The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has surpassed three trillion rupees in assets, a milestone achieved in the second quarter of 2025. This growth is attributed to strong performance in key indicators for the six months ending June 30, 2025. The Group reported total assets of 3.13 trillion rupees, while the Bank’s assets grew to 3.03 trillion rupees, an increase of 255 billion rupees over six months. Group gross income grew by 8.53 percent to 177.04 billion rupees, with interest income up 5.31 percent to 146.65 billion rupees. Interest expenses decreased by 3.48 percent to 77.84 billion rupees, leading to a net interest income rise of 17.39 percent to 68.81 billion rupees. Total operating income increased by 20.06 percent to 92.76 billion rupees, while provisions for impairment charges fell by 40.41 percent to 11.33 billion rupees, largely due to last year’s additional provisioning for Sri Lanka International Sovereign Bonds. Net operating income for the six months grew by a robust 39.81 percent to 81.43 billion rupees. Curtailing operating expense growth to just 5.62 percent to 25.84 billion rupees improved operating profit before taxes on financial services by 64.57 percent to 55.59 billion rupees.
Taxes on financial services rose by 88.30 percent to 8.77 billion rupees, contributing to a six-month Group profit before tax of 46.81 billion rupees, a growth of 60.77 percent. Income tax increased by 53.14 percent to 15.65 billion rupees, resulting in a net profit of 31.17 billion rupees, reflecting a 64.90 percent growth. Other comprehensive income saw a net gain of 205.44 million rupees, mainly due to a translation gain of 287.36 million rupees. Consequently, the total comprehensive income for the Group increased to 31.37 billion rupees. Group pre-tax profit for the second quarter alone was up 95.94 percent to 24.26 billion rupees, while net profit for the three months ending June 30, grew by 100.15 percent to 16.19 billion rupees. Taken separately, Commercial Bank of Ceylon reported a profit before tax of 45.24 billion rupees and profit after tax of 30.05 billion rupees for the six months, posting growths of 61.47 and 66.05 percent, respectively.
Sharhan Muhseen, Chairman, Commercial Bank said: “Our first half performance has been extremely encouraging. We have clearly built on the first quarter’s momentum to record an even stronger second quarter. The Bank has demonstrated both agility and prudent judgement in seizing market opportunities and addressing external conditions while upholding our unwavering commitment to excellence for all our customers and stakeholders. The Bank has emerged stronger than ever, and is strategically positioned for sustained growth.”
Sanath Manatunge, MD and CEO, Commercial Bank said that the results achieved by the Group and the Bank reflect the close attention accorded to core banking indicators, ensuring that all income streams are nurtured and consolidated in tandem with balance sheet growth, with continuing prudential provisioning for potential changes in the external landscape. “We are closely monitoring the possible impacts of shifts in the global trading environment on our clients and stand ready to support them in navigating these challenges.”
The Group maintained its strong lending commitment, with gross loans and advances reaching 1.731 trillion rupees by mid-2025, reflecting a growth of 206 billion rupees in six months, averaging 34.33 billion rupees per month. Over the past year, loan book growth was 368 billion, averaging 30.68 billion rupees monthly. The Group’s deposits exceeded 2.5 trillion rupees in Q2, growing by 200 billion rupees to 2.51 trillion rupees as of June 30, 2025. This reflects an average monthly increase of 33.27 billion rupees and a YoY growth of 14.26 percent. The CASA ratio improved to 39.91 percent. The Bank’s Tier 1 Capital Ratio was 14.48 percent, and its Total Capital Ratio stood at 18.06 percent, both above regulatory minimums. A Tier 2 Green Bond issue of 15 billion rupees is expected to boost Tier 2 capital closer to 19 percent.
