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LOFC's Al-Falaah wins Bronze at the LACP Annual Report Awards

Al-Falaah, the Islamic Business Unit (IBU) of Lanka ORIX Finance Company PLC (LOFC) was honoured with a bronze award for their 2009 and 10 Annual Report at the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) Vision Awards 2010.

Al-Falaah CEO Krishan Thilakaratne accepting the Bronze Award from Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal. Also in the picture are Smart Media Chairman Dr. Vijith Kannangara and Smart Media Chief Creative Officer Ananda Jagoda look on.

The winning Annual Report titled, "Spreading the Wings of Islamic Finance" was honoured with this award in the Diversified Financial Services category for the second consecutive year.

At a felicitation ceremony organized by Smart Media - the Annual Report Company - Al-Falaah Chief Executive Officer Krishan Thilakaratne accepted the bronze award.

Al-Falaah Annual Report depicts the exemplary growth of Islamic Finance in the country through the Company's highly successful portfolio of Shari'ah compliant financial services.

Commenting on this significant achievement, Al-Falaah CEO Krishan Thilakaratne said, "This win is a further validation of the growing faith that our customers have in Shari'ah compliant Islamic Financial products and services. There is significant growth potential for Shari'ah compliant financing in the country and LOFC's Al-Falaah will be at the forefront of this expansion process."

Al-Falaah is a dedicated Islamic Business Unit providing Shari'ah compliant financial services, with a special approval to function within the framework of LOFC - a Registered Finance Company under the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).

All Islamic financial activities of Al-Falaah are supervised by a dedicated Shari'ah Supervisory Board (SSB) chaired by industry leading local and international Shari'ah scholars.

At present, Al-Falaah offers product concepts such as Mudharabah (Profit -Sharing Investments and Savings), Ijarah (Leasing), Murabaha (Trade Financing), Diminishing Musharakah (Property and Project Financing).

The Mudharabah savings account is Sri Lanka's first fully integrated Shari'ah compliant and regulated savings account accessible through more than 45 service centers and over 400 local ATM machines islandwide, and has enabled global accessibility to the accounts through the Maestro network.

NDB Bank helps rural manufacturers in Ambalantota

Eighteen manufacture from Ambalantota were provided the opportunity to further develop their businesses when NDB Bank extended its Divi Aruna SME Loan Scheme recently to the Southern town.

Ambalantota Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman V.K. Sujeewa along with NDB Bank Chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya and NDB Bank CEO Russell de Mel at the pottery demonstration.

Through the Divi Aruna scheme, the manufactures ranging in the sectors of pottery, leather products, bricks and beeralu lace were handed over loan facilities at the NDB Bank Ambalantota branch premises.

Hambantota District Parliamentarian V.K. Indika along with Ambalantota Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman V.K. Sujeewa handed over Divi Aruna loan facilities to the 18 Divi Aruna recipients.

NDB Bank Chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya, CEO Russell de Mel and Chief Operating Officer Indrajit Wickramasinghe were present at the event where a live pottery demonstration was also conducted and they were all able to witness first hand how the manufacturers create their products.

The Divi Aruna Loan Scheme aims to provide funding that will develop the lives of the communities, elevate their social standing and empowering them to make the most of their entrepreneurial skills.

Previously, NDB Divi Aruna was launched in the Jaffna, Batticaloa, Ampara, Matara and Trincomalee, Chilaw and Wariyapola areas, and has been a successful effort where repayments are prompt and regular.

This will also bring these communities to the mainline banking stream and further obtain other banking facilities that will assist them at different stages in their lives.

NDB Bank plans rapid growth in the SME banking portfolio within the next few years. As a pioneer in project lending and SME financing in Sri Lanka the Bank has contributed immensely to this sector. Having financially supported over 40,000 ventures and creating more than 600,000 employment opportunities islandwide, NDB Bank remains committed to further empowering the SME sector with the firm belief that an entrepreneurial culture is essential for the sustainable development of a nation.

