Adjudged No. 1 in Banking sector once again and recognised as overall runner-up 

Recognising Commercial Bank’s unwavering commitment to and strategic focus on building a sustainable future, the Bank has been named the Gold Award winner in the Banking Category and the Overall Runner-Up across all categories at the ACCA Sri Lanka Sustainability Reporting Awards 2025, in a significant endorsement of the Bank’s leadership in embedding sustainability into core banking strategy and operations.

The recognition was conferred on the Bank’s 2024 Annual Report titled ‘In Context – From Turbulence towards Tranquility’ at an awards ceremony held at The Forum, Cinnamon Life.

Commenting on this achievement, Mr Prasanna Indrajith,Chief Financial Officer of Commercial Bank, said the awards reflected a disciplined and deeply integrated approach to sustainability.“These recognitions reaffirm that sustainability at Commercial Bank is not a peripheral initiative, but a fundamental part of how we manage risk, govern the organisation and make credit and investment decisions. This integration enables stronger environmental and social safeguards and more prudent financing solutions for our customers, while reducing long-term risk exposure for the Bank,” he said.

Organised by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), one of the world’s most respected professional accounting bodies, the Sustainability Reporting Awards are evaluated against globally accepted sustainability and reporting standards rather than local benchmarks, giving the accolades strong international credibility.

Winning the Gold Award in the Banking Category confirms Commercial Bank’s position as the leading sustainability performer among banks operating in a highly regulated and risk-intensive sector that is subject to close scrutiny by regulators, investors and global partners. The award reflects the Bank’s ability to integrate sustainability into lending, risk management, governance and day-to-day banking operations, rather than limiting it to corporate social responsibility activities.

The Overall Runner-Up recognition across all industries further underscores the scale of the achievement, placing Commercial Bank ahead of organisations from sectors such as energy, manufacturing, telecommunications and diversified conglomerates, where sustainability maturity is traditionally more advanced and capital-intensive. This distinction positions Commercial Bank as one of the most sustainable corporates in Sri Lanka, beyond the financial services sector.

The Bank said participation in the ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards signals clearly to stakeholders that sustainability at Commercial Bank is embedded within core strategy and aligned with financial performance and governance, reinforcing consistency and accountability across business units and management.

Commercial Bank’s 2024 Annual Report contains comprehensive disclosures on the Bank’s sustainability framework, built on the three pillars of sustainable banking, responsible organisation and community engagement. The report presents an integrated view of financial and sustainability performance, outlines the Bank’s sustainability footprint and aligns disclosures with recognised sustainability accounting standards. Sustainability responsibilities are embedded across risk, finance, credit, operations, human resources, procurement and digital banking, making sustainability part of business-as-usual. This integration is reflected in departmental KPIs, procurement policies, digital transformation initiatives and employee engagement programmes.

The first Sri Lankan bank with a market capitalisation exceeding US$ 1 Bn., Commercial Bank was also the first bank in the country to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World, and has the highest Tier I capital base among all Sri Lankan banks. The Bank is the largest private sector lender in Sri Lanka and the largest lender to the country’s SME sector. Commercial Bank is also a leader in digital innovation and is Sri Lanka’s first 100% carbon-neutral bank.

Commercial Bank operates a network of strategically located branches and automated machines island-wide, and has the widest international footprint among Sri Lankan banks, with 20 branches in Bangladesh, a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake in the Maldives, a microfinance company in Myanmar, and a representative office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The Bank’s fully owned subsidiaries, CBC Finance Ltd. and Commercial Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Limited, also deliver a range of financial services via their own branch networks.

Photo caption:

Mr. Prasanna Indrajith, Chief Financial Officer of Commercial Bank and Mr. Hasrath Munasinghe, Deputy General Manager – Corporate Banking, accept one of the two ACCA awards won by the Bank.