with the introduction of Union Motor Star offers a star class experience to customers by making purchase and claiming of motor insurance convenient and providing the customers with a truly rewarding experience throughout the policy period, said, Assistant General Manager – Marketing of Union Assurance PLC, Dharshana Amarasiynghe.
One of the key features of Union Motor Star is the “Union Motor Rewards”. With Union Motor Rewards, customers can avail themselves of truly rewarding benefits including an array of discounts on vehicle-related products and services. The cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle is quite a burden on household budgets and Union Motor Rewards strives to alleviate that burden by saving money for customers on essential vehicle related products and services.
“We have partnered with over 100 vendors who are specialists in every sphere, such as mechanical repairs, car wash and vacuum, vehicle service, breakdown services, battery and mobile services, car audio and hi-fi, AC repair and service and many more, to offer exclusive discounts to Union Motor Star customers. All that is needed to be eligible for these discounts is to have a Union Motor Star certificate. By becoming a Union Motor Star customer, the savings accrued from Union Motor Rewards help recover the premium paid for the policy,” adds Amarasiynghe.
Customers can look forward to regular SMS alerts on their mobile phones about special offers and discount schemes from UA partner vendors who have been handpicked for being experts in their area of specialization.
“We kindly request our valued Union Motor Star policy holders to be alert on the SMS offers. If you are a Union Motor Star policy holder but have not yet received any offers via SMS, please send an SMS with your motor vehicle number in order to get yourself registered,” requests Amarasiynghe.
You could register yourself via SMS by typing REGvehicle number and sending it to 0777 37 58 58.
Customers will also receive a Union Motor Rewards booklet which serves as a guide that contains all the details of the UA partner vendors, their addresses, contact details and their special offers exclusively for Union Motor Star customers.

Drive With Ease With NDB Bank

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:55:04 +0000

With exceptional customer service and a wide-ranging portfolio of financial solutions, backed by a growing network of branches, set up strategically across the island, NDB Bank remains dedicated to offer the best solutions for all financial needs of its customers.
NDB Bank strives to assist its customers to reach their life’s goals while building long-lasting relationships with them and their family members. It is in line with this thinking that NDB Bank has introduced numerous financial services that could assist customers along the way.
Given the recent reduction in motor vehicle import duty, it is now the ideal time for those who intend to purchase a vehicle to do so with the financial backing of NDB Bank.
Through its vehicle loan scheme, NDB Bank enables its customers to purchase a vehicle under competitive interest rates with personalized, at-your-door-step service. Based on the applicant’s monthly income, NDB Bank will provide the funds to purchase a vehicle. Fixed income earners with permanent employment earning more than Rs. 30,000 per month, professionals attached to identified registered professional bodies as well sole proprietors and those in business partnerships could apply under this scheme.
These loans are repayable over five to seven years and can be obtained up to Rs. 4 million. A unique feature of this facility offered by NDB Bank is that all loans are inclusive of a free loan protection cover/insurance, where in the event of death or permanent disability of the loan recipient, the repayment of the loan will be taken over by the insurance company and will not be transferred to the next of kin, thus offering peace of mind to the borrower and his/her immediate family.
The NDB Bank leasing facility is available to customers who wish to purchase a brand new or unregistered vehicle for either personal or business use. Catering to individual, SME and corporate sectors, NDB Bank fulfills the requirements of all these categories by offering attractive rates and a fast and flexible service on all vehicles. NDB Bank believes in enabling entrepreneurial individuals to achieve results in their chosen trade through financing the much needed vehicle to grow their business.
NDB Bank remains dedicated to bringing its customers one step closer to accomplishing their life long ambitions and uplifting their standards of living through the range of services that is accessible thorough its growing branch network.
Further details on both vehicle loans and leasing could be obtained from NDB Bank’s 24 hour Call Centre, by calling 011 2 448 888.

