Exchange Rates on 17-Dec-08 in SLRS

(1) The average rates of the following currencies quoted by commercial banks in Colombo.


Currency	                 Buying Rate	Selling Rate

U.S. Dollar		110.66		112.27
Sterling Pound	169.20		172.38
EURO		151.38		154.58
Swiss Franc	95.48		97.63
Canadian Dollar	89.49		91.53
Australian Dollar	73.68		75.73
Singapore Dollar	75.06		76.65
Japanese Yen	1.2180		1.2498

(2) The approximate exchange rates of GULF Currencies, based on previous day’s market weighted average rate for the US$ are as follows:

Country	                Currency	        Indicative Rate

Bahrain		Dinar		295.63
Kuwait		Dinar		406.64
Oman		Rial		289.43
Qatar		Riyal		30.60
Saudi Arabia	Riyal		29.70
UAE		Dirham		30.34

(3) The Average Weighted Prime Lending Rate (AWPLR) and the Lowest Prime Rate (LPR) during the week ended 11th December, 2008 by all commercial banks were 20.62 percent and 18.85 percent respectively.

(4) The Average Weighted Deposit Rate (AWDR) of Commercial banks for the month of November, 2008 was 11.39 percent.