The Commercial Bank of Ceylon and its Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Sanath Manatunge, have been recognised with two of the highest honours in the financial services industry, being named Sri Lanka’s Best Managed Bank and Best Bank CEO, respectively, by The Asian Banker.
The awards were conferred at the prestigious Asian Banker Global Leadership Achievement Awards ceremony held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in conjunction with the 2025 edition of The Asian Banker Summit — the largest annual gathering of financial professionals in the Asia-Pacific region. These accolades are presented once every three years and are considered among the most rigorous and respected in the global banking industry.
Mr. Manatunge was praised for his exceptional leadership during the 2022–2024 period, a time marked by significant economic volatility in Sri Lanka. Under his direction, Commercial Bank not only weathered the turbulence but emerged stronger, reaffirming its status as the most stable and trusted financial institution in the country.
“Throughout 2022-2024, Mr. Sanath Manatunge demonstrated unparalleled courage and passion in leading the Bank through unprecedented economic, financial, and operational challenges,” the Bank said in a statement. “His bold strategic decisions, commitment to digital innovation, customer-centric approach, and sustainability solidified Commercial Bank’s status as the strongest and most resilient financial institution in Sri Lanka.”
Key achievements during the award period included:
Capital infusions of Rs 22.54 billion and Rs 20 billion through rights and debenture issues to strengthen capital adequacy
Ranking as the largest lender to the SME sector in Sri Lanka for the fourth consecutive year
Launch of the Commercial Bank LEAP GlobalLinker, a digital ecosystem for SMEs
Introduction of Host-to-Host (H2H) payment services under ComBank Digital Enterprise Solutions
Surpassing 1.5 million users and Rs 4 trillion in transactions on the ComBank Digital platform
Planting 100,000 trees annually to reinforce the Bank’s environmental commitment
Commercial Bank also retained its position as the largest private bank in Sri Lanka by assets, deposits, and loans. It became the first Sri Lankan private bank to exceed Rs 2 trillion in both assets and deposits and Rs 1 trillion in loans, with an industry-leading CASA ratio of 38.07% as of end-2024.
Mr. Manatunge joins an elite list of regional banking leaders honoured at the event, including CEOs from Baiduri Bank (Brunei), Standard Chartered (Hong Kong), Mizuho Financial Group (Japan), and OCBC (Singapore). Similarly, the Best Managed Bank honours were awarded to institutions in countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, and Japan alongside Commercial Bank.
The Bank has previously been recognised as Sri Lanka’s Strongest Bank by TAB Insights, the research arm of The Asian Banker. Commercial Bank is also the first Sri Lankan bank to be ranked among the Top 1000 Banks in the World and currently holds the highest market capitalisation in the banking sector on the Colombo Stock Exchange.
With a robust branch and ATM network across Sri Lanka, Commercial Bank has expanded its international presence to Bangladesh, the Maldives, Myanmar, and, most recently, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), becoming the first Sri Lankan bank to receive regulatory approval to establish a representative office there.
Subscribe to our newsletter to get notification about new updates, information, etc..
