BANKING
Seylan Bank marks 25th anniversary with islandwide initiatives
Seylan Bank celebrated its landmark 25th anniversary which fell
yesterday (24 March), with a series of religious and CSR activities
across Sri Lanka.
Religious observances took place at the Sri Maha Bodhi in
Anuradhapura on March 1 and 2 with a Buddha Pooja, Pahan Pooja, Pirikara,
Shabda and Kapruka Poojas, together with morning and afternoon
alms-giving to the Maha Sangha. A Nuga sapling was also planted in the
Maha Meyuna Uyana with the participation of a large number of customers,
staff and well-wishers.
Religious ceremonies to mark the 25th anniversary of Seylan
Bank |
A Holy Mass of Thanksgiving was also celebrated at the Supuwath Arana,
Seeduwa under the patronage of the His Lordship Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr.
Emmanuel Fernando. A special Abishegam and Pooja were held at the Nallur
Kovil in Jaffna after which cots were gifted to the State Receiving
Home, Kaithedy.
Seylan Bank also sponsored the cataract operations of 25 patients at
the Kuwait Hospital in Puttalam to help them regain their sight, while
Luhar (noon) prayers and blessings were held at the Puttalam Grand
Mosque.
Parallely Seylan Bank also donated newly refurbished libraries to
four schools in different parts of the country. Among them were the
Swarnapali Balika Maha Vidyalaya in Anuradhapura, Kopai Maha Vidyalayam
in Jaffna, Fathima Muslim Girl's School in Puttalam, and, Raddolugama
Kanishta Vidyalaya.
These were the forerunners of a total of 30 schools earmarked to
receive libraries throughout the island, thus assuring long term
benefits to society at large by imparting knowledge to school children
across the country.
Founded in 1987, Seylan Bank PLC opened its doors for business on
March 24, 1988 in Colombo Fort, Sri Lanka's traditional banking
district. From its very inception, the bank presented itself as a
flexible, customer-friendly alternative, delivering the promise of its
motto - 'The Bank with a Heart'.
"Seylan Bank, has, in the past 25 years, rendered a unique
personalised service to the public of Sri Lanka. It has faced challenges
and has yet emerged victorious and strong, through its inherent
resilience. We of the Seylan family have, from the very inception, built
up a banking culture unique in the industry. We have built up special
relationships with our customers. We have established trust and nurtured
friendships.
This was amply proved when the bank was in serious trouble in late
2008. A new Board was appointed and before long customers who had
withdrawn their money started bringing it back. The Bank slowly but
surely bounced back. Public confidence was re-established as was evident
when the two Rights Issues and the recent Debenture Issues were
over-subscribed. We have not let the shareholders and our customers
down", said Chairman of Seylan Bank Nihal Jayamanne PC.
"We are proud to state that in the year ending December 2012, we made
an unprecedented profit-after-tax of Rs. 2 Bn plus. This is the highest
profit ever made by Seylan in its 25 year history. A committed adherence
to the strategic plan by the Board and its stringent implementation by
the management, coupled with the dedication and the commitment of the
Seylan team have paid dividends. We are proud of the entire Seylan team.
Thank you !. We also thank all our customers, for without their loyalty
we could not have achieved what we are celebrating today.
It is indeed a good omen to celebrate 25 years with an unprecedented
profit. I have no doubt that we will continue to grow, from strength to
strength. I am proud to be a member of the Seylan Family", the Chairman
added.
In the run up to this 25th anniversary, Seylan Bank also unveiled its
multi-pronged corporate campaign 'Beyond Just Banking' which drew
strength from its four main tenets - Trust, Innovation, Service and
Commitment. Harnessing all resources, it explored new frontiers and
ventured beyond just banking in a much-acclaimed service campaign across
its network which exemplified the spirit of the Seylan Bank.
