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Monday, 8 August 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Hatton National Bank opened the 216th Customer Centre in Uhana recently which is the 19th HNB Customer Centre in the Eastern Province.
This customer centre will act as the first micro banking unit in the Eastern Region. The chief guest for the occasion was A. P. L. Fernando – Assistant General Manager (Recoveries & Credit Quality Management) of Hatton National Bank and the guest of honour was Ranjith. W. Ekanayake - Chairman of the Uhana Ampara Pradeshiya Sabhawa.
A. V. Beadle, Senior Regional Manager Eastern Region of Hatton National Bank also represented the bank at the event with a large number of senior bank officials, government officials, local businessmen and customers.
Speaking at the event Fernando said that, people of Uhana will have a comprehensive range of banking facilities offered by the bank which will suit a range of customers from children to senior citizens. Further he stated that, the Manager assigned to Uhana Customer Centre Asanga Ranasinghe is an experienced Agricultural Officer of the Bank who will take the lead to improve the small and medium industries and micro enterprises in the area.
In 1989, the HNB took its first step to downscale to the people at the bottom of the pyramid by launching the first ever micro finance programme now globally known as “Gami Pubuduwa”. And in the last two decades the bank opened it’s doors for more people in more places, particularly in rural Sri Lanka to have access to Micro-savings, Micro-lending, Money transfer services and Micro-insurance. The Bank has now devised a new model to expand into rural Sri Lanka by setting up Micro Banking Centres with the main focus in bringing financial inclusion among the people in the rural parts of the country.