Biz Briefs

BoC launches Smartgen

As a part of the digital banking transformation process to provide convenience and speed to customers, the Bank of Ceylon (BoC) launched BOC SMARTGEN - the next generation savings account.

With this product customers are given the freedom to do banking anytime, anywhere with the ease of transacting seamlessly through the online banking facility which comes absolutely free.

Customers can also walk into any BoC branch for transactions as the customer's photograph and signature is captured digitally when the account is opened which adds more safety to the account.

ILO launches translated site on labour law

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has added the full Sinhala and Tamil translations of Sri Lanka's labour laws to Salary.lk website to improve awareness of workers' and employers' rights and duties.

The website, which is an initiative of the WageIndicator Foundation, hosts detailed, easy-to-understand and well referenced information about Sri Lanka's labour laws while also providing career advice and comparative analysis of salaries on a sectoral basis.

Before this initiative from the ILO, national labour laws were only available in the English language, notably on the Department of Labour website.

Fonterra appoints new MD

Dairy co-operative, Fonterra has appointed Sunil Sethi as Managing Director of Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka and the Indian Subcontinent.

This follows Leon Clement's recent appointment as Managing Director Fonterra Brands New Zealand.

Sethi, who will start the role in February, joins Fonterra from Kellogg's where he was Vice President of Sales, Asia Pacific and Sub Sahara Africa.

He has over 28 years of fast moving consumer goods experience working across Asia Pacific and Africa including leadership roles where Sri Lanka has been one of his priority markets.

Train tickets via Hutch mobile

Hutch, a growing 3G network, has partnered with Mobitel and Sri Lanka Railway to purchase train tickets straight from a Hutch mobile.

The service will be of immense value to commuters who travel by train as it will negate the necessity to stand in queues and help avoid the disappointment of tickets being sold out by making a train ticket reservation via a mobile phone.

Customers only need to dial 365 from their Hutch connection and make a booking through the services of a booking agent, available 24 hours a day, seven days of the week. The cost of the ticket will be deducted directly from the mobile balance after verification, and an SMS confirmation sent instantly to the customer.