Amãna Bank Celebrates 15 Years of Development Focussed People Friendly Banking.
Amãna Bank, together with the Sri Lanka Philatelic Bureau, proudly presents a Special Commemorative Cover and Stamp in celebration of the Bank’s 15th Anniversary.
The commemorative issue marks an important milestone in Sri Lanka’s banking history and celebrates Amãna Bank’s journey as the country’s first and only licensed commercial bank operating entirely under a non-interest-based banking model.
Since commencing operations on 1 August 2011, Amãna Bank has emerged as one of Sri Lanka’s fastest-growing banks, earning the trust and confidence of customers from every ethnic, religious and social background. Today, the Bank serves over 500,000 customers through more than 80 customer locations including branches and Self Banking Centres across the country.
Guided by its philosophy of Development Focused, People Friendly Banking, the Bank places customer wellbeing at the centre of every relationship, enabled through ethical practices, transparency, fairness and responsible financing.
Primarily as a Retail and SME-focused bank with a selective approach towards corporates, Amãna Bank channels financing directly towards the real sector of the economy, supporting productive economic activity, strengthening businesses and industries, creating employment, improving livelihoods, and contributing meaningfully to Sri Lanka's sustainable economic development.
The Bank’s strong and sustainable growth has enabled it to surpass LKR 200 billion in total assets, making it one of the fastest banks in Sri Lanka to reach this milestone. It has also consistently outpaced industry growth in both deposits and financing, while maintaining strong asset quality, sustained profitability and an uninterrupted dividend track record over the past eight years.
A key driver of Amãna Bank’s journey has been the confidence placed in it by the Islamic Development Bank Group, which has remained a strategic shareholder through its private-sector arm, the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, despite Sri Lanka not being a member country of the IsDB Group. The Islamic Development Bank is a supra-national AAA-rated multilateral development financial institution comprising 57 member countries. Today, Amãna Bank is internationally recognised as a successful example of Islamic banking operating in a non IsDB member country.
The Bank’s progress has received numerous local and international accolades which includes being named the ‘Best Up and Coming Islamic Bank in the World’ by Global Finance Magazine USA during its formative years, to more recently being ranked amongst the ‘World’s Top 50 Strongest Islamic Banks’ by The Asian Banker and honoured as the ‘Most Impactful ICD Investee Company’ by the Islamic Development Bank Group amongst 30+ global investee companies. Reflecting its growing stature within Sri Lanka’s banking sector, the Bank was named ‘Sri Lanka’s Best Bank’ for the second consecutive year at the ICC Emerging Asia Banking Awards, adjudicated by PwC.
Affirming its pioneering role and leadership within the Sri Lankan Islamic banking and finance ecosystem, the Bank was recognised as the Bank of the Decade at the Islamic Finance Forum South Asia (IFFSA) Awards as well as multiple local accolades as Best Bank and Best Finance Entity at both the IFFSA Awards and the Sri Lanka Islamic Banking and Finance Industry (SLIBFI) Awards.
Beyond banking, Amãna Bank's flagship community outreach initiative, OrphanCare, has continued to create a meaningful social impact. Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No 10 Reduced Inequalities and guided by Article 2 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ensuring no form of discrimination, OrphanCare supports orphaned children across Sri Lanka in their journey towards financial independence after leaving institutional care, thereby helping save them from what would otherwise be a second abandonment. To date, the initiative has enrolled over 3,200 children from more than 90 orphanages across the island. Documenting the transformative impact it has had on the lives of its beneficiaries, OrphanCare recently published its inaugural Impact Report, which is available at www.orphancare.org
The Special Commemorative Cover and Personalised Stamp serve as enduring symbols of Amãna Bank’s 15-year journey — a journey defined by pioneering thinking, resilience, responsible growth and an unwavering commitment to people.
This philatelic commemoration preserves an important milestone in Sri Lanka’s banking history while celebrating the customers, employees, shareholders, regulators, directors, partners and communities who have contributed towards the Bank’s progress.
As Amãna Bank celebrates this milestone, it looks towards the future with renewed confidence, committed to continue its mission of Enabling Growth and Enriching Lives.
