(CAPTION: Indika Ranaweera - Vice President SME, Middle Markets and Business Banking)
NDB recently launched its Business Banking Unit which includes a new specialized offering for SME business owners in a variety of savings, investments and lending products.
Accordingly, customers of the business sector can enjoy a host of tailor made services and focus on the prosperity of their business while the Bank focuses on adapting the banking practices around the customer’s business needs.
According to Indika Ranaweera - Vice President SME, Middle Markets and Business Banking, NDB was prompted to introduce Business Banking because “medium size businesses need right financial solutions to reach the next level. We believe that relationship driven business banking offered by us will assist our clients in this regard. Meanwhile, small businesses need faster turnaround times. This is where we have introduced a centralized credit approval model to serve small businesses better.”
NDB Business Banking builds strong relationships with clients with a very unique business model, where the Unit serves the Mid-scale businesses via a relationship driven business banking. This includes dedicated and well experienced relationship banking managers based in eight regional business banking units.
Furthermore, the relationship managers will attend to the needs of these clients while helping them/ advising them to select the correct and most suitable financial solutions from NDB’s broad product range. Additionally, there are faster turnaround times for business loan requirements of small businesses via a centralized credit approval approach, along with dedicated SME Banking officers in branches specifically to serve small businesses. The Banking Officers will promptly attend to the requirements of the clients.
“NDB Business Banking builds strong relationships with our clients by being a business partner who has only their (customer’s) success in mind,” said Ranaweera.
Business Banking offers a full suite of banking products ranging from Current and Savings Accounts, Investment Products such as NDB Savings Planner, Fixed Deposits, Project Loans and re-finance schemes to start or expand businesses coupled with end to end working capital solutions offered via Short Term Loans, Trade and Supply Chain Finance with a special focus on agriculture and manufacturing sector.
In order to serve the Bank’s clients better, Business Banking has three different current accounts namely Business Star, Business Class and Business Premier designed in a way to suit the needs of a Small Business to Medium scale business. Each category will be eligible to a number of account privileges from reduced tariff to complete free of charge banking services.
“NDB Business Banking is a unique business model where we offer solutions rather than products to our clients through a dedicated and experienced team of banking professionals. Through this, we can meet the needs of business clients efficiently through faster responsive times,” he said.
“Additionally, electronic banking platform offered to medium size businesses will assist them in viewing their account balance on line, processing payments/ staff salaries as well as on line trade related transactions such as import letter of credit issuance and amendments,” Ranaweera said, adding “NDB’s Mobile banking platform will support individual and sole proprietorship businesses to carry out fund transfers to any account with in the bank or to other bank accounts, pay any credit card bill, utility bill payments, mobile re-loads and much more. These platforms allow our valued clients to transact with the bank any time anywhere.”
NDB has been working with businesses in the SME sector for over 30 years, acting as an apex agency to channel credit lines from international sources, and financing over 200,000 projects directly and indirectly while creating one million jobs through such projects. We understand the special needs of SME's and now with business banking, SME’s have one stop shop - a Business partner who has only their success in mind.
For more details on NDB Business Banking, visit the nearest branch or email to biz.ndb@ndbbank.com. NDB has made considerable strides towards the Sri Lankan banking and finance sector, expanding and evolving a range of products and services accessible through its growing branch network. Further details on NDB’s many products can be obtained from its 24 hour Call Centre, by calling 011 2448888 or by visiting NDB Bank’s website on www.ndbbank.com.