DFCC Bank was able to present its extensive portfolio of banking and financial services to the public in Kandy recently as the Official Banking Partner for "Visit Kandy 2022", organized by the Kandy City Centre. The event was held from the 10th to the 13th of August 2022, with a wide variety of trade stalls, corporate promotions, street food popups, kid's activities, and cultural events.

At "Visit Kandy 2022", DFCC Bank raised awareness about its wide range of financial products and services at its large and prominent special stall, operated by staff from the Bank's regional branches. Senior members of the Bank's management attended the promotion, including Shera Hassen, Vice President and Head of Pinnacle and Branch Banking Planning & Implementation at DFCC Bank, and Terrence Etugala, Vice President, and Regional Manager. In line with its Sustainability Policy and Framework, which calls for the Bank's commitment to empowering female entrepreneurship, among other sustainability goals, DFCC Bank also took the opportunity to provide a platform for its DFCC Aloka female entrepreneurs at "Visit Kandy 2022".

At the opening ceremony, Shera Hassen, Vice President and Head of Pinnacle and Branch Banking Planning & Implementation at DFCC Bank, said, "It gives me great pleasure to be a part of this special event. The atmosphere and energy are incredible. We're very proud to use this opportunity to provide a major platform for female entrepreneurs to showcase their talents, products and services, alongside our DFCC Aloka proposition, which helps them realize their aspirations."

Demonstrating the Bank's commitment to female entrepreneurship, DFCC Bank has received multiple tranches of credit lines to support Sri Lanka's female entrepreneurs and SMEs through its Aloka Proposition from the Women's Finance Initiative (We-Fi). In 2021, DFCC Bank utilized the entire tranche of funds, providing opportunities to 10 female entrepreneurs, including several grants through the We-Fi grant programme. In 2022, the Bank has already disbursed a large amount of the funds it has received from We-Fi, including grants, and is continuously considering new applications to allocate the balance by the end of 2022, helping to further champion female entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka, and foster and grow women-led MSMEs.

DFCC Aloka is a female-centric complete banking proposition from DFCC Bank that seeks to provide aspiring Sri Lankan females with the financial tools they need to transform their dreams into reality. In addition to a branded credit card with female-centric benefits, DFCC Aloka accountholders enjoy far more than a simple savings account. These include a low initial deposit of just Rs. 1,000/-, preferential interest rates, free ATM withdrawals from any DFCC or LankaPay ATM across the island, free digital banking services and convenient, safe home banking services via MTeller. They also receive pawning facilities at preferential interest rates, free life insurance up to 10X of the savings balance, and free digital health solutions in partnership with Doc990 for the account holder and up to 3 family members.

DFCC Bank believes that females have a vital role to play in the development of Sri Lanka and thus seeks to do its best to support them as they strive to reach for their dreams by empowering them through financial and non-financial support systems, DFCC Aloka and other initiatives.

Shera Hassen – Vice President / Head of Pinnacle /Branch Banking Planning & Implementation