SDB bank unveiled an islandwide campaign recently, themed #WhereYouAreValued, highlighting its commitment to improve the SME sector and the community at large.
Supporting Sri Lanka’s small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, which plays a vital role in the country’s economy and contributes 53 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is SDB bank’s core purpose, as well as the empowerment of women entrepreneurs and the realisation of digital inclusion of Sri Lanka’s masses. This objective is encouraged by its big investors who share this common goal.
“SDB bank has surpassed several hallmark events in recent years: it set the record as Sri Lanka’s first Colombo Stock Exchange-listed entity to host a fully digital rights issue and recently concluded its Secondary Public Offering (SPO) – both endeavours were successfully completed with oversubscriptions,” said Head of Marketing HasithaSamarasinghe.
“These milestones, together with the elevation of the bank’s operations, technology and how we serve our island-wide clientele, have fuelled SDB Bank’s core objective of uplifting SMEs, empowering women entrepreneurs and enabling islandwide digital inclusion,” he said. SDB Bank commits itself to ensure that women entrepreneurs are supported in multiple ways to get to the next level so that they could actively contribute to the economy of Sri Lanka. In addition to specialised financial products, the bank also runs mentoring programs, workshops and other initiatives to enhance the potential of women entrepreneurs. SDB bank was recently granted a US$ 40 million credit line from the United States International Development Finance Corporation, out of which 40 percent will be allocated to women entrepreneurship development – a commitment which will ultimately benefit the economy.
SDB bank positions itself as a future-ready bank, providing holistic, 360-degree support to its customers.
Identifying, understanding and being empathetic to the needs of small to medium-scaled customers, the bank offers a range of comprehensive platforms and products to cater to their specific needs by looking at their true potential and enabling them to be more competitive.
The bank also offers a gamut of value additions, such as awareness-building programs on various business aspects, from value chain enhancements to financial management. To elevate these knowledge-sharing initiatives, the bank partners with organisations such as CA Sri Lanka for mentorship programs.