HNB drives growth amid Sri Lanka's economic odds
Deema Shaath, Head of Consumer Banking Digital Strategy at the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), outlines the bank's innovative digitisation strategy. Shaath emphasises the integration of technology and customer-centric banking and NBK's commitment to excellent services tailored to changing consumer needs. Banks in Sri Lanka faced macro-economic led challenges, including high inflationary pressures, managing asset quality and growth. Despite difficult circumstances, Hatton National Bank (HNB) managed a notable performance in its retail banking business in 2023. Sanjay Wijemanne, deputy general manager of retail banking group at HNB shared the bank’s business performance in 2023 and key strategic initiatives to support their customers. He stated: “In the current economic environment, liquidity is paramount. We focused strategically on deposit mobilisation and liquidity management. The bank’s total deposits grew to LKR 1.5 trillion ($4.8 billion) from LKR 1 trillion ($3.2 billion)