Sampath Bank PLC has been named Sri Lanka’s Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2026, marking its third win in the category.

The award was presented at the Asia-Pacific regional awards ceremony in Singapore recently. Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence recognise performance, leadership and innovation in the global banking and financial services sector.

Sampath Bank said its flagship ‘Wewata Jeewayak’ programme was central to its corporate responsibility strategy. In 2025, the programme invested Rs. 63.7 million in 11 tank restoration projects, benefiting 14,780 people and rejuvenating 3,370 acres of paddy land.

The initiative focuses on restoring neglected irrigation tanks while improving water management, agricultural practices and climate resilience through collaboration with farmers, government authorities and farmers’ associations. Water-efficiency measures introduced under the programme can reduce wastage by 20% to 30%.

Sampath Bank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sanjaya Gunawardana said the recognition reflected the bank’s commitment to creating meaningful and lasting value for communities while strengthening national resilience.

The bank’s wider corporate responsibility initiatives include coral reef, turtle and mangrove conservation, ocean plastic reduction, entrepreneurship support, financial literacy, education, healthcare and financial inclusion.

Sampath Bank previously won the Sri Lanka award in 2022 and 2024 and was named Asia’s Best Bank for Corporate Responsibility by Euromoney in 2024.

The Automobile Association of Ceylon (AAC) was proud to be the Main Sponsor of the Motor Show 2026, held from 11th to 13th September 2026.

The Automobile Association of Ceylon has a long and distinguished association with motorists and has played an important role in the development of motoring in Sri Lanka. Supporting an event of this nature is therefore very much in keeping with the Association’s commitment to the country’s motoring community and the advancement of responsible motoring.

While promoting the interests and welfare of motorists, the Automobile Association of Ceylon continues to maintain road safety as one of its foremost priorities.

As part of its ongoing road safety awareness initiatives, the Secretary said the Association has introduced specially designed seat-belt hanging tags and stickers to educate motorists and passengers on the importance of wearing seat belts. The campaign particularly highlights the need for seat-belt use by passengers travelling in both the front and rear seats of vehicles.

Visitors to the Motor Show were able to obtain this road safety hanging tags and stickers from the Automobile Association of Ceylon stall, providing an opportunity for the Association to take its road safety message directly to motorists and their families.

Through initiatives such as these, the Automobile Association of Ceylon remains committed to creating greater awareness, encouraging responsible driving practices and contributing towards the reduction of road accidents and fatalities in Sri Lanka.

The Association believes that major motoring events such as the Motor Show provide an excellent platform not only to showcase developments in the automobile industry, but also to promote the important message that safer roads are a shared responsibility of every motorist, passenger and road user.

The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) held its September 2026 Convocation from September 14 to 19 at its Malabe Campus, honouring more than 3,500 graduates in the largest graduating cohort in the institution’s history.

The six-day ceremony brought together undergraduate and postgraduate graduates from Computing, Business, Engineering and Architecture, and Humanities and Sciences.

The occasion was attended by distinguished Chief Guests from government, industry and international academia, including Duminda Hulangamuwa, Chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka and Senior Economic Adviser to the President; Professor Timothy James Nichol of Liverpool John Moores University; Mega Kularatne, Joint Managing Director of Maga Engineering Pvt. Ltd.; Chris Marshall of the University of Bedfordshire Business School; Dr. Rachelle Viader Knowles of Manchester Metropolitan University; and Shehara De Silva, Managing Director of the McLarens Group of Companies.

SLIIT said the graduates were entering employment, entrepreneurship, research and postgraduate studies at a time when Sri Lanka was seeking to expand its skilled workforce.

The institute said its industry-focused education model, internships, industrial training, career guidance and employer engagement had contributed to a 98% graduate employment rate within six months of graduation.

It also highlighted its research and entrepreneurship programmes, noting that six SLIIT academics were recognised among the world’s top two percent of scientists in the 2025 Stanford–Elsevier Global Rankings.