Academic literature on the topic 'Banks and banking – Sri Lanka ; Money – Sri Lanka'

Financial deregulation and technological advancement have led the sri lankan banking industry to highly competitive environment. In sri lanka, the competition is not only among the local banks, but also from foreign banks. To stay competitive and strong, a bank’s customer retention is crucial. In this context banking institutions would like to know how the customers select their bank and how they perceive the performance of banks in such competitive environment. The researcher selected sample of 468 banking customers from public and private banks of sri lanka. Responses were analyzed and presented through descriptive, correlation and regression analysis. The findings showed that the security and service quality were the two most crucial factors when selecting a bank in sri lanka. Significant gender and education level factors in bank selection were observed. Study concludes that sri lankan private banks perform better on those factors than the public banks in sri lanka.

Despite core banking, banks also engage in off-balance-sheet (OBS) market activities. In many developed banking industries, OBS activities have grown to be significant during the last two decades. This paper provides rather scarce evidence on the competitiveness among banks for OBS activities and its impact on the degree of banking sector competition in Sri Lanka. Panzar-Ross H statistic approach employing in this study to estimate bank competition used a comprehensive set of bank-level data of the whole commercial banking sector in Sri Lanka covering the period 1996-2018. The first-round analysis of the study uncovers substantial differences among banks concerning the OBS activities. EGLS panel estimation procedure applied in this study provides evidence for a lower level of competitiveness among Sri Lankan banks for OBS activities. More interestingly, the findings further reveal that the degree of competitiveness for OBS activities has a significant positive impact on the overall competitiveness of the banking sector in Sri Lanka. These results suggest banking institutions re-visit their business models with greater emphasis on nonconventional banking activities in enhancing bank-level efficiency and hence positively contributing to the overall competitiveness of the banking sector.

The banking sector in Sri Lanka has been portrayed by significant changes in the past few decades. It is widely perceived that competition in the Sri Lankan banking sector has improved since the introduction of the financial sector reforms in the 1990s. By applying Panzar-Rosse (PR) approach to test the degree of competitiveness, this paper assesses the validity of this claim in the context of the Sri Lankan banking sector during 1996-2018. The sample covers a broader set of bank-level panel data of the whole commercial banking sector which comprised of 25 licensed commercial banks. The EGLS procedure applied in this study revealed that during the stated period, the Sri Lankan banking sector had been moderately competitive. Further analysis also disclosed that there is no significant difference between the state-owned banks and private banks regarding their degree of competitiveness, as well as their temporal dynamics. Another striking observation revealed in this analysis is the lower level of competitiveness among foreign banks compared to the competitiveness of local banks. The Competitiveness of the Sri Lankan banking sector however is characterized by non-price competition, as on many occasions the interest rate depends on government policies. Hence, this study provides new insight into the nature of financial sector competitiveness in underdeveloped countries. The outcome of the research implies the necessity of attempts of all banks towards re-aligning their strategies to attract and retain customers. This would be the major challenge that banks face in accomplishing a higher level of competition in the banking industry in the future.

This paper examines how the financial reforms introduced throughout last 30 year period have improved the managerial efficiency of firms in the banking industry in Sri Lanka. Using non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA), this study estimated relative efficiency of banking firms in Sri Lanka using a sample of data collected from 20 year cross section (1989-2008). The study found that the banks in Sri Lanka have recorded relatively higher level of efficiency. Both managerial decisions and scale of operation have been equally contributed to the recorded inefficiency. We found that large banks were relatively more efficient than small banks. However, medium size banks were recorded relatively lower levels of efficiency which were mainly contributed by the managerial factor.

Employees are the backbone of any organization. They are the most precious and important asset among all the assets of any organization. Job satisfaction is a part of employee life satisfaction. So the employee job satisfaction becomes one of the top priority issues in the banking industry. Therefore, the study aims to identify the level of job satisfaction of banking employees’ in private and public banks in Sri Lanka with special reference to Anuradhapura District. All employees who are working in either public or private banks in Anuradhapura District were the population of the study and out of them 226 employees were selected as sample of the study based on stratified sampling technique. Data were processed through number of rigorous analysis to derive a robust conclusion. The findings of the study indicated higher level of job satisfaction in public sector banking employees than private sector employees in Sri Lanka. Further study regression result highlighted statistically significant impact of work itself, salary, job security and recognition on employee job satisfaction in baking sector Sri Lanka, however possibility of growth and working conditions no longer make significant impact on employee job satisfaction. Finally, study identified salary as a greatest explanatory variable of employee job satisfaction in banking sector Sri Lanka. Key words: Banking Sector, Job satisfaction, Salary, Job security

