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ComBank ranked in the ‘Top 1000 World Banks’ for 11th consecutive year

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The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has once again been named among the global giants in banking, becoming the only Sri Lankan bank to be ranked in the ‘Top 1000 World Banks’ announced annually by ‘The Banker’ magazine of the UK, for the 11th consecutive year in 2021.

The headwinds of the global COVID-19 pandemic notwithstanding, the country’s benchmark private bank said it has reaffirmed its consistency by becoming the Sri Lankan bank to remain for the longest period on this authoritative global ranking published for the 51st year, demonstrating its indomitable spirit and inherent financial strength.

The Banker, published by the Financial Times of the UK, ranks banks primarily on the basis of their Tier I capital.

“This is truly an affirmation befitting the financial strength and professionalism of the Bank, as well as the sacrifices made in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Commercial Bank Managing Director S. Renganathan observed. “Becoming the first Sri Lankan bank to enter the Top 1000 World Banks ranking was a milestone achievement in itself, but to remain in this ranking for 11 consecutive years despite local and global challenges is a remarkable feat in consistency even in the global context. This is a tribute to the tireless work of the entire Commercial Bank team and provides further motivation to keep serving all stakeholders to the best of our ability.”

Commenting on the 2021 rankings, The Banker noted that “The Covid-19 pandemic has impeded even the most resilient of economies over the past year, with the global economy shrinking by 3.5% in 2020 and world trade volume contracting by 8.6%, according to the World Bank. Banks have faced other headwinds during this period, including persistently low interest rates in most countries, as well as surging competition from fintech and big tech alike.”

“How well has the global banking industry navigated its way through such unprecedented times? Where are their strengths and weaknesses? Is their profitability up or down? Have they seen an uptick in defaulting loans? Which bank has stronger fundamentals compared to its peers? This is what The Banker’s Top 1000 World Banks ranking is able to identify, based on more than 120 data points tracked in The Banker Database year on year. We analyse results by region, country and benchmark bank to bank, as well as run our best-performing bank methodology to pinpoint the leaders that stand heads above the rest,” the magazine said.



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FRELLA launches world class wellness products locally with Baurs & Co.

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FRELLA partners with the French perfumer Véronique Gabai

FRELLA, Sri Lankan-born and internationally-respected natural beauty and wellness brand, is setting the stage to expand operations by entering the Sri Lankan retail market. As the country’s only dedicated wellness company operating at an international scale, this move marks a new chapter for a brand with a growing global presence that has already earned the trust of luxury hotels and international customers.

For over seven years, FRELLA has emerged as Sri Lanka’s leading wellness brand, serving clients and partners across more than 15 international markets. The brand’s entry into the Sri Lankan retail market marks a significant milestone, allowing local consumers to access globally respected wellness products developed from the island’s own healing traditions. This retail expansion is supported through a strategic partnership with Baurs, a trusted 170-year-old Swedish multinational company, ensuring sophisticated distribution and access aligned with international retail standards.

FRELLA is rooted in Sri Lanka’s ancient healing traditions and inspired by centuries-old Ayurvedic wisdom. All FRELLA products are specially designed as holistic wellness solutions for the body, skin, hair, and soul, and focuses on providing nourishment, balance, and healthy aging through refined, modern wellness systems.

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Writer Business Services enters Sri Lanka to partner with institutions to provide information management and payments solutions

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Writer Corporation, one of India’s leading business groups, announced the launch of its subsidiary, Writer Business Services Pvt. Ltd., and the commencement of its operations in Sri Lanka. The expansion reflects Sri Lanka’s strategic importance in Writer’s regional growth plans and its role in supporting a highly regulated digital and financial services market which is currently undergoing digital transformation.

Sri Lanka’s continued focus on strengthening regulatory frameworks, digital platforms, and financial systems is shaping how institutions across banking, government, and enterprise sectors approach their business operations. There is a clear emphasis on secure, compliant, and resilient information and transaction environments that can scale with regulatory and business needs. Writer’s entry into Sri Lanka aligns with this direction, bringing global experience and a partnership-led approach to the market.

As part of its launch, Writer will establish a secure records and information storage facility in Seeduwa, Colombo. Designed to meet global standards for security, compliance, and disaster resilience, the facility will support banks, financial institutions, government bodies, and large enterprises in managing physical and digital information across its lifecycle.

Alongside information management, Writer brings established expertise in integrated payment services to support the modernization of transaction infrastructure across the banking and financial services sector. Its payments capabilities focus on strengthening availability, transaction continuity, and transparency across critical payment channels that underpin institutional reliability and customer confidence.

Writer’s digital payments offerings in Sri Lanka include end-to-end ATM and self-service terminal outsourcing, integrated channel ownership and managed services, field management applications, payment and reconciliation platforms, and remote monitoring with near real-time reporting. These solutions support financial institutions in improving uptime, strengthening governance, and enhancing operational efficiency across payment networks, in line with the continued evolution of electronic and automated payment systems.

Across information management and payments, Writer operates with an integrated portfolio spanning records and information management, business process outsourcing, cloud and digital services, data privacy, cybersecurity and enterprise payments infrastructure. These capabilities support institutions in addressing evolving regulatory requirements, digitization of legacy environments, and rising operational and cyber risks.

Writer’s local presence enables closer collaboration with clients and on-ground delivery, while supporting the development of Centres of Excellence across cybersecurity operations, SOC and NOC services, AI-led solutions, and payments operations and monitoring.

Writer’s Sri Lanka operations will be built, led, and run by Sri Lankan professionals, reflecting a long-term commitment to local talent growth and development.

Commenting on this development, Satyamohan Yanambaka, CEO, Writer Global Services Pvt. Ltd., assured Writer’s long-term commitment to the country’s digital ambitions. He said, “Writer’s entry into Sri Lanka reflects our belief that digital ambition in regulated environments must be supported by trust, sound governance, and strong execution. As institutions scale digital services, the reliability of information and payment systems, channel operations, and governance frameworks becomes increasingly important to public and institutional confidence. Our experience across information management, digital transformation, and enterprise payments enables us to support secure, large-scale financial ecosystems, with a clear commitment to building and leading these capabilities locally.”

Sri Lanka’s Digital Personal Data Protection framework raises expectations around how personal and sensitive information is secured and governed.

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Altair issues over 100+ title deeds post-ownership change

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Thilan Wijesinghe

Altair Residences have, over the past six months, seen more than 100 individual title deeds being executed by apartment owners, providing owners with a clear, registered, legal title to their apartments in accordance with Sri Lankan property law. This has been a key initiative by the new owners and management of Altair to improve governance and will continue in an orderly manner in the coming months.

With the transition of ownership to Blackstone India, Altair’s Management Council has also been formally constituted, enabling owners to play an active and proactive role in the management of the Altair building. In addition, the management council has appointed Realty Management Services (RMS), a subsidiary of Overseas Realty Ceylon PLC, as the new facility manager of Altair.

Commenting on these milestones, Thilan Wijesinghe, Chairman of TWC Holdings, who, together with a team from TWC, represents Blackstone’s interests in Sri Lanka, said, “The issuance of individual title deeds is a critical step in any professionally developed residential asset. Over the past six months, this process at Altair has moved forward in a structured and transparent manner, alongside the formal establishment of owner-led governance. This, combined with the appointment of experienced facility managers are fundamental building block for long-term value-creation for apartment owners and proper asset stewardship.”

With ongoing improvements to the building being undertaken by Indocean Developers Pvt Ltd (IDPL), the owning company of Altair, the issuance of deeds to owners is expected to accelerate over the coming months.

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