‘Best Bank in Public Sector’ and ‘Best Employer Brand’ conferred on Bank of Ceylon

The No.1 bank in the country, the Bank of Ceylon, has won the Best Employer Brand Award and the Best Bank in Public Sector - Excellence and Leadership Award for the Banking and Financial Services Industry, presented at an event hosted by the World HRD Congress at its 12th Employer Branding Awards held recently at the Taj Samudra Colombo. 

Sri Lanka’s Best Employer Branding Awards were launched to recognise top companies and brands that use employer branding for a competitive advantage. 

The Bank of Ceylon was recognised as ‘the Best Bank in the Public Sector’ at the Banking and Finance Services Industry (BFSI) Excellence and Leadership Awards 2017 citing criteria  such as leadership and vision, inspiration and engagement, commitment and delivery, future orientation, integrity and ethics and the ability to sustain. 

During the past several years the bank has exhibited exceptional financial performance in terms of profit and growth whilst managing a diverse customer portfolio representing all socioeconomic layers. With a stability which has been proven over 78 years, the bank has demonstrated market leadership in many areas of banking and significantly pioneered the transformation of the Sri Lankan banking and financial landscape. 

Currently, the Bank of Ceylon is the highest profit-earning single business entity in the country with a Rs. 31.2 billion Profit before Tax (PBT) for 2016 and it counts for over Rs. 3 trillion in its balance sheet in assets, deposits and advances. 

With the extensive branch network and customer touch points that consist of 625 branches, 15 SME Centres and 733 ATMs/CDMS that are spread across the country, the bank is not only providing best-in-class customer service to all customers but has developed its strategies to cater to the needs of any socioeconomic segment  in any part of the country.  Being actively engaged with the Government initiatives to promote socioeconomic development through programs such as the new comprehensive Rural Credit Scheme, Commercial Scale Diary Development Lending Scheme, Poverty Alleviation Microfinance Project and self-employment initiative loan scheme and with products such as ‘Samata Ginumak’ to reach the unbanked segments of the country, the bank has contributed immensely to the country. 

The bank has contributed significantly to uplift the SME segment in the country through its own specialised loan schemes and other value-added benefits. Being in a highly competitive service sector, the bank thoroughly believes its human resource is the key element behind its success.  The bank’s HR policy ensures that it maintains a culture of contribution and innovation at work, consistently improving its HR policy by measuring organisational health and inculcating values that help it to achieve its vision of being a social employer and developing future leaders within the organisation. Becoming one of the Best Employer Brands in the country for 2017 recognises the effort the bank took to effectively manage its over 8,000-strong workforce and drive them to reach the bank’s strategic goals and maintain itself as the country’s No.1 brand and No.1 bank. Leading the Sri Lankan banking industry with over 78 years experience, the Bank of Ceylon has become the most stable and trusted bank in the country that serves Sri Lankans from all walks of life, helping them to build their lives and making themselves financially stable whilst uplifting the country’s economy. The bank earned global recognition as one of the top 1000 banks in the world (country rank No.1) as listed by ‘The Banker Magazine’ (UK). The bank claimed its award as the only Sri Lankan brand recognised as one of Asia’s Best Brands in 2013 by the Chief Marketing Officer’s Council (CMO Council) based in Mumbai, India. Brand Finance Lanka has ranked Bank of Ceylon as the country’s No. 1 brand for the past nine years. 

Focusing on the bank’s achievement, Fitch Rating Lanka ranked the Bank of Ceylon at AA+(lka), which is the highest rating awarded to a local commercial bank and ICRA (lk) awarded it a AAA rating, which is the highest credit quality rating issued by ICRA Lanka. BOC won the merit award for the Annual Report 2015 under the State-owned enterprises category at the Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards – 2016 conducted by the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka. The Bank of Ceylon maintains an international presence with three overseas branches and a subsidiary in London.