More than a century of leadership and the unwavering trust of millions has been powerfully reaffirmed with the conferring of Superbrand Status to the Commercial Bank of Ceylon, cementing its position as the nation’s leading banking brand and elevating it to the pantheon of the world’s most iconic and influential brands while endorsing the sustained progress and enduring value the brand has delivered to customers, shareholders and the economy.

Superbrand Status is a globally respected commendation awarded only to brands that demonstrate exceptional strength, credibility and a powerful emotional connection with consumers. The Bank said the awarding of Superbrand status recognises myriad aspects of established brand leadership by Commercial Bank of Ceylon – as the most awarded and most respected bank in Sri Lanka, the Best Service Brand, the first to surpass US$ 1 Bn. in market capitalisation, transformative innovation and digital enablement in the sector, strong governance and consistent service.

“This is not simply marketing hype,” Mr Sanath Manatunge, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Bank commented. “Commercial Bank is a Superbrand for many reasons, all tangible contributors to enduring leadership shaped by strength, trust, progress, long-term value creation, and reliability. Such recognition is never achieved overnight. It is shaped over decades by doing the right things consistently, honoring commitments, and leading with purpose. Over time, this journey is defined by a set of qualities that have come to represent who we are as a bank.”

Superbrand status is conferred by Superbrands, the world’s largest independent arbiter of branding, which operates in more than 85 countries and has worked with approximately 40,000 major brands through over 600 publications and national marketing programmes. Participation in Superbrands is strictly by invitation and is reserved for the most outstanding brands in their respective fields, following a rigorous and independent evaluation process. Only brands that are highly rated by the Superbrands Council, supported by extensive research, are invited to receive this status.

The Superbrands Council comprises respected experts and luminaries drawn from branding, advertising, marketing, design, product management, public relations and business. Their collective judgement ensures that Superbrand Status is reserved only for brands that meet the highest global benchmarks of excellence.

For Commercial Bank of Ceylon, the conferment of Superbrand Status marks a significant milestone in the evolution of its corporate brand, affirming its place among the strongest and most valuable brands in the world and reinforcing the trust it has earned across all stakeholder groups.

The Commercial Bank Group ended the third quarter of 2025 in an exceptionally strong position with assets of Rs. 3.23 Tn., deposits of Rs. 2.59 Tn., a loan book of Rs. 1.9 Tn., pre-tax profit of Rs. 73.35 Bn., and net profit of Rs. 48.02 Bn.  The Bank was ranked the country’s biggest lender to the SME sector for the fifth consecutive year by the Ministry of Finance in 2025, was ranked as the second most valuable brand in Sri Lanka across all sectors and the most valuable private sector bank brand in the country by Brand Finance, and was also ranked No. 1 in the Business Today Top 40 rankings.

Commercial Bank retained its status as Sri Lanka’s most internationally and locally recognised bank in 2025, winning multiple prestigious awards including the Global Finance ‘Best Bank in Sri Lanka’ award for the 23^rd year; Sri Lanka’s Best Bank, Best Bank for SMEs and Best Trade Finance Bank from Euromoney; six top awards including Private Bank of the Year and SME Bank of the Year from Asian Banking & Finance; and five Gold awards, including the Overall Winner Award for Excellence in Digital Payments at the LankaPay Technnovation Awards. The Bank also dominated the LMD awards in 2025, winning the highest number of corporate awards among all organisations.

Commercial Bank was the first bank in the country to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World, has the highest Tier I capital base among all Sri Lankan banks, is a leader in digital innovation and is Sri Lanka’s first 100% carbon-neutral bank.

Commercial Bank operates a network of strategically located branches and automated machines island-wide, and has the widest international footprint among Sri Lankan banks, with 20 branches in Bangladesh, a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake 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 Ltd. and Commercial Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Limited, also deliver a range of financial services via their own branch networks.

Photo caption: Mr S. Prabagar, Chief Operating Officer of Commercial Bank and Ms Ashani Senaratne, Assistant General Manager – Marketing accept the Superbrand award on behalf of the Bank.