HNB concludes prestigious Asian Banker’s Association Conference in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s leading private sector bank, HNB PLC successfully concluded hosting an exclusive Asian Banker’s Association (ABA) Short-Term Visit and conference aimed at fostering global best practices for banks in Sri Lanka and across the Asian region.

As the only Sri Lankan member of the ABA, HNB served as local facilitators for the landmark event which took place at HNB Towers.

“We are grateful to the ABA, and all visiting delegates and public sector stakeholders for having engaged in this invaluable exchange of ideas and technical insights, all of which have a direct and crucial bearing on our own efforts to develop Sri Lanka’s banking industry to a global standard,” HNB Acting CEO, Damith Pallewatte said.

Drawing participation from 17 delegates representing leading banks across Taiwan, Nepal, Maldives and Iran, and two senior members of the ABA, the conference was aimed at providing member banks the opportunity to study and undergo training on specific aspects of the operations and facilities of the more advanced host banks.

The two-day programme commenced with a series of presentations and knowledge sharing sessions at the HNB Towers on the topics of Centralized Credit Operations, Digital Transformation, Digital Channels, and Cyber Risk Management.

“HNB’s centralized credit operations and robust risk management frameworks have been ambitiously designed to set the standard for the Sri Lankan banking industry, and stand as key pillars to our continued success. In hosting this ABA visit, we were able to share these critical aspects with our colleagues from the Asian Banking Association, and gather insights from their own remarkable advancements in digital transformation.

“Such engagements help to foster an environment of mutual learning and growth, which will ultimately benefit the entire Asian region. We are committed to leading by example and contributing to the development of a more resilient and effective banking industry in Sri Lanka,” HNB Deputy General Manager/Chief Credit Officer, Nirosh Perera said.

Delegates were also provided a comprehensive tour showcasing the results of HNB’s own ambitious digital transformation, including site visits to study first-hand the advancements taking place HNB’s Credit Administration Department, Centralized Operations Department, Center of Aspiration and Contact Center.

The event also featured a presentation from the CEO of Lanka Clear, who discussed progress made in establishing the digital payments infrastructure of the Sri Lankan economy, through the national Lankapay platform.

Additionally, the delegates visited the Credit Information Bureau (CRIB) for a presentation at their head office, and met with the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to discuss current insights from Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic revival and the role of banking innovation in consolidating progress made so far.

Since 1981 Asian Bankers Association ( ABA ) has been the premier platform for Asian Banks to network with each other, share information and know how, promote cooperation , and advocate bankers’ interest regionally and internationally.

With 254 customer centres, HNB is one of Sri Lanka’s largest, most technologically innovative private banks. Consolidating its legacy in sustainability, good governance, and corporate excellence, HNB was crowned the Best Corporate Citizen for 2022 at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Best Corporate Citizen Awards. Other significant accolades include being adjudged the “Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka” for the 14th occasion by the Asian Banker, being declared the “Best SME Bank” by Asiamoney Magazine, being awarded the Sri Lanka Technology Excellence Award for Robotics – Banking at the Asian Technology Excellence awards 2023, for integration of Robotic Process Automation in its Custody Banking and Trustee Services, as well as securing a Top 5 position on Business Today’s Top 40 rankings for 2023.  HNB was ranked among Sri Lanka’s Top 10 Most Admired companies in 2022 by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka. HNB was also recognized for its service excellence in trade services at the Euromoney Awards, taking home the prestigious titles of Best Market Leader in Trade Finance Services and Best Services Provider in Trade Finance Services, both globally and domestically.