Amãna Bank hosts Drive 2023 SME business forum in Central region

Panel discussion at Drive 2023 business forum

Amana Bank recently conducted a business forum for its SME customers in the Central region. 

The business forum titled Drive 2023 focused on sharing insights towards driving the local economy by enhancing business resilience in face of the current challenging times.
The forum witnessed the participation of a multitude of customers, representing both SMEs and corporates from the Central region, who gained insights and a wealth of experience from the forum panellists, including eminent speakers and members of the bank’s management committee. 

Addressing the forum as the guest speaker Senior Lecturer and Management Consultant Fahmy Farook shared his knowledge on how entrepreneurial businesses can step up to the next level by exploring the enormous opportunities ahead amidst the muddled economic situation. The guest speaker was followed by insightful presentations by the bank’s Chief Risk Officer M.M.S. Quvylidh and Chief Operating Officer Imtiaz Iqbal. The forum concluded with an engaging panel discussion on the challenges faced by businesses and SMEs and the initiatives taken by the bank for inclusive growth. 

The panellists for the session included Iqbal, Quyvlidh, Vice President Retail Banking and Marketing Siddeeque Akbar and Vice President Business Banking Irshad Iqbal. 
The forum was also attended by the bank’s Head of SME Arshad Adhnaan, Head of Business Kandy Branch Azam Ameer and branch managers from the bank’s Central region branches.

Sharing his comments on the successful forum Iqbal stated, “The live wire of the economy is the SME sector, which needs to be nurtured and moulded by unlocking their potential while harnessing on their entrepreneurial skills. As a people-friendly bank that is very much focused on supporting SMEs, the Drive 2023 business forum was organised to share best practices and other insights, while also showcasing our commitment to support businesses and SMEs overcome this challenging period and become the emerging corporates of the future.”

Towards strengthening its SME banking offering, the bank introduced Amana Bank Business Plus, a tailor-made platform, with the services of a dedicated relationship manager and other benefits to offer peace of mind for businesses on their finances, allowing them the freedom to focus on the growth of their business. Amana Bank offers a comprehensive suite of products and services to meet the wide array of financial needs of SMEs including, capital expenditure financing, working capital financing, import and export financing, trade services, machinery and equipment leasing, permanent overdraft, cheque discounting as well as solutions for cash collection and investments.