ComBank wins 6 top honours at Asian Banking & Finance Awards 2025

From left: Commercial Bank Assistant General Manager Finance Tharinda Jayawardana, Senior Regional Manager Colombo Inner Sanath Perera and Chief Manager Sustainability, Women’s Banking and CSR Kamalini Ellawala accept the awards won by the bank

Commercial Bank of Ceylon has reaffirmed its leadership in Sri Lanka’s banking sector with a stellar performance at Asian Banking & Finance (ABF) Awards 2025, winning six prestigious accolades across the Retail, Wholesale and Corporate and Investment Banking Categories.

Recognising excellence, innovation and leadership in financial services, the ABF Awards spotlight outstanding performances in Asia’s fiercely competitive banking landscape.

In the Retail Banking Category, Commercial Bank was crowned Private Bank of the Year – Sri Lanka and SME Bank of the Year – Sri Lanka. Under Wholesale Banking, the bank was honoured with the titles of Sri Lanka Domestic ESG Programme of the Year and Sri Lanka Domestic Trade Finance Bank of the Year. In the Corporate and Investment Banking Category, the bank secured the accolades for Debt Deal of the Year – Sri Lanka and Equity Deal of the Year – Sri Lanka.

Winning the Private Bank of the Year award follows an exceptional 2024, in which the bank led its peers across all key financial performance indicators.

The SME Bank of the Year title is further endorsement of Commercial Bank’s pivotal role in supporting the SME sector. According to the Finance Ministry’s 2023 annual report, the bank was the largest lender to SMEs for the fourth consecutive year, disbursing Rs.231.6 billion or 32.8 percent of the total Rs.704 billion lent by all commercial and specialised banks.

The accolade for Sri Lanka Domestic ESG Program of the Year acknowledges Commercial Bank’s pioneering role in sustainable banking. The first Sri Lankan bank to achieve full carbon neutrality, Commercial Bank implemented a Social and Environmental Management System as early as 2010 – well ahead of regulatory requirements. It was also the first local bank to endorse the UN Global Compact’s 10 Principles and remains the only financial institution on its Steering Committee.

In the area of trade finance, Commercial Bank was recognised as Sri Lanka Domestic Trade Finance Bank of the Year, considering its commanding 21.2 percent share of the export market and 14.26 percent of the import market in 2024 – a result of its strategic, datadriven approach.

The award for Debt Deal of the Year – Sri Lanka was presented in recognition of the Rs.20 billion raised through a Basel III-compliant listed debenture issue by the bank’s Investment Banking Unit in July 2024.