Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, the largest private-sector bank in Sri Lanka, traces its origins back to 1920s. Incorporated in 1969, we are a licensed commercial bank and a public limited liability company whose ordinary shares - listed on the main board of the Colombo Stock Exchange - are widely held domestically and abroad. For more information on ownership structure, identity and percentage of ownership by largest shareholders, please see the ‘Investor Relations Supplement’ section Commercial Bank has the highest market capitalisation (Rs. 95.654 Bn.) among all Sri Lankan financial institutions and is ranked number 4 among all listed companies as at end 2013. Within the overall business volumes of the country’s banking sector, Commercial Bank accounts for approximately 10% of assets, 12% of deposits, and 10% of net loans and advances.

Offering a diverse range of products and services for the full spectrum of financial needs, Commercial Bank has one of the largest delivery networks operated by a Sri Lankan private-sector bank, with retail branches and other channels extending to all districts of the country.

In 2003, Commercial Bank established its presence in Bangladesh with the acquisition of the Bangladesh operations of Credit Agricole Indosuez. The Bangladesh operation then had only four delivery points. Today, we have a network of 18 delivery points in Bangladesh operating under a license issued by the Bank of Bangladesh, (the Central Bank of Bangladesh), and is registered with the Registrar of Companies of Bangladesh. We have also deployed Business Promotion Officers (BPOs) in Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, whose mandate is to facilitate transfer of money by working with exchange houses in the respective countries supporting the financial needs of Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi citizens working in those countries. Commercial Bank provides a swift, secure and reasonably priced means for overseas workers to remit their hard-earned money to their families at home.

 

Scale of Operations

Commercial Bank conducts its operations through a network of 235 delivery points and 585 ATMs in Sri Lanka, and through 18 delivery points and 19 ATMs in Bangladesh.

The Bank has a total of 4,519 employees in Sri Lanka and another 211 in Bangladesh.

Branches	Automated Teller Machines (ATMs)	Internet-Based Banking	Mobile Phone-Based Banking	Electronic Cards/e-Cash
Branch Network	ATMs at Branches	ComBank Corporate Web	Telephone Banking	VISA and MasterCard Debit/Credit Cards
Customer Service Points	Offsite ATMs at Railway Stations, Retails Outlets, Hospitals and Other Commercial and Public Places	ComBank Online - Internet Banking	Mobile Banking	Point-of-Sale (POS) Machines
Holiday Banking Centres	Drive-through ATMs	Paymaster	SMS Banking	e-Exchange
Supermarket Banking Centres	Mobile ATMs
Priority Banking Centres	Kiosks
Call Centres
24/7 automated banking centre

In 2013, we enhanced customer convenience and satisfaction by relocating 12 delivery points while adding 9 new ones, along with 32 ATMs, to the Bank’s staffed and ATM network. Apart from above, there were no changes in the size, structure, ownership or supply chain of the Bank during 2013.

In March last year, the Bank successfully raised a 10-year subordinated term debt of US $ 75 Mn. from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which strengthened our Tier II capital base.

A snapshot of different types of delivery channels of the Bank is tabulated below.

 

Product Portfolio by Business Lines

Details of Bank’s loan portfolio by industry, as well as the composition of our deposits portfolio, are given in Notes 26.1 (c) and 37.1 (a) to the Financial Statements. The Bank has internal limits on lending to customers and exposures to countries. In addition to prudent credit evaluation criteria, our lending officers pay due attention to various aspects of environmental and social risks as well in all credit proposals.

Adherence to Social and Environmental Management System (SEMS) framework is discussed under Management Approach to Economic, Social and Environmental Parameters.

The complete array of products and services offered by each business unit of the Bank is detailed below.