HNB, allocated ten million rupees to assist entrepreneurs affected by the ongoing economic crisis as a part of its flagship ‘Oba Venuwen Api’ initiative to rebuild and revive the economy.
The initiative launched with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 will offer selected 100 entrepreneurs across the island, 100,000 each to be used for capital requirements. L. Chiranthi Cooray, DGM CHRO/CTO, HNB; Sanjay Wijemanne, DGM Retail, and SME Banking, HNB; Vinnodh Fernando, Head of Microfinance, HNB; Indravasan Kailaivasan, Head of SME and Micro Finance, HNB; and Upul Adikari, Head of Marketing were present at a ceremony held to distribute the funds.
“MSMEs are the backbone of the Sri Lankan economy. We have more than 500,000 entrepreneurs offering employment opportunities across various industries. It is only fair that entrepreneurs have a safety net and assistance given the hardships they have experienced, the pandemic, and the economic crisis. As a bank with a long history of working with MSMEs, we intend to continue supporting them in any possible way during these difficult times,” L. Chiranthi Cooray, DGM CHRO/CTO, HNB, said.
