IBSL partners State Mortgage and Investment Bank and Amana Bank

 From left: SMIB HR Manager Chamuditha Amarasekara, SMIB Human Resources and Logistics Assistant General Manager Lasantha Kumara, SMIB GM/CEO Thushara Asuramanna, SMIB Chairman Joseph Soosaithasan, IBSL Director General C.P.A. Karunatilake, and other IBSL representatives

From left: Amana Bank Head of Learning and Development Sanjeewa Fonseka, Amana Bank Retail Banking and Marketing Vice President Siddeeque Akbar, Amana Bank Corporate Banking Asst. Vice President Rajendra Jayasinghe, Amana Bank COO Imtiaz Iqbal, and Amana Bank MD/CEO Mohamed Azmeer, IBSL Director General C.P.A. Karunatilake, and other IBSL representatives

• Initiative aimed at offering internship opportunities for students 

The Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka (IBSL) has opened opportunities for students under both Diploma in Banking and Finance (DBF) and Higher Diploma in Banking and Finance (HDBF) to obtain working experience as an intern in a bank or non-bank financial institution. Under this initiative, the institute has entered into Training Partner Agreements with banks. 

The signing of the agreement with the State Mortgage and Investment Bank took place on 10 July with the presence of IBSL Director General C.P.A. Karunatilake, SMIB Chairman Joseph Soosaithasan, SMIB Managing Director Thushara Asuramanna, SMIB Human Resources and Logistics Assistant General Manager Lasantha Kumara, SMIB HR Manager Chamuditha Amarasekara, Jinandi Chandrarathne, Aruna Chandrasena, and Chethana Ranaweera.

On 12 July, the IBSL signed a Training Partner Agreement with Amana Bank PLC. The event was graced by IBSL Director General C.P.A. Karunatilake, Amana Bank Managing Director Mohamed Azmeer, Amana Bank Corporate Banking Asst. Vice President Rajendra Jayasinghe, Amana Bank Head of Learning and Development Sanjeewa Fonseka, Amana Bank Retail Banking and Marketing Vice President Siddeeque Akbar, Amana Bank COO Imitiaz Iqbal, Chethana Ranaweera, and Jinandi Chandraratne. This marks the seventh such agreement signed thus far.

The signing of these agreements and their implementation have multiple benefits such as: (1) students can obtain hands-on experience of what they learn in the classroom, (2) the training partner, while engaging in a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity, has the opportunity of identifying prospective future employees, and (3) the IBSL can enhance the employability of unemployed students, who are mostly school leavers. 

All acts are aligned to contribute to the sustainable growth of the national economy. 

was established in 1964 and incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1979. Since then, the IBSL IBSL has been the pioneer in providing qualifications, opportunities, and guidance for employees in the banking and financial services industry to enhance their competencies to become professionals in the industry. 

In the year 2023, the IBSL launched its new curriculum of the professional program to suit the changing business environment in banking and finance. The institution has moved a step further to partner with the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC), enabling students to obtain National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) so that their qualifications are recognised globally.