BEYOND PROFIT: COMMERCIAL BANK’S IMPACT ON SRI LANKA’S PEOPLE AND PLANET

From the ComBank Akshara National Education Programme to LKR 71.2 Billion in Green Financing, Sri Lanka’s Largest Private Bank Marks Sustainability Day 2026

For Commercial Bank, the true measure of success goes beyond its financial results. It lies in classrooms now equipped for the digital age, in forests and coastlines being restored, and in the farmers, women entrepreneurs and small businesses gaining the finance and skills to build a better future. As the Bank celebrates Sustainability Day 2026 under its promise of “Creating a Sustainable Future”, that impact reaches communities across the island.

Guided by a Shared Value approach and a Triple Bottom Line model that gives equal weight to people, planet and profit, Commercial Bank judges its performance not only by what it earns, but by the difference it makes to the lives of Sri Lankans. As the country’s largest private bank and a designated higher-tier Domestic Systemically Important Bank, it recognizes a responsibility to the nation as a whole.

That commitment has earned recognition at home and abroad. Commercial Bank is the first bank in the world to be accorded Champion Status by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and in 2020 it became Sri Lanka’s first carbon-neutral bank, a status it has maintained ever since. It is a Patron member of the UN Global Compact, a signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, and the largest lender to Sri Lanka’s SME sector, the backbone of the national economy.

A Framework Built for National Impact

Commercial Bank structures its sustainability commitments around three pillars: Sustainable Banking, Responsible Organization and Community Engagement. Together, they align the Bank’s everyday business with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s Sustainable Finance Roadmap and the Sri Lanka Green Finance Taxonomy. The Bank has also adopted the Sustainability Disclosure Standards SLFRS S1 and S2 for the first time, bringing greater transparency to how it reports its environmental and social performance.

The Bank also looks at sustainability from both directions: how climate events such as floods and droughts could affect its customers and their livelihoods, and how its own lending, operations and community programmes affect Sri Lanka’s environment, biodiversity and social well-being.

ComBank Akshara: Investing in the Next Generation

Each year, Commercial Bank directs a dedicated percentage of its post-tax profits to the Commercial Bank CSR Trust, with cumulative investments now exceeding LKR 1.4 billion. Through ComBank Akshara, the Bank’s national education programme, it has established 450 school IT labs, 200 STEM Smart Classrooms and more than 135 Math Labs, giving over 450,000 children in rural schools access to modern learning tools.

Each lab and classroom gives students outside the main cities the opportunity to build digital, scientific and numerical skills on par with their urban peers. In doing so, ComBank Akshara is helping to prepare a generation of young Sri Lankans to compete and contribute in a knowledge-driven economy. The Bank complements these efforts with financial and environmental literacy initiatives that equip young people with the understanding they will need for a low-carbon future.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Commercial Bank sees women’s economic empowerment as one of the most powerful drivers of national progress, because when women prosper, their families and communities prosper with them. In Jaffna, the Bank’s dedicated Anagi Women’s Banking Centre offers tailored financial products and advisory services exclusively for women and women entrepreneurs, giving them the confidence and the capital to start and grow their businesses. serves.

Beyond finance, the Bank equips women entrepreneurs with the financial literacy and guidance to scale their enterprises, while the ComBank Shakthi agency banking network extends essential financial services into underserved rural communities, bringing banking closer to women and families who would otherwise have limited access to it.

Modernising Sri Lankan Agriculture

Agriculture sustains a large share of Sri Lankan livelihoods and is among the sectors most exposed to climate change. Through its Agri Modernization Village Development Programme, Commercial Bank is helping smallholder farmers in agricultural hubs such as Polonnaruwa, Vavunathivu and Welimada adopt climate-smart technologies that make their cultivation more productive and more resilient.

Farmers gain access to the knowledge, technology and financial literacy needed to modernise their practices, while the Bank’s green financing for sustainable agricultural technologies helps them invest in long-term improvements. The aim is stronger rural incomes, more resilient village economies and a more secure food supply for the country.

Protecting Sri Lanka’s Natural Heritage

Through its flagship “Trees for Tomorrow” initiative, the Bank has planted 100,000 trees. In partnership with Biodiversity Sri Lanka, it runs the “Life to Coral, Life to Beaches” and “Life to Forest” conservation programmes. Alongside these, the Bank has restored 12,500 mangroves in the Koggala Lagoon and supported a marine turtle conservation project in Panama, Ampara, that has seen more than 85,000 hatchlings safely released into the ocean. More than 2,500 staff volunteers have also joined island-wide coastal clean-ups across 20 locations.

Finance That Works for People and Planet

Commercial Bank’s green loan portfolio has grown to LKR 71.2 billion, financing utility-scale renewable energy, rooftop solar for homes and businesses, low-carbon transport and sustainable agriculture. Last year alone, these projects avoided an estimated 134,128 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). The Bank’s LKR 15 billion Basel III-compliant Tier II Green Bond was oversubscribed on its opening day, and the Bank has committed to growing its green financing portfolio to LKR 100 billion by 2030.

As the largest lender to Sri Lanka’s SME sector, Commercial Bank plays a central role in helping small businesses grow responsibly. Corporate and SME lending is screened through the Bank’s Environmental and Social Management System, with 13,335 credit facilities assessed in a single year. Its AI-powered SME credit underwriting platform, the first in Sri Lanka, makes it simpler and faster for small businesses to access credit.

Leading by Example

The Bank holds itself to the same standards it encourages in others. Since becoming carbon neutral in 2020, it has continued to reduce its own footprint. More than 85 branches now run on rooftop solar, lifting renewable sources to over 18% of the Bank’s own energy use, and the Bank recycled more than 190,000 kilograms of paper waste in a single year, while digitized workflows continue to reduce paper use at source.

The same care extends to its people. In line with the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, the Bank invests in female leadership development, structured mentorship and specialised training to accelerate women’s career progression. Enhanced maternity benefits and progressive family-care policies have helped create a supportive workplace, with 100% of female employees returning to work after maternity leave.

Looking Ahead

Commercial Bank’s next priorities include expanding its climate transition plan, advancing blue finance to protect marine ecosystems, and deepening financial inclusion in Sri Lanka and the region. Leading much of this work is the “Future Force”, a core team of more than 300 employee volunteers who champion social and environmental causes across the Bank.

For Commercial Bank, sustainability is not a side initiative but a duty to the nation it serves.