This paper aims to investigate the impact of credit risk on the profitability of the banking sector in Sri Lanka. The profitability is measured with and Return on Assets. At the same time, credit risk is quantified with four indicators: Non-performing loan Ratio (NPLR), Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR), Net Charge off Ratio (NCOR), and Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR). Data from thirteen banks over eight years from 2010 to 2017 was analyzed using panel data regression analysis. The finding shows that the Profitability of the Banking Sector in Sri Lanka has been determined by important determinants such as credit risk. The study further finds that non-performing loans have negative and significant return on assets. However, the net charge-off ratio and the loan to deposit ratio are not important variables for expanding the bank's profitability. On the other hand, the CAR positively impacts returns on assets. The study suggested the need to strengthen the management of credit risk in order to preserve Sri Lankan banks' current profitability.

In the recent past, the global financial crisis and the subsequent recession in many developed countries have increased households’ and firms’ defaults, causing significant losses to the banks. Case of Sri Lanka is no difference. The changes in the economic conditions are believed to have a critical role to play in determining the level of nonperforming loans. Regulators all over the world have started to pay more attention to the credit quality of the Banks and strengthened the regulatory frameworks. This paper attempts to study the macroeconomic determinants of banks’ loan quality in Sri Lanka by analyzing secondary data over the period 1998–2014. The methodology to be adopted for the study was arrived at upon careful review of the literature and following the empirical studies conducted on the determinants of the nonperforming loans. The finding of the analysis is that, out of the six determinants, GDP growth rate and the Export Growth are significant in determining the level of the NPLs in the Sri Lankan banking sector. The relationship of the GDP with the NPL is found to be positive which is not consistent with the majority of the empirical findings Keywords: Nonperforming Loans, Macroeconomic Determinants, In the recent past, the global financial crisis and the subsequent recession in many developed countries have increased households’ and firms’ defaults, causing significant losses to the banks. Case of Sri Lanka is no difference. The changes in the economic conditions are believed to have a critical role to play in determining the level of nonperforming loans. Regulators all over the world have started to pay more attention to the credit quality of the Banks and strengthened the regulatory frameworks. This paper attempts to study the macroeconomic determinants of banks’ loan quality in Sri Lanka by analyzing secondary data over the period 1998–2014. The methodology to be adopted for the study was arrived at upon careful review of the literature and following the empirical studies conducted on the determinants of the nonperforming loans. The finding of the analysis is that, out of the six determinants, GDP growth rate and the Export Growth are significant in determining the level of the NPLs in the Sri Lankan banking sector. The relationship of the GDP with the NPL is found to be positive which is not consistent with the majority of the empirical findings Keywords: Nonperforming Loans, Macroeconomic Determinants, In the recent past, the global financial crisis and the subsequent recession in many developed countries have increased households’ and firms’ defaults, causing significant losses to the banks. Case of Sri Lanka is no difference. The changes in the economic conditions are believed to have a critical role to play in determining the level of nonperforming loans. Regulators all over the world have started to pay more attention to the credit quality of the Banks and strengthened the regulatory frameworks. This paper attempts to study the macroeconomic determinants of banks’ loan quality in Sri Lanka by analyzing secondary data over the period 1998–2014. The methodology to be adopted for the study was arrived at upon careful review of the literature and following the empirical studies conducted on the determinants of the nonperforming loans. The finding of the analysis is that, out of the six determinants, GDP growth rate and the Export Growth are significant in determining the level of the NPLs in the Sri Lankan banking sector. The relationship of the GDP with the NPL is found to be positive which is not consistent with the majority of the empirical findings Keywords: Nonperforming Loans, Macroeconomic Determinants, In the recent past, the global financial