HNB once again ranked among Sri Lanka’s Most Valuable Brands for 2026

Tuesday, 8 September 2026 05:16 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

HNB Managing Director/CEO Damith Pallewatte (centre) receives the Sri Lanka’s Most Valuable Brand plaque from Brand Finance Lanka Managing Director Anuk Wijeyeratne, in the presence of HNB Vice President Marketing and Corporate Communication Upul Adikari

Hatton National Bank PLC (HNB) once again secured its place among the nation’s most valuable brands as per the latest Brand Finance Sri Lanka 100 Report, with a brand value of Rs. 25.4 billion.

HNB’s placement sits within a Top 10 dominated by banking, with six banks among the country’s ten most valuable brands. The sector accounts for 42% of the total value in this year’s ranking, worth Rs. 275 billion and up 14% year-on-year, a measure of how closely brand value tracks financial performance.

“A brand serves as a symbol of the value that markets and customers place on the institution behind it. The value of our brand is also a reflection of the trust and confidence that the market and our customers has placed in our organisation, our services, and our people. To be ranked among Sri Lanka’s most valuable brands is a powerful validation of our customer-centric approach to banking, and the role that we must continue to serve in nurturing economic recovery, and facilitating more Sri Lankans to access the financial services they need to meet their aspirations,” HNB Managing Director/CEO, Damith Pallewatte said.

Brand Finance assesses brands against internationally recognised standards, combining brand value with an assessment of brand strength across marketing investment, stakeholder equity and business performance. The Sri Lanka 100 report is now in its 22nd edition.

HNB’s ranking follows a period of strong results for HNB. Group profit after tax reached Rs. 49.8 billion in 2025, more than doubling over two years, while group assets grew 19.4% to Rs. 2.64 trillion and loans crossed Rs. 1.5 trillion, up 30.5%.

The bank’s branch and relationship network, the largest retail and SME footprint among private banks, further amplifies HNB’s reach into every segment of the Sri Lankan economy, from the grassroots to the island’s most well-established conglomerates.

Underlying HNB’s performance is a customer base built over decades outside the traditional banking perimeter. Gami Pubuduwa, launched in the 1980s to lend to village entrepreneurs who had no access to formal credit, remains in operation and continues to shape how the bank approaches the SME segment.

That approach extends to initiatives such as HNB Sarusara, which combines agri-modernisation support with market access, digital banking and capacity building to help transform rural farmers into empowered commercial agri-businesses entrepreneurs.

HNB’s growing cross-border lending relationships in India, East Africa and the Middle East have also supported Sri Lankan corporates expanding beyond the domestic market.