Tag: Sri Lanka

Remittances through post offices

Posted by | Jun 8, 2008 | |

The Postal Department is discussing with a remittance service and a private commercial bank to introduce remittance services in postal outlets.

The Department operates some 650 post offices and 3,500 sub-post offices islandwide.

The service providers with whom the Department is having discussions are Western Union (WU) Money Transfer Service and DFCC Vardhana Bank (DVB).

Posts Minister Mahinda Wijesekera speaking at the Postal Department Hqrs., Bldg., on Wednesday said that the necessary space available for such banking operations will be rented out to them.

The Minister said that the Department made a Rs. 2.3 billion loss last year. Its expenditure this year is forecast at Rs. eight billion, and next year, Rs. 10 billion.

“Such steps will help us to mitigate such losses through the rent income received,” said Wijesekera.

The Department has some 19,000 employees.

At present, still the main types of remittance service in the country are the traditional telegraphic transfer systems and bank drafts which are costly, WU Sri Lanka Marketing Manager Imran Carim told The Sunday Leader.

The Postal Department also has a tie-up with HSBC for credit card settlements.

“We will be negotiating with other banks, to get them also into this scheme,” Posts Ministry Secretary W.M. Piyasena told The Sunday Leader.

He said that the Department was talking to Moratuwa University and Dialog Telekom for networking of their branches and utility bills settlements, by the consumer making use of the Department’s islandwide postal network to make those payments which will be transmitted electronically.

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New technologies key to postal uplift – Posts Minister (Sri Lanka)

Posted by | May 30, 2008 | |

The Postal Department could be converted into a lucrative venture only through the introduction of new services and technologies in addition to its normal services, Posts and Telecommunication Minister Mahinda Wijesekara said yesterday.

He said with the implementation of the proposed plans, the income of the Postal Department could be increased to Rs. 1,000 million by 2010. Addressing the media at the new Posts and Telecommunication Ministry premises at D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, Minister Wijesekara said the Ministry has drawn several plans to develop the Postal Department that will not burden the Treasury.

Wijesekara said according to recent statistics the Postal Department is one of the three departments managed at a loss. He said all problems related to the development of the Postal Department would be solved soon.

The Minister said by merely depending on ancient methods the Postal Department could not be converted into a lucrative venture as it is a service oriented business. Wijesekara said the Government is the main telecommunication provider and it will never give up the ownership of the Postal Department at any time.

The Posts and Telecommunication Ministry will sign an agreement with Western Union Money Transfer Company to promote the Department’s income standards. With the implementation of the agreement, foreign exchange transactions can be carried out through post offices in the country. This will become an additional income earning source to the Postal Department in addition to its normal business, the Minister said. The Postal Department has also focussed its attention on providing mobile phone re-loading facilities, he said.

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Sri Lanka Postal Department to offer international money transfer services

Posted by | Apr 24, 2008 | |

Sri Lanka Postal Department is planning to set up an international money transfer service in collaboration with Western Union to enhance the foreign currency inflow to the country.

A proposal in this regard submitted by the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Mahinda Wijesekara received the Cabinet approval today. Under the agreement Western Union will be investing in the infrastructural development of the Postal Department to enable Post Offices to act as money transfer agents. Postal employees will be trained on new info-tech such as computers and internet usage to carry out the new services.

Department of Posts will receive 25 pct of the revenues generated from the transactions done through the post offices. Sri Lankan government hopes to curb terrorist financing through the new measure.

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DHL’s 'Airport to Door Express' in Sri Lanka

Posted by | Feb 17, 2008 | |

DHL announced the launch of Airport to Door Express in Sri Lanka, a service which combines the ease-of-use and speed advantage of DHL’s industry-leading service with the transportation requirements of importers under traditional shipping terms.
This new DHL service, which has been traditionally offered by freight forwarders only up till now, will bring added value to this industry segment and will be available in 13 countries covering over 50 key receiving centres in Asia Pacific, the company said.
“DHL aims to reach out to businesses that have the need to use traditional freight forwarding services, but who seek to reduce the complexities and inconveniences of international shipping processes,” said Martin Dudek, Country Manager, DHL Express Sri Lanka.
With the Airport to Door Express service, DHL aims to tap into an industry segment that is estimated to account for 50 pct of the total cross-border airfreight market in Asia Pacific.
Customers who pay for their freight costs within a non-integrated transport chain will enjoy the simplicity and control of one point of contact, one fixed price and one invoice for all their import requirements, aligned to their preferred Incoterms. They will also benefit from market-leading transit times of only one to two days for intra-Asia shipments, DHL’s expert customs clearance and 24-hour tracking services.

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DHL relocates in Kandy

Posted by | Dec 2, 2007 | |

DHL Keells (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka’s leading express and logistics company, has relocated its Express Centre in Kandy. Strategically located at D. S. Senanayake Vidiya, this facility sports a trendy new look and feel, and is modelled after the concept of a walk-in retail outlet where customers can drop off their shipments.

The Kandy Express Centre offers a range of products and services including Jumbo Box and Express Pallet targeted at a rapidly expanding retail customer base. It is a convenient, accessible and user-friendly outlet targeted at individuals, tourists and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kandy and surroundings areas in central Sri Lanka, the company said.

DHL’s expanding network in Sri Lanka currently includes Colombo, Kollupitiya, Ja-Ela, Mt. Lavinia, Biyagama, Kandy, Kurunegala and Nugegoda. Dudek added that the Sri Lankan retail customer base has always given exciting growth opportunities.

During the last four years, DHL Keells (Pvt) Ltd. has made a considerable investment towards the development of its infrastructure and facilities in Sri Lanka. Among them is the purpose-built Euro 2 million (Rs 260 million), 40,000-square-feet facility at Vauxhall Street in Colombo which houses 130 staff for both the administration and operations arms of DHL Express in Sri Lanka, as well as a 24/7 call centre.

We plan to expand this service coverage into key cities across Sri Lanka, especially tourist spots, as we see the potential of new customers in tourists, mid and high end Sri Lankan customers, as well as SME customers.” Dudek said.

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