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Central Bank of Sri Lanka: Monetary Board appoints four new Assistant Governors

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The Monetary Board, at its meeting held on 17th November 2021 has promoted K G P Sirikumara, D Kumaratunge, Mrs. U L Muthugala, and C P S Bandara to the post of Assistant Governor with effect from 17th November 2021.

K G P Sirikumara

He has served the Central Bank for more than 21 years in different capacities in the Departments of Legal and Compliance and Secretariat. He has served as a member in the National Payments Council, Financial Stability Committee, Non-financial Risk Management Committee, and in the Panel of Experts appointed under the Payment Devices Frauds Act, No.30 of 2006. He has also functioned as an observer in the Monetary Board Advisory Audit Committee and Board Risk Oversight Committee.

He has been instrumental in introducing numerous law reforms in the banking and financial sector, financial market infrastructures, capital markets and combating money laundering and terrorist financing. He has introduced strict governance standards within the Bank, and introduced resolution and enforcement measures to strengthen the financial sector.

Sirikumara holds Master of Laws Degrees from the Monash University, Australia and the University of Colombo. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the University of Colombo. He is an Attorney -at- Law and a member of the International Compliance Association (ICA), United Kingdom. He possesses International Diplomas in Anti Money Laundering (Graduate) and in Compliance (Graduate).

D Kumaratunge

Kumaratunge has over 30 years of experience in the Central Bank and has worked in the Departments of Economic Research, Centre for Banking Studies, Information Technology, and Management Audit in different capacities before serving as the Director of Payments and Settlements Department from 2016.

He has represented CBSL in the Board of Directors of the Lanka Financial Services Bureau Limited (LFSBL) and in the Governing Council of the National Institute of Business Management. He has been a member of the Academic Council and in the Syllabus Review Panel of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka and has also served in the Steering Committee to Monitor the use of Transit Card appointed by the Ministry of Transport, Workers’ Remittances Task Force, IT/BPO Sectoral Task Force appointed by the Presidential Task Force, Steering Committee on Digital Platform Policy Framework, Roadmap & Action Plan to create a uniform Digital Business Landscape by ICTA Agency of Sri Lanka, and of the Faculty Advisory Committee for the Centre for Banking Studies, CBSL.

Kumaratunge holds a Master of Science Degree in Information Technology from the University of Colombo, Master of Arts Degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics from the University of Essex, United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Peradeniya. He also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology obtained from the University of Colombo.

Mrs. U L Muthugala

Mrs. Muthugala has served the Central Bank for more than 30 years in the Departments of Secretariat, Finance, Bank Supervision, Public Debt, International Operations, Internal Audit, Financial System Stability, Supervision of Non-Bank Financial Institutions in different capacities.

She has functioned as the Chief Accountant as well as the Secretary of the CBSL. She also possesses expertise in core central banking areas of financial system stability, supervision and regulation

of financial institutions, debt and portfolio management and international finance, and foreign reserves management.

Mrs. Muthugala has further served as a member of several committees including Foreign Reserves Management Committee, Domestic Debt Management Committee, Internal Investment Committee, Committee on the International Sovereign Bond issue by the Government of Sri Lanka, Emergency Action T

She holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Colombo and is a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), United Kingdom. She also possesses the ACI Dealing Certificate of the Financial Markets Association.

C P S Bandara

C P S Bandara has over 24 years of experience at the Central Bank in the areas of financial system stability, economic and price stability, corporate services, agency functions, business continuity planning, enterprise-wide risk management and strategic planning. He has served in the Departments of Risk Management, Policy Review and Monitoring, Payments and Settlements, Public Debt and Information Technology.

He has served as the Secretary to the Sovereign Ratings Committee, Member of the Steering Committee for international sovereign bond issuances by the Government of Sri Lanka,

Secretary to the Payments Reform Steering Committee, Assistant Secretary to the Board Risk Oversight Committee, Secretary to the Non-Financial Risk Management Committee, Member of the Employees’ Provident Fund Investment Oversight Committee and as an Observer of the Monetary Board Advisory Audit Committee, Business Continuity Planning Committee, International Reserves Investment Oversight Committee, Internal Investment Oversight Committee, and the Financial System Stability Committee. He also served as a member in many cabinet appointed committees established to improve the country’s financial market infrastructure by implementing national level projects.

