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Ceylinco pays record claim of Rs. 250 mln
Ceylinco Insurance, Sri Lanka's largest private sector insurance company, paid one of the highest insurance claims recently - Rs. 250 million - to Young an' Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, a Korean company with BOI status.

The company said a fire had destroyed the production line of the factory complex at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone, which deals in manufacturing caps and hats for export purposes. The company dominates the world hats market with a market share of 60 percent.

According to a spokesman at Ceylinco Insurance-General Division, this claim is one of the highest ever paid in the history of Sri Lanka. "The Korean Business Association was impressed by the manner in which the Gampaha Branch of Ceylinco Insurance- General Division handled the claim, " a company statement said.

Sanderatne's latest book on rural finance
The Post-graduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA) of the University of Peradeniya will launch a new series of research publications to commemorate fifty years of the University at Peradeniya.

The first book "Leading issues in rural finance" by Dr. Nimal Sanderatne will be presented to the Vice Chancellor Professor Kapila Gunasekera tomorrow by Professor R.O. Thattil, Director of the PGIA.

This book written by Sanderatne, a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Post-graduate Institute of Agriculture of the University of Peradeniya, a former Central Banker and a former Chairman of the Bank of Ceylon and the National Development Bank, covers most of the important issues in rural finance.

It is specifically designed for students in economics and agricultural economics desiring to understand the complex and controversial issues relating to rural financial markets. The issues in rural finance are discussed in relation to the Sri Lankan experience, which is rich in the diversity of experiments, approaches and results.

The book discusses the functions of financial markets, the distinguishing features of rural financial markets and the evolution of rural financial markets. Informal finance is discussed in some detail. The principal issues in institutional finance such as interest rates and the problem of recovery are discussed comprehensively. The book also discusses the principal issues in microfinance and includes a brief literature review and an extensive bibliography.

ZILS ties up with ESP for strategic entry into Sri Lanka
Zee Interactive Learning Systems (ZILS), a pioneering e-learning venture, and one of Asia's most powerful media brands - Zee, has formed a strategic partnership and signed a MoU with a local integrated management consultancy company - ESP consult.

The business partnership offers Sri Lanka an opportunity to move on its path to develop powerful interactive technologies for learning, high end information technology training and Internet based e-learning software and content solutions, a statement from ESP said.

ZILS, a part of the ESSEL group of companies, is a global convergence leader, in the forefront of delivering information, entertainment and communication. ESP, a virtual business consultancy offers business partnering and matchmaking, corporate and strategic planning, supply chain management, brand and image management and social marketing turnkey projects, training and skills development, local and export management services and third party Internet and information technology solution interfaces.

Shehara de Silva, founder of the consultancy and a well known marketing and communications expert, sees the partnership as part of her business promise - creating value- "people, products, processes, that shall loop together with the best in class partners, create knowledge communities and an integrated, holistic market development."

ESP will market ZILS products and services and establish opportunities and gaps that may afford ZILS to bring in its wealth of expertise as a technology partner that helps in implementing key initiatives of the e-strategy ICT sector development road map.

The SETTLE (Social Equity through Teaching and Learning English) project conceptualized and structured by ESP is being viewed by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce as a major programme initiative that they will champion and help drive. It involves accelerated English language teaching preferably under immersion methodologies and targets to help the less advantaged segments of society have greater access to quality education.

De Silva is possibly best known in marketing circles for her close involvement in the non-technology field (FMCGs) where she has helped build or was part of the success of several leading brands - Anchor milk (marketing director), Mortein mosquito coils (brand manager) Singer (marketing services manager), etc. She was formerly deputy director general of the BOI and played a role in attracting FDI into Sri Lanka.

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