‘DDO will cause loss of over Rs. 97 bn to banking sector’

‘CBSL employees receiving higher interest rate of 29 percent’

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader and dissident SLPP MP Udaya Gammanpila yesterday (04) said that though the government insisted that its Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) programme would have no impact on the banking sector, banks could lose as much as Rs 97 bn.

Addressing the media at the PHU office at Pita Kotte, Attorney-at-Law Gammanpila said that examination of the Cabinet Memorandum on DDO, along with the Central Bank’s presentation to the Cabinet, had revealed the true situation.

The former Power and Energy Minister said: “According to Page 3 of the Cabinet Memorandum, dated 28.06.2023, presented by Minister of Finance Ranil Wickremesinghe, the outstanding value of Sri Lanka Development Bonds is $886 million, or Rs 272 billion.  According to Page 29 of the Presentation of the Central Bank, there will be a capital reduction of 30% of the SLDB, which is known as haircut. Accordingly, there will be a haircut of Rs 81.6 billion.

85% of the SLDBs are held by domestic banks.  Hence, the loss to be incurred to the banks because of the haircut is Rs 69 billion. Further, a 30% haircut is applicable to FCBU loans amounting to $323 million, or Rs 92 billion. 30% of this amount is Rs 28 billion.  Accordingly, the total loss from both Bonds and FCBU loans are Rs 97 billion. Additionally, there will be an interest rate reduction of approximately 35%.  We have not calculated the loss associated with interest rate reduction. Hence, definitely, there will be an adverse impact on commercial banks’ liquidity and profitability from the domestic debt optimisation process.”

The PHU leader questioned how the EPF had given special status to Central Bank employees, much to the disappointment of other members of the country’s largest social security scheme. Declaring that the responsibility of the Central Bank is to invest EPF funds wisely and provide sufficient and equal returns to the members, MP Gammanpila said that in 2022 Central Bank employees were paid 29 percent interest whereas others received nine percent. How come the EPF managed by the Central Bank treated beneficiaries differently, the MP asked.

The PHU leader demanded that the Central Bank employees’ EPF be merged with the main body and administered as one unit.