crisis and the subsequent recession in many developed countries have increased households’ and firms’ defaults, causing significant losses to the banks. Case of Sri Lanka is no difference. The changes in the economic conditions are believed to have a critical role to play in determining the level of nonperforming loans. Regulators all over the world have started to pay more attention to the credit quality of the Banks and strengthened the regulatory frameworks. This paper attempts to study the macroeconomic determinants of banks’ loan quality in Sri Lanka by analyzing secondary data over the period 1998–2014. The methodology to be adopted for the study was arrived at upon careful review of the literature and following the empirical studies conducted on the determinants of the nonperforming loans. The finding of the analysis is that, out of the six determinants, GDP growth rate and the Export Growth are significant in determining the level of the NPLs in the Sri Lankan banking sector. The relationship of the GDP with the NPL is found to be positive which is not consistent with the majority of the empirical findings Keywords: Nonperforming Loans, Macroeconomic Determinants, In the recent past, the global financial crisis and the subsequent recession in many developed countries have increased households’ and firms’ defaults, causing significant losses to the banks. Case of Sri Lanka is no difference. The changes in the economic conditions are believed to have a critical role to play in determining the level of nonperforming loans. Regulators all over the world have started to pay more attention to the credit quality of the Banks and strengthened the regulatory frameworks. This paper attempts to study the macroeconomic determinants of banks’ loan quality in Sri Lanka by analyzing secondary data over the period 1998–2014. The methodology to be adopted for the study was arrived at upon careful review of the literature and following the empirical studies conducted on the determinants of the nonperforming loans. The finding of the analysis is that, out of the six determinants, GDP growth rate and the Export Growth are significant in determining the level of the NPLs in the Sri Lankan banking sector. The relationship of the GDP with the NPL is found to be positive which is not consistent with the majority of the empirical findings Keywords: Nonperforming Loans, Macroeconomic Determinants, In the recent past, the global financial crisis and the subsequent recession in many developed countries have increased households’ and firms’ defaults, causing significant losses to the banks. Case of Sri Lanka is no difference. The changes in the economic conditions are believed to have a critical role to play in determining the level of nonperforming loans. Regulators all over the world have started to pay more attention to the credit quality of the Banks and strengthened the regulatory frameworks. This paper attempts to study the macroeconomic determinants of banks’ loan quality in Sri Lanka by analyzing secondary data over the period 1998–2014. The methodology to be adopted for the study was arrived at upon careful review of the literature and following the empirical studies conducted on the determinants of the nonperforming loans. The finding of the analysis is that, out of the six determinants, GDP growth rate and the Export Growth are significant in determining the level of the NPLs in the Sri Lankan banking sector. The relationship of the GDP with the NPL is found to be positive which is not consistent with the majority of the empirical findings Keywords: Nonperforming Loans, Macroeconomic Determinants, In the recent past, the global financial crisis and the subsequent recession in many developed countries have increased households’ and firms’ defaults, causing significant losses to the banks. Case of Sri Lanka is no difference. The changes in the economic conditions are believed to have a critical role to play in determining the level of nonperforming loans. Regulators all over the world have started to pay more attention to the credit quality of the Banks and strengthened the regulatory frameworks. This paper attempts to study the macroeconomic determinants of banks’ loan quality in Sri Lanka by analyzing secondary data over the period 1998–2014. The methodology to be adopted for the study was arrived at upon careful review of the literature and following the empirical studies conducted on the determinants of the nonperforming loans. The finding of the analysis is that, out of the six determinants, GDP growth rate and the Export Growth are significant in determining the level of the NPLs in the Sri Lankan banking sector. The relationship of the GDP with the NPL is found to be positive which is not consistent with the majority of the empirical findings