Chief Executive Officer / General Manager of Seylan Bank Kapila
Ariyaratne said that a major share of the Bank's success over the years
has come from its ability to constantly innovate and create value
through brand propositions which cater to the needs of Sri Lankans from
all walks of life. "We have been able to successfully identify the
banking needs of the public of Sri Lanka and will continue to deliver
innovative solutions with a superior service, in keeping with our
underlying vision "to be Sri Lanka's leading financial services provider
- as recognised by all our stake holders".
Continuing he said, "To celebrate our 25th anniversary we chose the
theme of religious observances and CSR initiatives as it gives us yet
another opportunity to say 'Thank You' in a meaningful manner to all
those who have contributed to make Seylan Bank what it is today ... to
all our Past Chairmen, Directors, General Managers and members of staff
who toiled hard with total dedication and commitment to build a much
loved Bank ... to all our present stakeholders - shareholders,
directors, staff and our beloved customers - who are making our rapid
progress and forward march possible. We also acknowledge with gratitude
the Government and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka which have stood by us
and continue to guide our way forward", he added.
Seylan Bank has recorded many firsts in its exciting journey of two
and a half decades. In 1992 it went on record as being the first-ever
bank in Sri Lanka to introduce an indigenous credit card - Seylan Card.
It introduced the concept of "Palm Top Banking" for the first time in
Sri Lanka in 2007, and the following year, became the first Bank in Sri
Lanka to launch its corporate website in all three official languages.
It was also a pioneer in offering extended hour banking across the
islandwide branch network and launching 365 day 24 hour banking. It won
an "A" brand rating by Brand Finance PLC UK and was ranked 14th in Sri
Lanka's Leading Brands (2010). The Bank was also listed under the Top 20
Corporates of Sri Lanka evaluated by Business Today Magazine while Fitch
Ratings upgraded the bank's credit rating to A- from BBB+ in 2011
Seylan Bank has also, during its 25 years of service to the nation,
clinched a large array of awards for its all-round excellence. In 2002
it won the Best Business Expansion Award at Western Union Middle East &
South Asia Regional Conference held in Goa. A few years later in 2010 it
won the Gold Award for Turnaround Brand for 2009 at the SLIM Brand
Excellence Awards 2010. The same year it won the Bronze Award for its
Annual Report 2009 in the Overall Banking Sector Category at the Annual
Report Awards organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri
Lanka in 2010.
For the very first time in its history, Seylan Bank won a large haul
of international awards for its Annual Report 2009 - The Case Study. It
won a Gold Award for the 'Best Annual Report' in the Banking Category as
well as the Gold for the 'Most Improved Annual Report in the Asia
Pacific Region' at the Vision Awards 2009 organised by the League of
American Communications Professionals LLC (LACP) Annual Report
Competition.
Seylan Bank then went on to clinch a Gold Award for the 'Chairman's
Letter', three Bronze Awards for 'Non Traditional Annual Report', 'Cover
Photo / Design' and 'Interior Design' and a Honours Award for
'Photography' at the 24th ARC Awards International 2010.
Quoted on the Colombo Stock Exchange and with a highly resurgent
performance in recent years, Seylan Bank today continues to touch the
lives of hundreds of millions of Sri Lankans from all walks of life and
across different ethnicities and geographies.
Its 148 outlets, which consist of 109 branches and 39 extension
offices in an island-wide real-time connected network, supported by 154
ATMs are fully geared to deliver Seylan Bank's exciting and wide ranging
portfolio of products and services to its millions of satisfied
customers all over Sri Lanka.
Blackstone, Icahn seen likely to offer bids for Dell
Investment fund Blackstone sent a letter to Dell late Friday
indicating it was finalizing a count offer to buy it out, a source told
AFP Saturday.
Billionaire Carl Icahn also notified the computer maker he was
working on a firm bid, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website,
citing people familiar with the matter.
In February, Dell unveiled plans to go private in a $24.4 billion
deal. The private equity buyout led by founder Michael Dell, backed by
equity investment firm Silver Lake, would give shareholders $13.65 per
share. The company had set a Friday deadline for alternative offers.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Blackstone letter does not
detail a bid but "offers a range that is higher than the existing $13.65
per share offer but lower than $15 per share."
AFP |