Commercial Bank and Central Bank to develop entrepreneurial skills
of SMEs
Commercial Bank of Ceylon has launched a programme in collaboration
with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, to enhance entrepreneurship skills
in the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SME) sector.
|
In picture Jayantha Abeyratne, Assistant Director and M S K
Dharmawardena, Additional Director – Regional Development
Department of the Central Bank, Anura Wijekoon, Senior
Manager of the Nuwara Eliya Branch of the Commercial Bank
and Mohan Fernando, Manager, Development Credit of the
Commercial Bank. |
The first seminar of this programme was held recently for
entrepreneurs who are in the SME and Micro Enterprise sectors in Nuwara
Eliya.
Officials of the Central Bank, including M S K Dharmawardena,
Additional Director and Jayantha Abeyratne, Assistant Director of the
Regional Development Department and representatives of Commercial Bank,
including Anura Wijekoon, Senior Manager of the Nuwara Eliya Branch and
Mohan Fernando, Manager, Development Credit and around 80 entrepreneurs
from areas such as Nuwara Eliya, Labukele, Moon Plains and Hawa Eliya
were present at the event.
Presentations at the event were made by representatives from the
Central Bank and Development Credit Department of Commercial Bank on
aspects pertaining to Entrepreneurship, Business Management, Financial
Management and Marketing Management.
Participants were also educated on these subjects through group
discussions and individual activities.
This programme is to be replicated in other parts of the country
during the ensuing months, the Bank said.
"This joint effort by the largest private sector bank in the country,
and the Central Bank, can significantly raise the level of
entrepreneurship among SMEs and Micro Enterprises, thereby enhancing
their viability and potential," Chandana Gunasekera, Assistant General
Manager - Personal Banking and SME of Commercial Bank said. "These
sectors have been identified for their potential to contribute
significantly to the economy of the country. This programme is therefore
most timely."
The Commercial Bank has also conducted a series of programmes on
Financial Literacy together with the Central Bank in various parts of
the country including the Northern Province. These programmes have
enabled SME's to improve their financial performance, book keeping and
debt management.
Commercial Bank is the largest private bank in Sri Lanka, and the
only Sri Lankan Bank to be listed two years consecutively in the world's
Top 1000 Banks. It operates a network of 220 service points in Sri Lanka
and a network of 530 ATMs, the single largest ATM network operated by a
bank in the island. It also operates 17 service points in Bangladesh and
is the 4th largest foreign bank in that country. The Bank has been
adjudged 'Best Bank in Sri Lanka' for 14 consecutive years by 'Global
Finance' Magazine, and has won multiple awards as the country's best
bank from 'The Banker,' 'FinanceAsia,' 'Euromoney' and 'Trade Finance'
magazines. |
