DFCC Bank at 70: Reimagining Customer Experience in a New Era of Banking

Having served Sri Lanka for seven decades, DFCC Bank is entering a new era of purpose-led service and digital transformation. For DFCC Bank, customer service has never been a transaction. It is the quiet strength that transforms numbers into stories and banking into a relationship built on trust.

The Bank’s journey mirrors Sri Lanka’s own path of progress. Since the 1950s, DFCC Bank has financed industries, empowered entrepreneurs, and now leads the way in shaping digital futures. Yet, even as technology advances, the Bank believes that the essence of service remains human.

“Service is the foundation on which relationships are built. The quiet strength transforms transactions into connections, numbers into stories, and a bank into an anchor in people’s lives,” said Shamindra Marcelline, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of DFCC Bank.

This belief is reflected across every area of the Bank’s work. Through DFCC Aloka, more than 100,000 women have gained access to credit, mentorship, and peer networks. Through initiatives such as Vyapara Hamuwa and Thirasara Athwela, DFCC Bank supports small and medium businesses by strengthening skills, building sustainable models, and helping entrepreneurs thrive.

Digital innovation has become an equally important pillar of this service philosophy. The DFCC ONE App now allows customers to onboard and transact fully online, while DFCC iConnect gives corporates real-time control over liquidity and payments. However, the Bank continues to see technology as a human enabler. As Marcelline notes, “Digital is often seen as the opposite of human. We see it differently. For us, technology is service with a pulse, designed to remove friction, not feeling.”

Behind these innovations are more than 2,500 employees guided by the Bank’s PACCE values – Passion, Authenticity, Courage, Collaboration, and Excellence. Through continuous learning and training at the DFCC Learning Academy, they embody the Bank’s belief that service is not a department, but a way of being.

As DFCC Bank marks its 70th year, it remains focused on its founding purpose: to enable progress through trust, partnership, and care. Because, as Marcelline concludes, “A bank is not remembered for the size of its balance sheet. It is remembered for the service it provides wholeheartedly to people, to businesses, and to a nation.”

Image Caption - Shamindra Marcelline, Deputy Chief Executive Officer