Seylan Bank, the Bank with a Heart, in partnership with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Centre for SMEs and CIMA, conducted a workshop in Puttalam for owners of SME businesses from the area. Over the years, Seylan Bank has taken up the role of mentor towards the SME sector in Sri Lanka, with the strong belief that it is the backbone of the country’s economy, and that the sector should be empowered through relevant financial solutions and knowledge sharing. It is under this vision that the Bank conducts a series of workshops across the country with the aim of developing the regional SME industry.
The workshop was facilitated by Channa Gunawardana, CEO of Dankotuwa Porcelain, covering key areas of Appropriate customer segmentation, Branding and its importance, Marketing and its challenges, Technology and the need for digitalization, Plan setting and acting on the plan, and Financial solutions. SMEs representing sectors including agriculture, trading, IT, salt manufacturing, spice exports, garments, dry fish manufacturing and construction took part in the workshop. This was the third workshop in the series, preceded by similar workshops in Ratnapura and Anuradhapura.
“Through initiatives such as this workshop, Seylan Bank aims at opening avenues for further business opportunities to SMEs and thereby help unlock their potential. We believe that those with the right mindset to learn, adapt and challenge the status quo, will pave the way for the country’s development during these turbulent times. We saw how important the SME sector is, especially during the past few years, and therefore, have kept it as one of our core areas of focus. It’s a published fact that Seylan was the third largest contributor amongst private banks in funding SME sector activity in 2020 – and we have continued to support this sector. We are honoured to partner with the CCC and CIMA for such a project where we can create financial literacy on products and solutions that can help regional SMEs. The growth of SMEs is crucial to the national economy and Seylan Bank has always opened avenues that will enrich this backbone of the economy,” stated Ranil Dissanayake, Assistant General Manager, Branch Credit at Seylan Bank.
The regional workshops are organized by the CCC in collaboration with CIMA under the initiative ‘Forward Together’, with the objective of bridging the knowledge, skills, and financial and technological awareness gaps amongst the local SMEs. 45% of employment in Sri Lanka rely on the effective functioning of SMEs. ‘Forward Together’ was launched to assure the sustainable impact on SMEs that largely impacts the national economy.
