NTB expands Nations Business Centres

Nations Trust Bank (NTB) has successfully rolled out a 51 branch network offering services to SME customers across the county.  Additionally, dedicated Nations Business Centres, offering the SME clientele a range of services to facilitate their financial requirements are currently operational in Galle, Chilaw, Ratnapura, Kurunegala and Anuradhapura.

Subsequent to the opening of the Business Centres, seminars were conducted for SME customers in Kurunegala and Anuradhpura followed by an evening of fellowship. The SME customers who participated in these business forums included traders, importers, exporters, manufactures and distributors.

The first session aimed at building capacity among SME customers by introducing the SME Toolkit, a web-based business tool developed by IFC and managed locally by Dialog Axatia.  The SME Toolkit is available in Sinhala and Tamil and contains a range of very useful financial management tools, which any SME can access and use in improving the way they run their business.

The session was conducted by Assistant General Manager, Business Development Centre and Certified SME Toolkit Trainer Arunasiri Gunarathne.

While any SME can access the SME Toolkit through the internet through their own computers, the SME Toolkit is also available for customers to access at the Nations Business Centres, where NTB has trained staff to assist customers to use this website, as part of its business advisory service.

A second session imparted a comprehensive knowledge of Taxation applicable to SMEs, delivered by R.P.L Weerasinghe, former commissioner of Inland Revenue AND Tax Advisor to the Ministry of Finance.

Customers were given the opportunity to interact and discuss specific tax issues relating to their businesses and encouraged to seek the benefits offered by recent GOSL Budgets aimed at SMEs.

Commenting on this initiative NTB Director and CEO Saliya Rajakaruna said: “The SME’s are an important segment for us and we will continuously strive to add value as their financial partner so that they could to drive the economy through the success of their business. NTB, one of the fastest –growing banks in Sri Lanka today, will continue to launch products and services to enhance the financial propositions on offer to the SME’s.”

The Director General -Anuradhapura District Chamber of Commerce P. B. Disanayaka also brought in his ideas on the forum and stated, “The business conference that NTB has organised today is definitely a current necessity for the country.  This Toolkit has brought in a vast knowledge to businessmen in Anuradhapura district which will help to continue a successful business and rural areas in Anuradhapura which were not a main attraction in the past can now gets exposed to greater opportunities through such programmes. This conference is sure to be a major inspiration to successfully proceed with our business. Further, I am grateful to NTB for holding a lecture on Tax and educating us. I believe that the bank will continue to organise similar programmes for the future progress and development of business.”

NTB offers SME customers a range of services. With the objective of assisting the SME segment towards growth, the plan is to open more Business Centres in a number of geographies and conduct a lot more business forums in the future on specific topics that will benefit entrepreneurs.

The bank now has 51 branches, seven Personal Banking Centres and is the sole issuer and acquirer for American Express cards in Sri Lanka.