Seylan Bank among best Sri Lankan corporates

Seylan Bank Director and CEO Kapila Ariyaratne

Seylan Bank has affirmed its position among the topmost corporates in the country by featuring in the Business Today Top 30 ranking for listed entities. Despite the many challenges posed by unprecedented events during the year, the stability and unwavering commitment to excellence has ensured the presence of the ‘Bank with a Heart’ in this elite ranking, the company announced.

Listed entities made it to the ranking for the financial year 2019-2020, with the companies being evaluated on performance and their focus on sustainable business practices with social consideration. Seylan Bank has been in the forefront of innovation and customer service, ensuring the Bank’s customers got the best service in the limited operating environment afforded by the pandemic and the Bank continued to support its clientele in all its financial needs.

“Throughout this financial year, the Bank has operated in a challenging environment with unprecedented upheavals. Despite the negativity that surrounded us, I am grateful for efforts of the Seylan Team in achieving the results we did both in terms of our own financials, but also in assisting our wide network of customers to overcome extremely difficult economic conditions. Our presence in this august ranking is an affirmation that we are on the right path, and that we will come out on top with innovation and a growth mindset,” Seylan Bank CEO Kapila Ariyaratne stated, commenting on the recognition.

In ranking Seylan Bank as a top corporate, the listing also considered the Bank’s social responsibility. This year, Seylan developed and implemented an environmental and social management policy to ensure sustainability through reduction of the environmental and social impact from commercial activity. The policy is structured to create economic prosperity while protecting the environment.

“Seylan Bank was endorsed as a financially stable organisation with performance excellence across the board by Fitch Ratings earlier this year, with the bank’s national long-term rating revised to ‘A’ (lka). The bank was also ranked second among public listed companies for transparency in corporate reporting by Transparency Global and is now part of the S&P Dow Jones SL 20 Index. These achievements are a testament to Seylan Bank’s financial stability and unwavering dedication to ensuring excellence across all aspects,” Ariyaratne added.

Seylan Bank has always been the growth partner of choice for SME customers, focusing on their needs during the pandemic and also established 13 regional credit hubs to improve the interaction with and speed of delivery to the SME clientele. The Bank is fully committed to engage with this important segment of the nation’s economy and nurture its growth as the economy rallies. The bank upgraded its digital infrastructure to provide better value and convenience to customers through a more user-friendly digital banking environment, a strategy that proved immediate value in the backdrop of the island wide lockdown earlier in the year when Seylan customers received uninterrupted service despite being confined to their homes.

The Business Today Top 30 is based on published information of companies listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange and social considerations. The companies have been selected on the basis of their performance recorded during the financial year ending 31 December 2019 and 31 March 2020 with the assistance of KPMG Sri Lanka.

Seylan Bank, the Bank with a Heart, operates with a vision to offer the ultimate banking experience to its valued customers through cutting-edge technology, innovative products, and best-in-class services. The Bank has a growing clientele of SMEs, retail and corporate customers, and has expanded its footprint with 173 branches, 70 Cash Deposit Machines, 66 Cheque Deposit Machines, and an ATM network of 216 units across the country.