How does your bank work in providing loans for new business to aspiring business community?

At CBC, we are passionate about nurturing aspiring businesses in Bangladesh. We offer a streamlined loan application process that starts with a detailed assessment of each new business’s viability and potentiality. Our experienced team collaborates closely with entrepreneurs to understand their vision, financials, and growth plans. Our goal is to bridge the gap between aspiration and reality, providing not just financial support but also guidance and mentorship. Our loan process begins with a thorough analysis of credit proposals, ensuring a holistic assessment of each venture’s potential. Our expert credit and market risk teams meticulously review financials, market trends, and growth projections. This comprehensive evaluation enables us to offer tailored loan solutions that align with the unique needs of entrepreneurs. We prioritize transparency, providing clear insights into terms, rates, and repayment structures.

Bangladesh is growing day by day in exports, how does your bank make it easier for the exporters in terms of currency conversion and letter of credit for business?

CBC Bangladesh considers its dedicated Trade Finance Team as an important pillar of its continuous stellar growth who are capable of handling even the most sophisticated and complicated Trade Finance cases.

The bank strongly maintains its network of partnerships and relationships with other financial institutions, helping to facilitate cross border trade transactions and provide additional resources and support to customers. The bank also maintains a large number of SWIFT RMA network to facilitate seamless international trade transactions.

The bank also offers a comprehensive range of trade finance products and solutions, including letters of credit, guarantees, and documentary collections. Moreover, bank’s cutting-edge technology solution streamlines the trade finance process for customers, such as digital platforms for trade finance documentation and processing.

Meanwhile, our specialized Treasury Team members facilitate any of the currency conversion related queries including forward covers to hedge the exchange rate risk of the exporters and importers. Treasury also provides regular forecasts both for local and foreign currencies which is very much valued by the market players.

Each and every country around the world has its own government and private banks and most of the people rely on their own country banks, can you please share how different is your bank and its banking system? Why should Bangladesh people open their banking account in your bank?

CBC is in the business of Banking and what we do is objectively carryout financial intermediation for both local and international clients. The Bank has more than one hundred years of legacy driven trust imprinted with the brand name. CBC is also having AAA rating from CRISL for consecutive 13 years. Moreover, the Bank has around 40% CAR (capital adequacy ratio) with around 1.00% non-performing assets which proves its sheer financial soundness over many of its competitor banks.

We also cater to customers of all walks of life through various unique products and services. We are very much concentrated on digitalization and currently having quite a number of innovative products and services suit for any type of customers namely, Sustainable Corporates, SMEs, Retails and individuals.

Your bank’s origin is from Ceylon-Sri Lanka, your country is facing financial crisis currently, how do you assure that your bank in Bangladesh or even in other countries does it make sure its reliability and trustworthy to the people?

Sri Lanka’s first 100% carbon neutral bank and the first Sri Lankan bank to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC operates a network of 271 branches and 957 automated machines in Sri Lanka. Commercial Bank is the largest lender to Sri Lanka’s SME sector and is a leader in digital innovation in the country’s Banking sector. Commercial Bank, is also the largest private bank in Sri Lanka and known as the benchmark private sector bank in the country.

A very clear statement of the Group Chairman which is self-expressing states that, When the global and local operating environment is volatile, we ensure that we frequently take stock of our strategic direction and reassess and recalibrate adopting an agile process to accommodate evolving challenges.

Moreover, the Bank continues to benefit immensely from the perspective shared by one of our major shareholders International Finance Corporation – lFC.

In Bangladesh, the capital adequacy ratio of Bangladesh Operations stands at 45.45% as at 30 June 2023, which is one of the highest among banks operating in Bangladesh against BASEL III requirement of 12.50%. The Bank also records one of the lowest NPL ratio in the Bangladesh Banking industry at 0.99%.

As a result, in addition to winning several awards & accolades such as Best Foreign Bank in Bangladesh, Most Sustainable Bank in Bangladesh, Most Recommended Foreign Bank in Bangladesh, Best Corporate Bank Bangladesh, Most Innovative Foreign Banking Brand – Bangladesh, Bangladesh International Trade Finance Bank of the Year, Top Fastest Growing Companies to Watch 2023, The best performance on Growth, The best performance on Profitability from Indian Chamber of Commerce and world renowned financial magazines based in financial hubs of UK, USA, UAE, Singapore and India.

Speedy recovery of Sri Lankan economy is rather an advantage to consolidate our position. Being self-sufficient institution, home country situation is having a minimum impact for our operations.

Please share us the inception of your bank and its growth story?

Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC has a one hundred plus years of legacy driven trust imprinted with the brand name. CBC is the only private sector Bank in Sri Lanka that has been designated by the Sri Lankan Central Bank as a higher tier domestic systematically important Bank. Moreover, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC has a substantial foreign ownership exceeding the combined value over 20 pct.

Sri Lanka’s Best Bank’ has a rich history dating back to the pre-independence era. The birth of CBC is in the 1920s’, during the British colonial period, a time when trade, commerce and enterprises opened up, and thrived. In 1920, The Eastern Bank UK opened a branch in Colombo. After gaining independence in 1948, trade continued to flourish and as a consequence, the share capital of the Eastern Bank Ltd was acquired by the Chartered Bank in 1957. A decade later, in 1969, Commercial Bank of Ceylon was duly incorporated in Ceylon, with the Eastern Bank holding 40% of its equity, before it was taken over in 1971, by the Chartered Bank.