A seminar on “The Role of Banks in Supporting SMEs”

A seminar on “The Role of Banks in Supporting SMEs” was held at the OPA auditorium on the 19^th of March at 6.00 p.m. Jointly organized by the National Issues committee of the OPA and the Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka, the event featured Mr. Wickrema Narayana, Deputy General Manager, Enterprise Banking, People’s Bank and Mr. Indika Ranaweera, Vice President, SME, Middle Market and Business Banking, National Development Bank as guest speakers. In addition, the panelists were Mr. Aasiri Iddamalgoda, Senior Vice President, Retail Banking and SME, DFCC Bank and Mr. Asitha Pinnaduwa, Assistant Vice President, Consumer Products and Portfolio Management, Nations Trust Bank.

The audience was treated to enlightening presentations on how the banking sector can contribute to the revitalization of SMEs. The importance of digitalization, encouraging export-oriented SMEs and driving financial inclusion were among the topics discussed during the seminar, which concluded with a Q&A session moderated by Mr. Bhanu Wijayaratne, Chairman, National Issues Committee and Vice President – OPA.