Commercial Bank Balangoda branch moves to new eco-friendly building

Tuesday, 11 August 2015 01:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has developed a new eco-friendly model for branches in buildings owned by the bank, in yet another initiative to align its operations with the needs of the planet.

The first of these new energy efficient branches became operational recently when the bank moved its Balangoda branch to new bank-owned premises at No. 195, Ratnapura Road, Balangoda on Monday 3 August.

The two-storied custom-built building has an eco-friendly architectural design with energy efficient ‘passive features’ such as renewable energy from solar panels and walls with more glazed windows and fixed glass panels for maximum utilisation of natural light,as well as heat gain arresting devices such as shades and fins that facilitate power saving.

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The bank said the new Balangoda branch is an example of on-going efforts to promote Green Banking, as part of Commercial Bank’s commitment to the Triple Bottom Line and that the model would be replicated elsewhere as the bank progressively moves its branches into owned buildings.

The relocated Balangoda branch was formally declared open by Commercial Bank Managing Director/CEO Jegan Durairatnam in the presence of the bank’s valued customers of Balangoda, dignitaries from the area, representatives of the corporate management and other senior officials of the bank.

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The spacious new branch is equipped with three ATMs and has ample space for customer parking.

Commercial Bank operates a network of 243 branches and 615 ATMs in Sri Lanka and is the country’s largest private bank. Ranked the most valuable private sector brand in the country in 2014, the bank was adjudged the Best Bank in Sri Lanka by FinanceAsia and Euromoney in 2015. Commercial Bank has also won multiple awards as Sri Lanka’s best bank from other international publications over several years.

The bank was adjudged one of Sri Lanka’s 10 best corporate citizens by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in 2013 and 2014 and has been rated the Most Respected Bank in Sri Lanka by LMD for the past 10 years. The bank has also been the second Most Respected Corporate entity in the country overall for the past four years in the LMD rankings and has been rated No. 1 in Sri Lanka for Honesty in 2013 and 2014 by the magazine.