HNB declared Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka for 11th occasion at Asian Banker Awards 2020

HNB Managing Director/CEO Jonathan Alles

HNB DGM  Retail and SME Banking Sanjay Wijemanne

Hatton National Bank PLC (HNB) was declared the Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka at the prestigious Asian Banker Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards 2020, marking the 11th occasion that bank has emerged as winners.

The award was presented to HNB in recognition of the bank’s sustainable growth and continuous improvements in processes, products and services amidst a challenging macroeconomic environment.

“We are honoured to accept this prestigious and most sought after accolade once again. Our unparalleled products and services, the dedication of Team HNB to continuous pursuit of excellence, and always placing ‘HNB customers first’ is at the heart of our success. In the face of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, my team has demonstrated utmost commitment, making sacrifices to ensure business continuity and to serve and support the customers in distress. As such, I am very pleased that HNB has been recognised at such a critical moment in time and would like to dedicate this well-deserved accolade to my entire team,” HNB Managing Director/CEO Jonathan Alles stated.

He went on to note, “At HNB we remain deeply committed to continuously delight our customers. As we move ahead on our Everest Bank Transformation journey, digital transformation would play a pivotal role, and our retail banking proposition would be further augmented providing a superior experience to our valued customers.”

Retail banking is a flagship segment for HNB which caters to the needs of over 2.5 million Sri Lankans island-wide. In addition to the bank’s extensive customer service network of 252 branches and 787 Self Service Machines, HNB has also been a pioneer in leveraging digital banking products, services and channels in order to provide customers with convenient, comprehensive and secured options to transact remotely.

The bank is currently in the process of implementing a multipurpose Digital Layer that will allow the bank to launch Digital Banking products in quick time to the market. This will further enable the bank to work closely with Fintechs in the market and carry out an easy technological collaboration for product/service launch.

HNB’s technology leadership was another feature which helped secure the bank’s victory through the launch of breakthrough platforms like HNB SOLO – a one-stop-shop for digital payments linked through bank accounts, credit, or debit cards that is rapidly gaining popularity – particularly in the context of a post-COVID landscape.

The app provides the capability to scan LankaQR and complete transactions in addition to a range of other useful features including facilitation to open digital accounts, check available HNB card deals, gift coupon codes through merchants and pay merchants directly though the app (direct pay). In this manner, the app enables users to transact with merchants without having to visit and pay for goods in person. Other features such as utility bill payments will also be made available for customers in the near future.

“In recent years HNB has released a flurry of technology-enabled banking products and services as part of an ongoing bank transformation program. These enhancements have added significant value across the board, resulting in the launch of new products like the HNB Solo e- wallet, in addition to enhancing turnaround times on processes and service delivery across the board as a result of the continuing centralisation and automation taking place on the back-end.

“Partnerships are another essential component of HNB’s success in retail banking, coupled with product innovation and value addition to existing products. Over the last year we launched an incentive based savings product for personal savers, which was a key contributor in improving our CASA base. Additionally, we offered credit cards with bundled benefits for home loan and leasing customers while partnering with VISA CyberSource to guarantee a secure e-commerce platform on our Internet Payment Gateways,” HNB DGM – Retail and SME Banking Sanjay Wijemanne said. 

The Bank rapidly embedded its full suite of digital offerings into the contactless delivery mechanism advocated by the state, kept branches open during curfew periods as per the guidelines issued by the Central Bank and operated our dedicated Omni Channel engagement Centre on a 24*7 basis.

The Bank has already extended substantial relief to clients in the form of Debt Moratoriums, Working Capital loans at concessionary rates, reduction in minimum payments on Credit Cards, etc.

HNB is one of the most awarded Banks in Sri Lanka, being ranked among the Banker Magazine’s Top 1,000 Global Banks for three consecutive years as well as being adjudged by Euromoney Magazine as Sri Lanka’s Best Bank in 2019.

Last year, HNB was also adjudged ‘Best Managed Bank in Sri Lanka’ by the prestigious Asian Banker Magazine while the Bank’s Managing Director/CEO Jonathan Alles was conferred with the Asian Banker ‘CEO Leadership Achievement’ award.

Locally, HNB was recognised as the Top Corporate in Business Today’s most recent Top 30 rankings and has been placed as one of the Top 10 Most Admired Corporates of Sri Lanka as jointly adjudged by CIMA and the ICCSL. HNB is also one of the best capitalised in the industry with Tier I and Total Capital Adequacy ratios of 13.85% and 17.25% respectively. HNB’s remarkable track record of excellence secured it the first place ranking ahead of all Sri Lankan banks included in the LMD Top 100 Club – a position which was evaluated based on its performance over the past 25 years.

The Asian Banker is a prestigious publication widely held as the region’s most authoritative provider of strategic business intelligence to the financial services community.