NDB wins at Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards 2020

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Country Representative and Panel of Evaluators Chairman Dr. Ananda Mallawatantri, NDB Manager – Finance Kumudari Peiris, NDB Vice President – Legal Melody Wickramanayake, NDB Vice President – Group Human Resources Lasantha Dasanayaka, NDB Director/Group Chief Executive Officer Dimantha Seneviratne and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya 

NDB Bank was honoured at the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards 2020 with two awards, ‘Top Ten Corporate Citizen’ and ‘Consistent Commitment and Continuous Improvement – Governance,’ at the annual event organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Winning this award a total of six times to date, the bank has been recognised as an organisation that is committed to responsible business practices and sustainable value creation.

NDB has been a front-runner to the development of the country for over four decades, with a value creation strategy that drives innovation and growth whilst addressing important social and environmental challenges in communities.

Integrating environmental sustainability into business operations, due consideration is given to environmental compliance internally as well as externally, encompassing the bank’s customers as well as suppliers. The bank’s most significant contribution to environmental value addition is through propagating environmental consciousness beyond organisational boundaries. Partnering with the ‘Wildlife and Nature Protection Society’ of Sri Lanka, the bank impacted over 16,000 students through the ‘Education for Conservation’ Project.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic the bank responded to the crisis in the country and contributed substantially to assist the brave frontline medial staff by providing personal protective equipment and much needed funding towards controlling the pandemic. 

Demonstrating the bank’s responsiveness in the face of a global crisis, NDB continued to offer uninterrupted banking services to customers island-wide. The bank’s revolutionary Online and Mobile Banking Platforms with NDB NEOS ensured a safe and convenient option for customers to carry out financial transactions from home. 

Despite the substantial financial pressure, the bank did not resort to laying off staff or reducing salaries/benefits. NDB employees were given the option of working from home, with a minimum of staff member serving at office premises on a roster basis. The bank’s ‘Organisational Effectiveness and Efficiency Program’ under the sponsorship of the Group CEO and the bank’s automated processes contributed to the smooth functioning of the bank during the lockdown periods. This is a testament to the bank’s commitment, preparedness, planning and resilience.

NDB adopts a strategic approach towards corporate sustainability, aligning the initiatives with national priorities, expectations of stakeholders as well as the Bank’s own social, environmental and economic objectives. The projects are aimed at drivinbg meaningful change in the communities the Bank operates in while strengthening the brand and nurturing relationships. 

As the only EGDE certified corporate in Sri Lanka for gender equality in the work place, supporting the socio-economic empowerment of women is a priority for the bank, both from a commercial and sustainability angle. Through the bank’s unique Banking-on-women initiative NDB aims to provide a holistic value proposition for women, with the aim of partnering them through different stages of their lives. 

Women empowerment is driven through capacity building programmes as well as through dedicated funding lines. The programmes focus on basic business management skills and financial discipline required to successfully manage their ventures. The programmes are open to both existing women SME and micro customers of the bank. The content of the workshops are carefully structured to impart essential business knowledge while motivating and uplifting the participants’ morale.

Through its access to concessionary funding lines granted by the Government and multilateral funding agencies, the bank channels funds to the country’s most underserved and vulnerable communities including women, farmers and entrepreneurs. Meanwhile the bank directly contributes to the empowerment and socio-economic progress of thousands of needy families through its micro-financing arm.

Over the years, NDB has made great strides in the Sri Lankan financial services sector as a leading commercial bank. Having begun operations as a Development Financing Institution, NDB has evolved into a fully-fledged commercial bank, catering to an array of customer needs under one roof. Today, while preserving its development banking DNA, the bank offers ‘development-oriented commercial banking,’ a unique combination of development and commercial banking. As a fully-fledged commercial banking conglomerate NDB offers a widespread product portfolio that caters to its diverse clientele ranging from large corporates, national-level projects, small and medium size entrepreneurs to individuals seeking simple day-to-day banking solutions and grass root level micro entrepreneurs seeking livelihood development support.

NDB was crowned as Sri Lanka’s Best Bank 2021 by the prestigious Global Finance Magazine of USA, fresh on the heels of being recognised as The Bank of the Year Sri Lanka, by The Banker Magazine UK. NDB Bank is the 4th largest listed bank in Sri Lanka and the parent company of the NDB Group. The only financial services conglomerate in Sri Lanka, NDB Group is uniquely positioned towards assisting the growth and development of the Sri Lankan capital market to provide its customers seamless access to the product and service offerings of all its group companies.