Best Leasing Deals In Town From HNB Leasing

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:50:21 +0000

Having started leasing back in 1991 HNB was the first bank to commence leasing among the private commercial banks and this sector has grown steadily over the years. Today the company is at the forefront of leasing in the banking sector and has been committed to giving customers the best deals possible, with a range of options and flexibility, ensuring it meets the individual needs of customers island wide.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader, Chief Manager – Leasing at HNB, Keerthi Wijeratne explained that HNB Leasing has always stuck to partnerships with leading vehicle dealers in the country to offer customers the best in flexible leasing solutions.
According to Wijeratne the dawn of peace in the country has seen the leasing industry begin to show growth, especially during the last few months with the new duty reduction on imports and significant demand for vehicles compared to last year.
Wijeratne said, “We aim at offering our customers access to some of the best leasing deals in the country. We have not only formed customer friendly dealerships with the best vehicle dealers in the country but we also offer very attractive lease rentals when compared to others in the market. Our lease rental scheme is very affordable and customers can also benefit from our attractive value addition schemes that we have introduced with regards to these lease packages. In addition to this we are also involved in selected location based promotional activities which include town storming and leasing fairs.”
Wijeratne added, “We are continually introducing these leasing packages so that people would be able to afford their own car. We have been coming up with innovative products of this nature, so that our customers will have an affordable monthly payment. HNB’s strategy of giving the clients a comfortable rental is to ensure that they are not overburdened and they will have sufficient means to maintain living standards within the limitations of their cash flows. This is one of the most attractive features and practical aspects of our leasing activity. The most remarkable feature of HNB leasing is that our services are not limited to leasing alone. Customers start a relationship with the bank through a leasing transaction and end up with a host of facilities.”
Wijeratne said, “Leasing at HNB is not confined only to vehicles. HNB’s leasing products cover a wide range of machinery and equipment used for the tea industry, production lines, construction industry, confectionery industry, etc. This kind of high value machinery leasing is possible due to the fact that HNB is a bank with immense financial resources.”
In addition to these services having customer service centres located around the island is a major advantage to customers who come to HNB for their leasing needs. With its wide network of 191 customer service centres functioning throughout the island makes it convenient for any client from Point Pedro, Norochchole, Kalmunai, Tissamaharama or any other distant location in the country to obtain a leasing facility from any one of those branches in double quick time without having to travel all the way to Colombo or major towns.
HNB has the most technically competent and experienced leasing team that is capable of structuring leases according to the customer’s repayment capacity. The special leasing packages offered by HNB Leasing offers many benefits to customers whilst also offering very competitive pricing schemes.
Due to the fact that HNB Leasing follows a very effective customer assessment with regards to their repayment capacities when offering leasing solutions customers do not have any complications in meeting repayments. “We initially take into consideration the needs of the customer, lifestyle and affordability. Customer convenience is top priority; this has essentially proved helpful as our pay back rate has been extremely good with a minimum default rate.
This has enabled customers to always maintain trustworthy relationships with HNB Leasing. Also these customers have the privilege of being entitled to a spectrum of other banking services offered by HNB. This has enabled HNB Leasing to become a customer’s one stop shop for their total financial solutions, thus keeping up to our motto ‘Your Partner in Progress’.”

Apiit Law School – Unique, Modern And Vibrant

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:37:01 +0000

APIIT Law School, established in collaboration with Staffordshire University, UK, offers an internal British Degree in Law – LLB (Hons) Law. The registration of 75 students for the next intake is now open on a first come, first served basis. Following are some of the features of the APIIT Law School that make it unique, modern and vibrant.

Internal Degree
APIIT Law School offers an internal British Degree in Law. The internal University Degrees are unique and have special characteristics. The quality assurance of internal degrees is not limited to final examinations; rather, quality assurance takes place over the full duration of the course encompassing all aspects such as adequacy of learning resources, competence of lecturers, quality of teaching, level of student support, effectiveness of assessment strategies, etc. The universities prescribe required standards for all these parameters and monitor the conduct of the programmes closely to ensure that the prescribed standards are maintained. As a result internal degrees are able to maintain high standards and, naturally, the graduates of internal degree programmes command greater respect and recognition.

International Standards
Staffordshire University in the UK, the Partner University of APIIT Law School, has more than 40 years of experience in legal education. Staffordshire University Law School is recognised as one of the best law schools in the UK. It was recently awarded top marks by the Quality Assurance Agency and the Solicitors Regulation Authority in the UK as one of the best providers of Legal Education for undergraduate, postgraduate and professional awards. APIIT Law School makes the most of this vast and in depth experience in legal education to maintain international standards and provide a superior learning experience to all its students.

Modern Law School
APIIT Law School is a purpose-built Law School consisting of state-of-the-art learning infrastructure such as a modern law library, moot court, specially designed lecture theatres, small-group tutorial rooms, IT laboratories and other support facilities. It is spacious with 17,000 square feet of floor area and is modelled on leading British Law Schools.

Comprehensive Law Library
A modern Law Library is central to legal education. The Law Library supports not only student learning of various disciplines but also extensive research by the students and staff during the teaching and learning process. The APIIT Law Library is being developed to meet the international standards, and requirements set by Staffordshire University, UK. In addition, students are provided with access to renowned electronic libraries and online resources of Staffordshire University.

Moot Court
The Moot Court is a unique feature of the APIIT Law School, the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. The Moot Court mimics a real life legal practice environment and allows students to argue hypothetical cases to improve their practice skills. Students will also be provided with opportunities to participate in mooting competitions nationally and internationally.

Language Centre
The aim of the English Language Centre is to provide a comprehensive training in English and help students reach high levels of competence. Computer aided learning packages are used to train students on all aspects of English learning such as listening, reading, comprehension, and writing. Students with good language skills too may use the Language Centre resources in their free time to further refine their communication skills.

