SDB bank
SDB bank is a Sri Lankan licensed specialized bank focused on serving the co-operative sector.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
SDB bank, formally SANASA Development Bank PLC, is a Sri Lankan banking brand established in 1997. The bank was created to serve the needs of the co-operative sector and is associated with the SANASA movement, a network-oriented co-operative finance structure in Sri Lanka. Its institutional role distinguishes it from a conventional commercial bank: the brand is positioned around development-oriented banking and financial services for co-operatives and the communities connected to them. In the year it was founded, SDB bank received Licensed Specialized Bank status from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. This designation provided the regulatory basis for its banking operations and established the institution as part of Sri Lanka's formal banking system. The bank subsequently developed a domestic branch network, with the referenced material recording 94 branches across Sri Lanka. The available reference material identifies SDB bank's core market as Sri Lanka and emphasizes its relationship with the co-operative sector. It does not provide a complete catalogue of current customer products, detailed financial results, executive leadership, ownership structure, or a confirmed official website address. Accordingly, those fields are left unspecified rather than inferred. The material does identify entities associated with the bank, including SDBL North East Construction Company (Pvt) Ltd, Sanasa Development Bank Ltd, and an asset-management arm, although the precise current legal and organizational relationships among these entities are not detailed. SDB bank's brand significance therefore rests primarily on its specialized-bank status, its SANASA identity, and its nationwide physical presence. Rather than being documented here as a globally operating financial group, it is best understood as a Sri Lankan domestic banking institution with a co-operative-sector mandate.
History
SDB bank was established in Sri Lanka in 1997 under the name SANASA Development Bank. Its institutional purpose was to provide banking support to the co-operative sector, linking the bank's identity to the wider SANASA movement and its community-oriented financial structure. The available material does not identify a single individual founder, so no founder is assigned here. A key early development occurred in 1997, when the Central Bank of Sri Lanka granted SDB bank the status of Licensed Specialized Bank. This regulatory recognition marked the bank's entry into Sri Lanka's formal licensed banking system and defined its institutional character. The specialized-bank designation is important to the brand's history because it distinguishes SDB bank from a generic financial-services label and reflects its sector-oriented mandate. Following its establishment, SDB bank expanded its physical presence within Sri Lanka. The referenced description states that the bank opened 94 branches across the country. This branch network gave the institution a nationwide footprint and supported its role in serving co-operatives and related customer communities. No dates are supplied for the opening of individual branches or for the progression from the original network to the recorded total. The reference material also lists several associated entities: SDBL North East Construction Company Pvt Ltd, Sanasa Development Bank Ltd, and an asset-management arm. These listings indicate that the SDB organization has had activities or affiliated structures beyond the core bank, but the available information does not explain their incorporation dates, ownership, operating mandates, or current status. They are therefore recorded as associated entities rather than described as confirmed subsidiaries with detailed functions. The supplied sources contain no documented information about mergers, acquisitions, major product launches, leadership transitions, controversies, lawsuits, financial performance, or strategic restructurings. They also do not provide a current official website URL or enough information to describe the bank's present product portfolio in detail. On the evidence available, SDB bank's documented history is centered on its 1997 foundation, its specialized-bank licensing, its co-operative-sector focus, and the development of a 94-branch Sri Lankan network.
- 1997
SDB bank is founded
[1]SANASA Development Bank, commonly known as SDB bank, is established in Sri Lanka to serve the co-operative sector.
- 1997
Licensed Specialized Bank status granted
[1]The Central Bank of Sri Lanka grants SDB bank Licensed Specialized Bank status, providing its regulatory standing as a specialized banking institution.
Sri Lankan branch network reaches 94 branches
[1]The referenced description records that SDB bank has opened 94 branches in Sri Lanka; the source does not provide the date of this milestone.
Products and positioning
A Sri Lankan specialized banking brand serving the co-operative sector and associated communities.
Recent events
SDB bank appoints Manoj Akmeemana as Chief Executive Officer[2]
SDB bank announced the appointment of banking veteran Manoj Akmeemana as chief executive officer, placing the career banker in charge of the institution's operations and strategic direction. The bank said the appointment is part of plans to strengthen operations, digital services and support for small and medium-sized enterprises and co-operative-sector customers. The release does not specify the appointment's effective date.
- Unconfirmed
SDB bank appoints Manoj Akmeemana as Chief Executive Officer[3]
Reported:
SDB bank announced the appointment of Manoj Akmeemana as its Chief Executive Officer. Akmeemana, a banker with more than 35 years of financial sector experience including senior executive roles at Sampath Bank PLC and international experience at Commercial Bank of Qatar, is to lead the bank's strategic business expansion and digital transformation and advance its core mission of empowering micro, small and medium enterprises across Sri Lanka.
- Unconfirmed
Sampath Bank and SDB Bank enter strategic partnership[4]
Reported:
Sampath Bank PLC entered into a strategic partnership with SDB Bank to provide SDB customers access to Sampath Bank’s branch network and cash/cheque deposit kiosks, beginning with cash management services.
Sources4 sources
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