Sanath Manatunge, CEO of Commercial Bank of Ceylon, has been awarded the Best Bank CEO in Sri Lanka by TAB Global, in recognition of his strategic vision, digital innovation and customer focus. Under his leadership, Commercial Bank of Ceylon is recognised as the Best Managed Bank in Sri Lanka. Under Manatunge’s leadership, Commercial Bank of Ceylon has showcased resilience, innovation and clear strategic vision. He adeptly navigated complex macroeconomic and operational challenges, expanded small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) financing and spearheaded a digital banking transformation, solidifying the bank’s market leadership. Navigating turbulence with strategic discipline Manatunge has demonstrated strong leadership in guiding Commercial Bank of Ceylon through major challenges while maintaining stability and growth. During the 2022 economic crisis, the bank took decisive measures such as strategic capital infusion, cost control and higher impairment provisions to maintain capital adequacy and safeguard financial health, while providing loan moratoria to support customers. Amid the turbulence in 2024, he guided the bank to strengthen liquidity, diversify funding, optimise the balance sheet, accelerate digital lending and enhance risk management through advanced analytics. These actions preserved credit quality, boosted investor confidence and enabled record-breaking results despite a challenging environment. Advancing SME financing and rural inclusion Under the leadership of Manatunge, Commercial Bank of Ceylon consolidated its position as the country’s largest SME lender. Agriculture and microfinance units were expanded to support rural businesses and SME ecosystems were launched to improve supply chains and market access. These initiatives boosted SME resilience during volatility, fostered job creation and promoted inclusive growth. He also led the launch of Exporter Grooming Programmes to help SMEs expand internationally. Driving digital innovation and efficiency Manatunge spearheaded the digital banking transformation by introducing Sri Lanka’s first trilingual digital banking service and expanding AI-powered underwriting systems to automate loan approvals, reducing turnaround times. The launch of host-to-host payment services and advanced fraud detection tools enhanced operational efficiency and security. By deploying predictive analytics and robotic process automation, alongside innovations such as wearable banking devices, artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and a digital loyalty rewards programme, the bank improved customer convenience, boosted digital adoption and reduced branch congestion and costs.
