Committed to fostering growth of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME), Amana Bank along with its dedicated service platform Amana Bank Business Plus partnered with the Divisional Secretariat Akurana and District Secretariat Kandy to host the inaugural Abimana SME Awards. The Abimana SME awards recognized SMEs who have performed exceptionally well, contributing to the growth of the regional economy, where awards were bestowed under three categories, mainly large, medium and small, while also recognizing women and youth entrepreneurship.
The Abimana SME Awards 2022 witnessed the participation of Central Province Governor Hon. Lalith U. Gamage, District Secretary / Government Agent for Kandy Chandana Tennakoon, Secretary – Divisional Secretariat Akurana Indika Kumari Abeysinghe, Amana Bank’s Kandy Head of Business – Azam Ameer, Amana Bank’s Akurana Branch Manager – Minsar Hameed, SME Department Officials of Kandy District, AGA Office Akurana, Board of Directors from the Regional Chamber of Commerce, Government employees, entrepreneurs, school students, and members of the Trade association and NGOs, creating a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere that celebrated and supported SMEs in the region.
Recipients of Abimana SME Award for 2022 include RVS Products (Winner – Small), Amarsekera Industries (Runners-up – Small), Amore Ice Cream (Winner – Medium), Isura Batik Creations (Runners-up – Medium), Milano Foods (Winner – Large), Online Garments (Runners-up – Large), Newsis Ceylon (Emerging Youth Entrepreneur), Imathi Anthurium (Emerging Women Entrepreneur) and Lesly Edirinsighe (Special Appreciation Award). In addition to the special award winners, 55 entrepreneurs were bestowed with recognition certificates.
Commenting on the Abimana SME Awards, Central Province Governor Hon. Lalith U. Gamage said “Abimana SME Awards is a great platform to recognize the contribution of the SME sector, which is the back-bone of our regional economy and congratulation goes out to all the award recipients”. Appreciating Amana Bank’s partnership the Governor furthermore said “I am grateful towards Amana Bank’s commitment to support a national agenda, despite market constraints and look forward to the Bank’s support in empowering the SMEs in the region”
Addressing the audience District Secretary and Government Agent for Kandy Chandana Tennakoon said “While congratulating all the winners, I would like to thank Amana Bank for coming forward to build the government and private sector synergy. It is a good message for the entire country. We are looking forward to work with Amana Bank to support SMEs in the region with similar engagements.”
Also sharing his views at the award ceremony, Amana Bank’s Kandy Head of Business Azam Ameer said “This award platform serves as a testament to our unwavering dedication to empower entrepreneurs and drive growth of SMEs in Sri Lanka. With our dedicate and exclusive service platform Amana Bank Business Plus, we provide robust support such as dedicated relationship manager, doorstep banking, online banking, payroll solutions along with a comprehensive suite of products and services to meet the wide array of financial needs of SMEs including, Capital Expenditure Financing, Working Capital Financing, Import & Export Financing, Trade Services, Machinery & Equipment Leasing, Permanent Overdraft, Cheque Discounting as well as solutions for Cash Collection and Investments. We remain committed to fostering the success of SMEs and will continue to innovate and expand offerings to further strengthen the business landscape in Sri Lanka.”
Amãna Bank PLC is a stand-alone institution licensed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange with Jeddah-based IsDB Group being the principal shareholder having a 29.97% shareholding of the Bank. The IsDB Group is a ‘AAA’ rated multilateral development financial institution with a membership of 57 countries. Testifying its position as a leading practitioner of the non-interest based banking model, Amãna Banks continued to be recognized amongst the Top 100 Strongest Islamic Bank’s in the World by The Asian Banker.
Amãna Bank does not have any subsidiaries, associates, or affiliated institutions apart from its engagement with OrphanCare as its Founding Sponsor.
Image Caption: An Abimana Award winner collecting her accolade from Central Province Governor Hon. Lalith U. Gamage, District Secretary / Government Agent for Kandy Chandana Tennakoon, Secretary – Divisional Secretariat Akurana Indika Kumari Abeysinghe and Amana Bank’s Kandy Head of Business – Azam Ameer
