Sanath Manatunge’s visionary leadership and focus on digital innovation have transformed Commercial Bank of Ceylon, earning him Best Bank CEO in Sri Lanka and guiding the bank to be named the nation’s Best Managed Bank. Jakarta, 21 May 2025 – 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. About the CEO Leadership Achievement Awards TAB Global conducts a Leadership Achievement Awards programme every three years, focusing on the performance of CEOs/chairmen and boards in the financial services industry. The programme was first introduced in 2004 and is run only once every three years to give time to the leadership of banks to demonstrate the ability to translate strategy into execution. This highly coveted award is one of the most difficult and exclusive recognition programmes of its kind for any top banker in the industry because of its stringent evaluation process. The Best Managed Bank award is made in conjunction with the CEO Leadership Achievement Award in the belief that true leadership results in strong and sustainable franchises. Media Contact Genivi Factao Editor TAB Global Email: [email protected]