He holds a Master of Science Degree in Information Technology from Charles Sturt University, Australia, a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Computer Science from Monash University, Australia and a Diploma in Central Banking. He is also a Member of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka.



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HNB Finance strengthens Board with four independent directors

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Newly appointed HNB FINANCE PLC Independent Non- Executive Directors (from left): Renuke Wijayawardhane, Shanti Gnanapragasam, Nabiha Mohamed and Dr. Thisuri Wanniarachchi

HNB FINANCE PLC has strengthened its Board with the appointment of four Independent Non-Executive Directors, effective September 8, 2026.

The new directors are Renuke Wijayawardhane, Shanti Gnanapragasam, Nabiha Mohamed and Dr. Thisuri Wanniarachchi, who collectively bring extensive experience in financial regulation, banking, risk management, corporate finance, investment strategy, development finance and public policy.

Wijayawardhane, an Attorney-at-Law and capital market professional, retired in July 2025 as Chief Regulatory Officer of the Colombo Stock Exchange after more than 31 years with the Exchange. His experience covers securities regulation, corporate governance, market infrastructure and compliance.

Gnanapragasam has over four decades of banking experience spanning treasury, risk management, credit and trade finance. She currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Cargills Bank, Wealth Trust and Vision Fund Lanka.

Mohamed is a corporate finance and investment professional who previously served as Lead Transaction Advisor at the State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit of the Ministry of Finance, where she led five divestiture transactions worth over US$600 million.

Dr. Wanniarachchi brings over a decade of experience in development finance, institutional reform and social protection, including work with the World Bank and the Government of Sri Lanka.

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Prime Residencies hands over The Palace Gampaha

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Prime Group Chairman Premalal Brahmanage speaking at the event

Prime Lands Residencies PLC has completed and officially handed over The Palace Gampaha, described as the largest planned gated residential community in Gampaha, to its homeowners.

The development, which commenced construction in 2021, is located two kilometres from Gampaha town and 100 metres from the Colombo-Kandy main road.

Spread across 13.5 acres, The Palace Gampaha comprises 480 two- and three-bedroom apartments in a ground-plus-three-floor development, with prices starting from Rs. 27.5 million.

The project allocates about 80% of its land to landscaped areas and common facilities, while the remaining 20% is used for apartment development. Facilities include a swimming pool, gymnasium, clubhouse, library, community kitchen, laundry, mini-mart and a daycare centre managed by the Lyceum Group.

The fully gated community also incorporates solar power for common areas, underground electricity cabling and a sewage treatment plant with water recycling facilities.

Prime Residencies said all statutory approvals required for the handover had been secured, including certifications from the Condominium Management Authority and registration of the Condominium Plan and Deed of Declaration.

Prime Group Chairman Premalal Brahmanage said the project reflected the company’s vision of creating large-scale residential communities designed to enhance the quality of life of Sri Lankan families.

The project is the latest addition to Prime Group’s portfolio of more than 70 gated community and apartment developments.

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SLANA warns NVOCC business losing ground amid THC concerns

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SLANA Chairperson Swabha Wickramasinghe presenting a memento to Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Anura Karunathilaka at the eventually

Sri Lanka’s Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) sector is losing ground despite the expansion of the industry in several regional markets, Sri Lanka Association of NVOCC Agents (SLANA) Chairperson Swabha Wickramasinghe said.

Wickramasinghe, re-elected for a third consecutive term at SLANA’s ninth Annual General Meeting last week said the continued difficulty in collecting Colombo Terminal Handling Charges (THC) as a separate land-based cost was among the key challenges facing the industry.

She said the practice placed Sri Lanka at a competitive disadvantage as principals consider the overall economics of operating through Colombo.

“When Sri Lanka becomes less commercially attractive compared with other regional destinations, the consequences eventually reach our members,” she said.

Wickramasinghe said a committee had been proposed at a recent meeting with the Minister and Deputy Minister to evaluate the THC issue, urging the authorities to expedite its appointment and review.

She also called for an early solution to the problem of uncleared salt containers at the Port of Colombo, which has resulted in delays in releasing empty containers.

With more than 75 NVOCC lines operating in Sri Lanka, she stressed the sector’s importance to regional trade, particularly links with India and China.

Ports Minister Anura Karunathilaka said Sri Lanka should expand regional business while exploring areas such as bunkering, freight forwarding and e-commerce logistics.

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