NDB’s Dimantha Seneviratne speaks at Financial Alliance for Women Global Annual Summit 2020

NDB Director/Group CEO Dimantha Seneviratne 

National Development Bank PLC Director/Group Chief Executive Officer Dimantha Seneviratne recently spoke as a resource and thought contributor at the global Annual Summit of Financial Alliance for Women (FAW), which was held from 6-8 October on a virtual platform. 

Financial Alliance for Women (FAFW) is the world’s leading members’ network of financial organisations dedicated to championing the female economy; the world’s largest and fastest-growing market, and yet one that remains untapped. As a unique network with members from over 135 countries, FAW shares the ambition of unlocking the full value of the female economy. NDB is the only Sri Lankan corporate that is a member of FAW along with over 60 other financial institutions from across the globe. 

FAW’s annual summit is known as one of the world’s most seminal events on advancing the female economy. The 2020 summit was held under the theme of ‘Shifting the Paradigm – The Female Economy 2020 and Beyond’. The event saw the congregation of change-makers from banks, fintechs, insurance companies, asset managers, governments, multilaterals and bilaterals, academia and beyond sharing fresh insights on the changing future of work, women and FinTech, D&I agendas during COVID-19, and serving the client of tomorrow. 

Dimantha Seneviratne was a panellist at the Exclusive Roundtable on ‘Championing the Female Economy: The New Normal,’ and a key discussant at the Opening Panel Discussion focusing on ‘The Opportunity of Championing the Female Economy’. 

Seneviratne was joined by an elite panel of other CEOs from different countries across the world, representing banking, financing, insurance, technology, etc. who shared their stories and experiences in empowering the women’s market segment in their respective countries. 

Seneviratne used the platform to showcase the unique strength/potential of the Sri Lankan women’s market and NDB’s contribution towards empowering them through the dedicated product proposition - NDB Araliya. He also reflected on how NDB has taken extra measures in supporting the female segment affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet another highlight discussion point was NDB’s Vanithabhimana – an awards program aiming to recognise high performing women across eight categories at a national level program. 

Seneviratne also shared the bank’s endeavours in empowering the females within the bank as employees, which provides much impetus in the bank’s overall women-centric approach. His comments were well received, as NDB is the only Sri Lankan corporate to have obtained the global certification for work place gender equality – EDGE. 

The summit proved an effective and resourceful platform wherein participants shared their experiences and best practices which could be replicated by other participants in their respective markets towards empowering women. 

Banking on Women is a key strategic pillar of NDB’s long term strategy. The bank continues to innovate and enhance how it supports the Sri Lanka’s women’s market segment, which is critical to the overall economic and societal growth of the country; 51% of Sri Lanka’s population is female, whilst over 60% of the graduates are also female. However it is only around 35% of the females that are actively contributing to the economy. The bank draws strength from strategic alliances maintained with institutions like FAW in its journey towards the mission of women empowerment.