Trade Finance Association of Bankers holds 27th AGM for year 2024/2025

Left to right (seated) Standard Chartered Bank Assistant Treasurer Shehani Peter, Seylan Bank Assistant Secretary Dilan Wijegoonwardena, Pan Asia Bank Vice President Indika Liyanage, Hatton National Bank Vice President Shyam de Silva, DFCC Bank Senior Vice President K.R Naguleswaran, Bank of Ceylon Secretary General K.K.Susantha, Union Bank of Colombo Treasurer Kanchana de Silva, Bank of Ceylon Immediate Past-President Rochelle Fernando

Left to right (standing) People’s Bank Sanadamali Ranepura, Nations Trust Bank Ruwini Sumanasinghe, National Development Bank Melani Navaratne, Sampath Bank Sanjeewa Rajarathna, Amana Bank Lakshana Fernando, State Bank of India Ramesh Amarasinghe, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited Shaariz Zabith, Citibank Harsha Silva, Deutche Bank N.A Niranjan Debare, Cargills Bank Shanaka Weiman, MCB Bank Samanthi Fernando, Commercial Bank of Ceylon Kumari Bastiansz, Public Bank Mahesha Hassan

The Trade Finance Association of Bankers (TFAB) held its 27th Annual General Meeting on 21 February at Level 22, HNB Towers, Darley Road, Colombo 10.

The Trade Finance Association of Bankers (TFAB) is the only association representing Trade Finance practitioners in Sri Lanka. The inauguration ceremony of the Trade Finance Association of Bankers was held on 11 November 1997. Since then, the association has been divulging knowledge on Trade Finance and related topics to its members by various forms such as seminars, lectures, educational programs, tours, discussions, and newsletters, etc. together with the annual Interbank Trade Finance Quiz and Social which is the prominent event for its members to enhance their knowledge on Trade Finance and facilitates networking amongst its members in addition to use of digital platforms such as WhatsApp.

TFAB, represents bankers who are practicing International Trade which plays a crucial role in fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the industry. This collaborative effort with other related official bodies of the country namely, Import and Export Control Department, Sri Lanka Customs, Department of Foreign Exchange at CBSL, etc. may lead to improving trade practices, better understanding of challenges, and development of effective solutions.

TFAB membership comprises of licensed commercial banks and specialised banks operating in Sri Lanka. The Association is backed by an advisory committee comprising veterans in the field of Trade Finance. The present advisory committee comprises of Union Bank of Colombo PLC former Head of Trade Michael Peiris, Deutsche Bank AG Colombo former Head of Trade Finance and Cash Management. Thushy David, People’s Bank former DGM – International Banking A.S.M.W. Kumarasiri, and Standard Chartered Bank former Head of Trade, HSBC Middle East Regional Head of Trade Operations, and Cargills Bank AGM Trade Finance Susantha Caldera. The advisory committee guides the association with regard to the essential matters.

Incumbent president Shyam De Silva – Senior Manager Operation Centralised Trade Processing – Hatton National Bank was elected at the AGM as the President of the Association for the year 2024/2025. He is a professional banker with over 25 years of experience at Hatton National Bank and he has worked in areas such as System Implementation, Offshore Banking and Trade Finance, with predominant exposure in both export and import segments.

He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka. He has been in the association holding positions as the Secretary General, Treasurer, Vice President and Senior Vice President.

The following members were elected as office-bearers of the Trade Finance Association of Bankers for the year 2024/2025 during the Annual General Meeting.

President – Shyam De Silva – Senior Manager Operation Centralised Trade Processing, Hatton National Bank PLC

Senior Vice President – K.R. Naguleswaran – Assistant Vice President, Correspondent Banking and Remittances, DFCC Bank PLC

Vice President – Indika Prasad Liyanage – Senior Manager II, Trade Operations and FI, Pan Asia Banking Corporation PLC

Secretary General – K. Kapila Susantha – AGM Trade Services, Bank of Ceylon

Assistant Secretary – Dilan Wijegoonawardena – AGM International, Seylan Bank PLC 

Treasurer – Kanchana De Silva – Senior Manager Clearing Operation and Transaction Processing, Union Bank of Colombo PLC

Assistant Treasurer – Shehani Peter – Head Trade Operation, Standard Chartered Bank 

Council Members:

Harsha Indika Silva – Citibank N.A, Mohammed Shaariz Zabith – The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd., Niranjan Dabare – Deutsche Bank AG, Mahesha Kanchanie Hassan – Public Bank, Hariwansha Kumari Bastiansz – Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, Melani Navaratne – National Development Bank PLC, A.A. Ramesh Anuradha Amarasinghe – State Bank of India, T. Lakshana Sumudu Dilruk Fernando – Amana Bank PLC, Shanaka Delano Weimenm – Cargills Bank Ltd., R.H. Thilanka Sandamali Ranepura – People’s Bank, Ruwini Sumanasighe – Nations Trust Bank, W.G.T. Sanjeewa Rajarathna – Sampath Bank PLC, G.A.N. Samanthie Fernando – MCB Bank Ltd.

Immediate Past President: Rochelle Fernando, DGM Recovery Province, Bank of Ceylon

The newly elected President in his speech, thanked all the participants for their commitment, passion and support towards the activities of the association, outgoing President and the council of management of TFAB in building TFAB into a Professional Association. He pledged to uphold the legacy the predecessors established during the last 26 years and to foster collaboration and share knowledge among members. The President also encouraged the membership to visit the association’s website www.tfab.lk. 

The President also emphasised, in the face of an evolving economic landscape technological advancements and geopolitical challenges, as trade finance practitioners we need to be agile, innovative and collaborate. Our customer demands extend from just in time delivery of goods, fast and efficient actions in facilitating their transactions, low operating costs, quick solutions for their trade queries and technologically advanced systems to process their trade finance transactions.

Unveiling this year’s plan, the President informed that the association is planning to have continuous dialogues with the regulator and different stakeholders facilitating international trade and will strive to promote best practices, foster knowledge sharing and advocate for policies that support the continuous evolution and sustainable trade.

The President further went on to say that in the face of an evolving regulatory landscape, technological advancements as trade practitioners our ability to adapt and innovate will be paramount. The President was confident that by harnessing the collective expertise and passion of our members, we can overcome obstacles and seize the myriad opportunities that lie ahead.