Banking

People's Bank celebrates 52nd anniversary

Established on the July 1, 1961, People's Bank today celebrates its 52nd anniversary as the leading bank in Sri Lanka which revolutionized the country's economic and banking sectors. In an era when the common man was not welcome for banking, People's Bank opened its doors to all customers by delivering services in Sinhala and Tamil languages.

Under the 1961 Act 29 presented to the cabinet by the then Minister of Trade, Food, Cooperative and Shipping T. B. Illangaratne which focused in developing rural banking system and the people, the inaugural People's Bank branch was opened at Colombo Fort, under the Chairmanship of Mr. Vincent Subasinghe. Subsequently branches in Matale, Kandy, Hingurakkgoda, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Anuradhapura and Puttlam were added to the network tally.

With approximately 730 branch and service centers located islandwide today, and more than 10,000 employees dedicated to provide the best service along with a reach no other bank in this country has achieved thus far, People's Bank has become the trusted banking partner to more than 13 million customers across the country.

The Bank has also enhanced its banking activities and was the first banking institution to commence its official banking work bilingually in Sinhala and Tamil and they even carry the honour of introducing the trilingual cheque book which could be used in English, Sinhala or Tamil.

As the 'Bank of the aspiring people of Sri Lanka,' understanding the people's needs and in turn providing an excellent service in the most caring, responsive and professional manner has enabled People's Bank to introduce accounts that suit various needs.

' Isuru Udana' for newborns, 'Sisu Udana' for students, 'Yes' for the youth, 'Vanitha Wasana' for ladies, 'Parinatha' for senior citizens, 'Ethera Isura' for foreign employees, 'Aswenna' for agri professionals and the 'ISA' savings account are all such examples of those inventions.

In order to uplift the lives of the farmers, fishermen and other SMEs, various loan schemes and special housing loans have been introduced by People's Bank.

A separate department deals with corporate clients and the international banking section maintains a network with 900 agents in 103 countries.

All People's Bank branches are networked with state-of-the-art technology to provide a more efficient banking experience to the customers.

The bank has over 400 ATM machines operating islandwide. Customers can easily do their banking activities and bill payments via facilities such as Mobile banking, People's Net, People's Palm Top and internet banking through the People's Bank website.