IT Support
APIIT Law School has a modern IT infrastructure and computer laboratories. The Law School Computer Laboratories are well-equipped with the latest technologies and provide unlimited access to the Internet through high speed broadband and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Outstanding Teaching Panel
The teaching panel comprises highly qualified and competent academics and practising lawyers. The full-time staff is supplemented by visiting lecturers from the universities and the Bar. Further, leading practitioners are invited to conduct seminars/ guest lectures on topics of special interest.

Unique Teaching Style
The teaching and learning take place through interactive lectures, small-group tutorial classes and workshops. Although the lectures cover course contents comprehensively, special emphasis is given to small-group tutorials where students actively participate in the learning process. To facilitate this teaching style, the APIIT Law School has several small tutorial rooms in addition to comfortable lecture theatres.

Skills Training
A unique feature of the Internal LLB (Hons) Law Degree is the ‘SKILLS’ training programme that takes place throughout the first year. ‘SKILLS’ training is conducted mostly through workshops and imparts skills such as legal problem solving, legal writing and research, client interviewing, and critical analysis. Consequently, students are equipped with not only subject knowledge but also a wide array of skills to become effective practitioners on graduation.

Exemplary Student Support
Poor student support is often a root cause of high failure rate in higher education. Lack of student support undermines students’ morale and drives them from pillar to post in desperation. APIIT Law School stands to be different; with comprehensive student mentoring and counselling schemes, tutorial support, and career guidance and job placement, APIIT Law School ensures that the students are fully supported throughout the programme and beyond.

Bridging Programme
An optional ‘bridging programme’ at the end of the three year LLB (Hons) will prepare students for the Sri Lanka Law College examinations and orient them for legal practice in Sri Lanka.

Competitive Fees Structure
In spite of offering an internal LLB (Hons) degree programme from a leading British Law School, providing outstanding resources for teaching and learning, and maintaining international standards of education, APIIT Law School is in a position to maintain student fees at a competitive level.

Choose the Best
Students now have the unique opportunity to read for an internal LLB (Hons) degree from a prestigious British University at the APIIT Law School. Students will go through a rich learning experience in a typical law school environment and acquire a solid legal foundation that enables them to meet the challenges of legal practice in the modern globalized world. Our students deserve the best. What APIIT Law School offers is not only a British qualification, but full development of the individual to become an enterprising professional.

Seylan Card Supermarket Sweep

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:36:29 +0000

The Supermarket Sweep promotion will permit Seylan Bank Card holders to take whatever they wish, absolutely free at selected Laugfs Sun-up Super Markets up to Rs.25,000. All they have to do is make a purchase of Rs. 500.00 or more each month at any merchant outlet using a Seylan Debit or Credit Card from 15th August 2010 to 15th January 2011, in order to stand a chance of entering the Supermarket Sweep Draw which will be held monthly.
What’s more, with each purchase of Rs. 500.00, Seylan Bank card holders will stand multiple chances of winning at the draw.
According to Senior Deputy General Manager, Seylan Card Centre, Tissa Nanayakkara five Debit and five credit card holders will be randomly selected each month and given five minutes to shop at a Laugfs Sun-up Supermarket to fill up their shopping carts with up to Rs. 25,000 worth of goods.
Explaining the mechanics of the promotion, Nanayakkara said that ATM cash withdrawals using Debit Cards are excluded from the promotion but that ATM cash withdrawals using Credit Cards are permitted.

AMW Launches A-Star

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:35:55 +0000

AMW, Sole Distributor for Suzuki in Sri Lanka is to launch the A-Star, a much awaited model which is a class apart in style. A-Star reflects the need for a modern car with best-in-class fuel efficiency, lower emission, high quality and high performance along with style.
A-star is the best in class fuel-efficient car with a mileage of 19.59 kilometers per liter, as tested by ARAI, Pune, India’s premier automotive research agency. This outstanding fuel performance can be attributed to the new, state-of-the-art, light weight, 998cc K10B petrol engine.
Built on a brand new platform, the A-star is an excellent new car with best in class turning radius, power, flat torque (minimum gearshifts) and performance. With a turning radius of 4.5 meters and a ground clearance of 170 mm, A-star is suitable for all road conditions, including congested areas.
The interior of A-star boasts of a refreshing mix of modernity and ethnicity. The digital trip meter, odometer, fuel gauge, clock, an integrated music system with AUX-in facility, a short-throw gear shift and a sporty steering get together to offer an unmatched experience. A floating cockpit design, sculpted aero-dashboard and wrap- around console add to the overall engaging sporty theme.
The exterior reflects the contemporary European tastes with apportioned cabin layouts. Besides aerodynamic looks, the car’s exterior has numerous interesting features such as sweeping expressive lamps, comet shaped tail lamps, and a wide sporty grille that also offers good engine ventilation. One of the most striking features that capture attention is the highly contoured rear bumper which brings in the cool quotient to this premium car.