ComBank joins ‘Liya Shakthi’ scheme to further empower women-led enterprises

Commercial Bank Assistant General Manager Personal Banking Mithila Shyamini and National Credit Guarantee Institution Chief Executive Officer Jude Fernando exchange agreement in the presence of representatives of the two organisations

Commercial Bank of Ceylon has reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to advancing women’s empowerment and financial inclusion by partnering with National Credit Guarantee Institution Limited (NCGIL) as a Participating Shareholder Institution in the newly introduced ‘Liya Shakthi’ credit guarantee scheme, designed to support women-led enterprises across Sri Lanka.

The operational launch of the scheme was marked by the handover of the first loan registration at Commercial Bank’s head office recently, symbolising a key step in broadening access to finance for women entrepreneurs.

Representing Commercial Bank at the event were Assistant General Manager Personal Banking Mithila Shyamini, Development Credit Department Senior Manager Malika De Silva and Department Executive Officer Chathura Dilshan. NCGIL was represented by Chief Executive Officer Jude Fernando and Manager Guarantee Administration Eranjana Chandradasa.

Liya Shakthi is a credit guarantee product introduced by NCGIL to facilitate greater access to financing for women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises that possess viable business models and sound repayment capacity but lack adequate collateral to secure traditional bank loans. Through NCGIL’s credit guarantee mechanism, Commercial Bank will be able to extend credit to a wider segment of women entrepreneurs, furthering its mission to drive inclusive economic growth.

This collaboration enables women-led enterprises to obtain financing at competitive interest rates with the support of specialised credit guarantees, removing one of the most persistent barriers to business expansion. The initiative complements Commercial Bank’s ongoing efforts to strengthen female entrepreneurship through targeted financial solutions, training and advisory support.

Within its own operations, Commercial Bank has implemented progressive workplace policies that make it one of the country’s most supportive employers for women. Beyond these internal initiatives, the bank’s Anagi women’s banking portfolio, developed in partnership with the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank, offers specialised products such as the Anagi women’s savings account and Anagi business loan for women SMEs. These are complemented by capacity-building and digital literacy programmes designed to strengthen women’s financial independence and business capabilities.