To mark its 25th Anniversary, SDB bank, one of the key players in Sri Lanka’s SME-banking landscape, conducted a number of events across its branch network, in line with its values and future vision. While SDB bank remains fundamentally true to its founding principles to date, its ethos and purpose have grown and evolved over time. Today, SDB bank has emerged as a futuristic, value-based, tech savvy and contemporary bank with a key strategic focus on the areas of SME Development, Women’s Empowerment and Digital Inclusion.
To commemorate the historic milestone of 25 years of service, SDB bank conducted several activities. Most notably, in scaling positive climate action, SDB bank inaugurated a large-scale ecosystem restoration initiative with a pilot project launched in Dewahandiya East Village in Ududumbara to restore 25 hectares of degraded land (where tobacco had been previously grown), adjoining the Victoria-Randenigala-Rantembe (VRR) Sanctuary. This pilot project will support 90 families to adapt to the effects of climate change, helping them to diversify their income by growing meat substitutes such as jackfruit and 09 other herbal/superfoods including Bael Fruit and Indian Gooseberry.
The project is being implemented through a multi-stakeholder participatory model involving the community, relevant state agencies, including the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Forest Department, Central Province Department of Agriculture and Department of Export Agriculture, while technical guidance for the project is being provided by partners such as the IUCN and SLYCAN Trust. The first planting of the pilot project took place on the 24th of August 2022. The Lalith U Gamage, Governor of Central Province, was the Chief Guest at the event, while Chairperson of SDB bank, Dinithi Ratnayake, Members of the Bank’s Board of Directors, Acting CEO of SDB bank, Niranjan Thangarajah and members of the Executive Management team of SDB bank were also in attendance, along with representatives of the project’s key stakeholder groups.
Moving beyond the milestone of 25 years, SDB bank is strongly positioned, financially, and in terms of expertise, experience and other resources, to sustainably fuel economic development in Sri Lanka, with a keen focus on the SME sector. SDB bank has joined hands with prestigious global financiers and organizations that share its vision for an empowered and equitable society. In the present environment, creating new economic opportunities for all Sri Lankans and supporting export-oriented businesses, along with businesses that create value for Sri Lanka, are focus areas for the Bank. Working together with like-minded partners, SDB bank is moving to further its goal and vision to develop Sri Lanka’s SME sector, with a focus on female entrepreneurship.