Exchange Rates on 05-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		109.48		110.80
Sterling Pound	160.15		163.11
EURO		139.05		141.98
Swiss Franc	90.85		92.83
Canadian Dollar	85.35		87.22
Australian Dollar	70.12		72.04
Singapore Dollar	71.57		73.05
Japanese Yen	1.1764		1.2065

(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		291.84
Kuwait		Dinar		399.28
Oman		Rial		285.77
Qatar		Riyal		30.21
Saudi Arabia	Riyal		29.33
UAE		Dirham		29.95

(3) The Average Weighted Prime Lending Rate (AWPLR) and the Lowest Prime Rate (LPR) during the week ended 28th November, 2008 by all commercial banks were 20.72 percent and 16.25 percent respectively.

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