SDB bank celebrates 25th anniversary

SDB bank, one of the key players in Sri Lanka’s SME-banking landscape has achieved the historic milestone of 25 years of service to Sri Lanka, while helping all Sri Lankans grow and adapt to a changing world. 

The bank’s 25th anniversary celebrations commenced with an official press conference, which was held at The Balmoral Ballroom at The Kingsbury where the keynote speakers, Chairperson of SDB bank, Dinithi Ratnayake and Acting CEO of SDB bank Niranjan Thangarajah addressed the gathering, recounting SDB bank’s 25-year journey, and outlining the future vision and outlook of the bank.

The bank’s rise as a leading facilitator of national economic development, and a trusted authority on small-scale entrepreneurial and personal finance growth, has garnered SDB bank a strong reputation for continuous digital banking expansion, and as a preferred employer, all of which have contributed towards the bank receiving numerous accolades recently. These include a top 50 spot amongst Sri Lanka’s 100 Most Valuable Brands 2020, as ranked by Brand Finance.

Listed on the Main Board of the Colombo Stock Exchange, with a Fitch Rating of BB + (Stable), and a growing island wide network, presently totalling 94 branches, SDB bank’s ascendancy as a leading national bank can be attributed to its differentiated retail, business, and development banking models; multi-segment customer base across rural, SME and urban groups; digitalization of banking infrastructure; and a differentiated employee value proposition.

These factors have led to the collective interest of the global investor community, allowing for strong, long-term investor partnerships with top local and international finance organizations and investors, including the Nederlandse Financierings Maatschappij Voor Ontwikkelingslanden N.V (FMO), Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO), International Finance Corporation (IFC). Active support of this nature from top-tier organizations has helped to strengthen SDB bank’s standing among facilitators of SME development in Sri Lanka; a critical sector accounting for upwards of 50 percent of the country’s total GDP.

To commemorate the historic milestone of 25 years of service, SDB bank has planned a number of activities. Most notably, in keeping with its commitment to sustainability, SDB bank will inaugurate its 25th Anniversary Forest Restoration Project in Ududumbara, underscoring its commitment to environmental and social sustainability. This initiative, which will take place on August 24th, will see the planting of a large number of new tree saplings on the day, and will be an ongoing project, with over 25 hectares planned and demarcated for reforestation, supported by SDB bank.