HNB wins ‘Best Retail Bank’ title for sixth consecutive year

Hatton National Bank (HNB) has been named the ‘Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka’ by ‘The Asian Banker’ for its performance in 2012 at the 12th International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards program.

The bank received the award at ‘The International Excellence in Retail Financial Services 2013 Awards’ ceremony, held in conjunction with the region’s most prestigious retail banking event, the Excellence in Retail Financial Services Convention.

The ceremony was held at Westin Chosun, Seoul in South Korea on March 21, 2013.

HNB Deputy Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Alles accepting the award commented that the award is testimony to HNB’s leadership position amongst private sector commercial banks in retail banking.

He said that  HNB is the  only Sri Lankan bank to win this award for six consecutive years from  the year 2007 to 2012 and that the bank’s unwavering strategy towards profitable balance sheet growth, building robust electronic banking platform to provide customer convenience, maintaining lowest ever NPA levels witnessed over the past decade, driving impressive growth in fee-based income as well as significant improvement in its cost to income ratio contributed towards HNB being recognized as the ‘Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka’.   

Commenting further, Alles stated that the award is a reflection of over two million HNB customers placing their trust in the bank’s safe and sound banking practices, while enjoying a very comprehensive portfolio of products and services led by its flagship ‘Pathum Vimana’ deposit product.  Around 150 senior bankers from award-winning banks in 29 countries across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa attended the glittering event that recognizes their efforts in bringing superior products and services to their customers.

The awards program, administered by ‘The Asian Banker’ and referred by prominent global bankers, consultants and academics, is the most prestigious of its kind where a stringent three-month evaluation process based on a balanced and transparent scorecard determines the winners and the positions of various retail banks in the region.

Hatton National Bank is the first Sri Lankan Bank to obtain an international rating from Moody’s investors which is on par with the sovereign rating and was named as the Bank of the Year 2012 by the prestigious Banker Magazine of UK.