This paper provides interesting insights into the practices of banks and institutional setting in Sri Lanka. The sustainability and stability of banks that makes up an economy’s banking system should be sound at all time. This paper aimed at analyzing the determinants of banking sector stability in Sri Lanka. The study used a broad set of macro and bank level data covering 22 commercial banks for the period 1996-2016. The fixed effect GLS panel data model tested in this paper sets the relationship between bank stability measure; Z-score and business environment which includes bank characteristics and the elements of macro environment. The analysis of the study revealed lower level of Z-scores and thus lower level of bank stability, indicating a higher risk associated with the commercial banking sector in Sri Lanka. From among the variables tested, strong evidence was found for a positive effect of bank efficiency on bank stability and a negative effect of credit growth on bank stability. At macro level, bank stability is promoted at a higher rate when the economy is more developed and stable. The results imply that efficiency of commercial banks needs to be further improved and regulatory and policy environment should be strengthened to manage the credit growth at the bank level. Further, it is suggestive to strengthening bank supervision and other financial infrastructure in order to ensure sustainability of the banking sector. Thus, the present paper contributes the current banking literature by unveiling the explicit and unforeseen economic implications associate with individual bank operations and macro imbalance which are particularly unique in underdeveloped countries.

Monetary policy which until recently aimed at targeting monetary aggregates has quietly given way to adjusting interest rates. Most of the Central Banks now focus on money reaction function that directly targets inflation or price level. This paper examines the way monetary policy is being conducted in the four major South Asian economies, namely, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The analysis is based on a variant of the Taylor rule framework. Using quarterly data over the period 1990Q1 to 2012Q4, the study finds that the monetary authorities in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have accommodated some degree of inflationary pressure, whereas Bangladesh has continuously smoothened interest rate while setting its monetary policy. Besides pursuing a mild monetary policy stance against inflation, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are also giving importance to foreign interest rate and real exchange rate movements to justify their relevance in monetary policy setting. However, the same has not been found to be true for Bangladesh. JEL Classification: E52, E58, E60 Keywords: Monetary Policy Rule, Central Banks, SAARC Countries

The prime lending rate is the rate at which commercial banks loan funds to their most creditworthy customers, and hence, is usually lower than other market lending rates; reason why it is considered a “base or reference rate”. In Sri Lanka, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has been compiling the Average Weighted Prime Lending Rate (AWPR) since January 1986. This paper examines the determinants of prime lending rates in Sri Lanka using weekly data from January 2004 to June 2013, while attempting to capture any asymmetries in prime rate changes to monetary policy decisions. Empirical evidence suggests that the prime rate is highly persistent, while the call money rate also remains a key determinant. However, domestic liquidity was statistically insignificant and even if it was, it has only a marginal impact in determining the prime lending rate. Furthermore, there is also evidence of asymmetric adjustment in AWPR.

The purpose of this PhD thesis is to make a contribution to existing knowledge in the field of critical accounting by studying credit mechanisms and their link to income/wealth inequality in Sri Lankan society and the role of accounting technology in facilitating such mechanisms. The literature review revealed that: a) Global inequality is aggravated by the disparity of economic development which is possible only through state intervention; b) Unemployment is considered as a dilemma for economic development in developing countries by most politicians/administrators/researchers; c) In any country, around 60-70 percent of employment is generated by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and; d) Their major problem is access to credit. This research was designed to find out how the credit system works and why certain SMEs do not have adequate access to credit to develop their businesses; to provide employment; to increase the share of national income to the lower income groups; to narrow down the gap between the rich and poor within and between countries. A case study research approach was followed to extract data on real-life experiences of the research participants. Reliability of data was ensured by using various verification techniques and maximum efforts were made to balance the two extremes of validity of the research; internal and external. The extent of representation by the cases and the bank was tested, and judged as high, with 12-14 characteristics common to the Sri Lankan credit culture and banking industry respectively. Marxian critical theories were used for theoretical guidance throughout the research. The three case studies provide empirical evidence for the existence of the discriminatory nature of credit decision-making where two credit applicants were successful but a third credit applicant failed in obtaining credit. It is contended that the two successful applicants were powerful enough to approach a more powerful bank Chairperson and to obtain credit outside the normal credit rules with the support of accounting technology and using masks such as patriotism and social responsibility. The other applicant, who was initially accommodated with credit at the lower level, could not convince the credit decision-makers at the higher level with expensive professionally prepared accounting reports. This applicant was not from an influential social network and could not reach the powerful credit decision-makers informally was rejected through strict application of credit rules. Deep analysis of these facts supports the Marxian claim that credit and exploitation mechanisms work towards concentration of wealth and sustaining income inequality. Credit decisions supply money to influential individuals and it is argued that such economic power enhances the social powerbase of those individuals, which in turn reinforces the propensity to make preferential credit decisions, thereby making them richer. In contrast, a lack of money translates into powerlessness, deprivation and exclusion from social activities for the majority of the poor. In this process opportunities are lost to disadvantaged social groups and this necessarily results in poor people’s economic status remaining stagnant. These power-driven, discriminatory decision-making systems not only restrict the availability of financial capital for feasible projects, but also deny credit to potential enterprises. Further, wasting resources on unfeasible projects, while ignoring the need for nurturing potentially viable projects, are a double blow to efforts towards employment generation and economic development and therefore, are detrimental to the economic well-being of the general population. These findings provide insight for policy formulators for more productive financial capital mobility systems in Sri Lanka. It is suggested that suitable State intervention in regulating SME financing could remove such credit-related obstacles to economic development, and work towards a fair distribution of economic benefits to the people in Sri Lanka and beyond.