Browns introduces latest Olympus range cameras

Brown & Company PLC has introduced the latest lineup of innovative Olympus digital cameras with amazing features that caters to professional photographers to beginners. The new range of cameras are designed to suite each individual lifestyle of photography enthusiasts be it a capturing wildlife, travel, tough terrain, underwater or professional photography Olympus has the model that would suit ones requirements.

Olympus was established in 1919.

A new camera

Always being at the leading edge of innovation it established a tradition of quality manufacturing with the development of its microscope.

The most basic of the lineup starts with the Smart range which is positioned targeting the stylish. Consisting of two categories, the stylish compact VG range which starts with a resolution of 12 megapixels to 14 megapixels is specially designed with a Magic Filter to turn scenes of everyday life into extraordinary images with less noise and better colour reproduction.

The VR range which is a stylish High Zoom camera is very similar to the VG series except that it comes equipped with advanced shooting functions, such as HD movies, a full array of Auto functions, and a high-resolution LCD monitor. It also features 12.5X optical zoom lens from a wide angle of 24mm.

It is perfect for users who want to take stylish pictures of a wedding or on a trip that require a powerful zoom.

A slightly more advanced category is the Tough range which consists of the TG series of cameras.

These cameras are specifically built to withstand the toughest of conditions. Best suited for marine sports, outdoor activities, winter and active sports.

A super-tough structure, waterproof to a depth of 10 meters, dustproof to keep out sand and dirt, shockproof against drop impacts from as high as two meters, freeze proof at temperatures as low as -10oC and crushproof loads up to 100kg. But behind its tough exterior, this new digital camera is surprisingly delicate looking, now offering the outstanding imaging power of a 14-megapixel CCD as well as powerful 5x zoom and high performance DUAL Image stabilisation.

Hayleys sweeps AgBiz awards

Companies in the agriculture sector of the Hayleys Group have secured a record 10 awards including four Golds, four Silvers and two Bronze awards at the National Agri Business Awards 2011, underlining the Group's continuing dominance at this annual event.

The Hayleys Agriculture team with the ten awards

In recognition of its significant contributions to the development of the industry in Sri Lanka, Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd., (formerly Hayleys Agro Products Ltd.) which was formed earlier this year by bringing together nine companies in the Hayleys Group involved in Agriculture, was awarded two Golds. Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd., also secured two Silver awards while Agro Technica Limited, the only local manufacturer of sprayers and Quality Seed Company Limited, a leading F1 hybrid flower seed producer, secured a Silver each.

The Bronze awards were won by Hayleys Agro Fertilizer (Pvt) Ltd and Hayleys Agro Biotech (Pvt) Ltd, a producer of a variety of ornamental and horticultural plants through tissue culture.

The ten awards secured this year increase the total number of awards secured by the Hayleys Group at the National Agri Business Awards in the last three years to 21, ten of them Golds. The awards were organized by the National Agribusiness Council for the sixth consecutive time this year.

The Gold awards secured by Hayleys Agriculture Holdings, HJS Condiments and Sunfrost were in recognition of the performance of the three entities in the Large Scale category in 'Agro Chemicals,' 'Export of Fruits and Vegetables' and 'Extension Services.' The nine companies represented by the Hayleys Agriculture grouping are Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd., Hayleys Agro Fertilisers Ltd., Haychem Ltd., Agro Technica Ltd., Hayleys Agro Biotech Ltd., Sunfrost Ltd., HJS Condiments Ltd., Hayleys Agro Farms Ltd., and Quality Seed Co. Ltd.

Bridal Fair in September

The 15th annual Bridal Fair will be held from September 16 to 18 at Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Started in 1997, inspired by the concept "All your wedding needs under one roof", it covers the entire wedding market, spiced with professional Fashion shows, make up dress demonstrations and bridal shows, providing the best opportunity to would-be brides and grooms to design their special day into an unforgettable experience for themselves, their friends and families.

Executive Director of Pico Events and Organiser of The Bridal Fair, Shanti Outschoorn, said "15th Bridal Fair sets the stage for budding beauticians to unleash their talents by displaying modern and innovative features while providing a good platform for the 'would be brides and grooms' to meet the experts in the industry to make their dream wedding a reality,"she said.