Sampath Bank introduces helpline for business startup advisory services

• Offers much-needed guidance and support to Sri Lanka’s startups and prospective entrepreneurs under ‘Sampath Saviya’ Entrepreneurship Development Program 

Sampath Bank PLC announced the launch of a helpline for business start-up advisory services under its flagship entrepreneurship development program, ‘Sampath Saviya,’ recently. This new endeavour builds on the Bank’s longstanding efforts to support the nation’s entrepreneurs and nurture a culture of entrepreneurship around the island.

Focusing on the critical incubation period during which early-stage businesses tend to face heightened levels of challenges, the initiative seeks to facilitate the business incubation process. Playing an advisory role, Sampath Bank will be offering much-needed guidance and support to help start-ups establish their businesses and commence operations. 

Sampath Bank is geared to offer guidance on early-stage business planning and registration. Further they provide information to connect with the institutions which assist business start-ups, build relationships with the Bank and the learning programs on business development.

“Right from our inception, we at Sampath Bank have always believed in the entrepreneurial spirit of our fellow Sri Lankans and sought to support them through every stage of their growth story. Going beyond offering innovative financial solutions and services, we continue to seek more ways in which we can deliver greater value to them. The ‘Sampath Saviya’ Entrepreneurship Development program has been one of the key pillars of our efforts in this regard,” said Sampath Bank PLC Group Chief Human Resources Officer Thusitha Nakandala. 

“We are delighted to expand our ‘Sampath Saviya’ program with the launch of ‘Sampath Saviya Business Start-up Advisory Services.’ This new initiative is aimed at offering guidance and advice to all Sri Lankans who are thinking about or working on starting their own business. We look forward to nurturing a wave of new entrepreneurs across the island.”

All Sri Lankans looking to set up their own business or in the process of building their start-up venture can access Sampath Saviya Business Advisory Services by calling the dedicated helpline on +94 777 60 10 60 or by submitting their queries online through the link available on www.sampath.lk. 

The ‘Sampath Saviya’ program was launched in 2013 with the aim of supporting the nation’s efforts to promote entrepreneurship and build a strong Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprise (MSME) sector that serves as a key driver of economic growth. Since then, it has grown into a key pillar of the Bank’s community outreach efforts to emerge as its flagship entrepreneurship development program. The program has brought a significant positive transformation in the communities throughout the period. 

The Bank hosts a series of complimentary ‘Sampath Saviya’ MSME development workshops around the island wherein senior representatives from within Sampath Bank and subject matter experts from outside offer advice and guidance on a wide range of topics. With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank shifted the entire program online, engaging MSMEs as well as university students through a series of webinars.

Sampath Bank is a 100% local bank that has deeply rooted itself in the lives of the people of Sri Lanka. Established in 1987, the Bank has become a state-of-the-art financial institution that continues to be a market leader today thanks to its constant innovation and customer focused approach to business. It has introduced many firsts to the Sri Lankan banking sector including introducing ATMs to Sri Lanka, extended banking hours and slip-less banking to name a few. As part of its visionary 2020 approach, the Bank is steadily transforming itself into a ‘tech company engaged in banking,’ from the traditional approach of a bank engaged in technology.