Amidst numerous financial challenges, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka have continued to demonstrate growth. These enterprises are fundamental to economic growth, job creation, and driving innovation.
However, despite being at the centre of the economy, SME entrepreneurs have not been given the necessary opportunity or know-how to fully embrace and adapt to the rapid expansion of digital transformation around the world. The use of technology, especially digital technology, to enhance security, ease, and efficiency of financial transactions is one of the most important assets for any business, but a noticeable gap exists in the market when it comes to integrating these technologies for SME entrepreneurs.
Thereby, to further empower these enterprises, which are critical to the growth of the country, and ensure that the National Development Bank (NDB) partnered with International Finance Corporation (IFC) to conduct a series of workshops and webinars, NDB Bank and IFC have a longstanding partnership spanning decades, with IFC assisting the Bank in realigning its strategic vision of expanding access to financial services across Sri Lanka.
The latest addition to the series was a workshop conducted on the theme “Doing Business Online,” held on the 7th of June at the NDB Training Centre at the NDB Bank Head Office in Nawam Mawatha. The session, conducted by an IFC-certified trainer, saw the attendance of 50 participants from NDB Bank and Colombo Region Business Banking Customers. Additionally, the workshop was extended to 12 online programmes which covered all regions of the country and attracted over 500 participants. The workshop aimed to provide participants with necessary expertise to efficiently pursue business goals and make their day-to-day business banking transactions easier and faster with the aid of modern digital technologies.
