National Credit Guarantee Institution Limited issues milestone 2,000th Credit Guarantee to Commercial Bank

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has reinforced its market leadership under the National Credit Guarantee Scheme, having disbursed the highest total loan amount among all participating financial institutions. 

The milestone was celebrated with the National Credit Guarantee Institution Limited (NCGIL) issuing its 2,000^th guarantee to Commercial Bank, in recognition of the Bank’s dominant contribution to the scheme.

Commercial Bank’s participation in the national framework encompasses broad support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the island, including dedicated focus on women-led businesses through the ‘Liya Shakthi’ scheme launched by NCGIL. With approximately 600 guarantees, nearly a third of all facilities extended under National Credit Guarantee Scheme, Commercial Bank has disbursed loans totalling Rs. 2.97 billion, underscoring its leadership in supporting micro, small and medium enterprises. 

Commenting on the milestone, Mr S. Ganeshan, Deputy General Manager – Personal Banking at Commercial Bank said: “Reaching this milestone within such a short period, highlights both the strength of the national framework and the resilience and potential of entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka. As a Bank, we are deeply committed to expanding access to finance through innovative partnerships and tailored solutions that go beyond traditional lending. Our focus is not only on providing capital, but also on enabling sustainable growth for SMEs through advisory support, capacity building and financial inclusion initiatives that create lasting economic impact.” 

The National Credit Guarantee Scheme was introduced by NCGIL to expand access to finance for entrepreneurs who demonstrate viable business models and sound repayment capacity but lack the collateral typically required for conventional bank lending. Backed by partial credit guarantees, the scheme enables participating financial institutions to extend uncollateralised loans, including specialised sub-schemes like ‘Liya Shakthi’ for women entrepreneurs, thereby addressing one of the most persistent barriers to enterprise growth. 

NCGIL, in which the Sri Lankan Government is the principal shareholder, works with 13 Shareholder Financial Institutions (SFIs), including Commercial Bank, to promote cash flow-based lending and catalyse credit flows to underserved segments of the economy. 

The Bank’s partnership with NCGIL is part of a broader strategy to strengthen development banking in Sri Lanka through innovative lending structures and strategic collaborations that mitigate risk while widening access to finance. 

Commercial Bank’s flagship ‘Diribala’ facility, for example, is designed to support growth-stage enterprises with flexible repayment structures aligned to business cash flows, competitive interest rates, and broad eligibility criteria covering SMEs, agriculture and emerging sectors. Complementing this are risk-sharing arrangements with institutions such as NCGIL, which enable the Bank to extend credit to businesses without conventional collateral, thereby improving access to capital for MSMEs and agri-businesses. 

Beyond lending, the Bank continues to invest in expanding financial inclusion through initiatives such as agency banking and mobile ‘Bank on Wheels’ services that bring banking closer to underserved communities, as well as comprehensive capacity-building programmes that include financial literacy training, advisory services, and entrepreneurship development. These efforts are further supported by specialised agri-financing and microfinance solutions tailored to the needs of smallholders and low-income entrepreneurs, reinforcing the Bank’s commitment to inclusive and sustainable economic development. 

Commercial Bank was the first Sri Lankan bank to achieve a market capitalisation exceeding US$ 1 billion. The Bank emerged as the No. 1 ranked Sri Lankan bank in the 2026 edition of the prestigious Top 1000 World Banks ranking published by The Banker magazine, UK. The Bank has the highest capital base among all Sri Lankan banks, and is the largest private sector lender in Sri Lanka. Ranked No. 1 in the Business Today Top 40, Commercial Bank is recognised as the most respected and most-awarded bank in Sri Lanka, is a leader in digital innovation and is the country’s first 100% carbon-neutral bank. 

Commercial Bank operates more than 270 strategically-located branches and an extensive network of automated machines island-wide, and has the widest international footprint among Sri Lankan banks, with 21 branches in Bangladesh, a majority stake in a fully-fledged Tier I Bank in the Maldives, a microfinance company in Myanmar, and a representative office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The Bank’s fully-owned subsidiaries, CBC Finance PLC and Commercial Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Limited, also deliver a range of financial services via their own branch networks.