Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

Combank ranked among Top 1000 World Banks for...

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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, “The COVID19 pandemic has impeded even the most resilient of economies over the past year, with the global economy shrinking by 3.5 percent in 2020 and world trade volume contractin­g by 8.6 percent, 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.

The Banker ranks banks from 1 to 1,000, primarily on tier-one capital and the regional breakdown is supported with editorial commentary, making the Top 1000 World Banks one of the most industry-recognised rankings available. The model refers to 30 key ratios to score and rank banks, country by country, on their performanc­e in eight categories: growth, operationa­l efficiency, return on risk, soundness, profitabil­ity, asset quality, liquidity and leverage. Each bank’s performanc­e across these categories is then used to generate an overall ‘best-performing bank’ score and ranking.

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