Under its ‘Rebuild Together’ initiative, launched in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah to support recovery and mitigate future disaster risks, the Commercial Bank of Ceylon has committed to enhancing the nation’s disaster preparedness. The Bank is funding a comprehensive revamp of the RiskInfo Spatial Data Portal, managed by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).
Cyclone Ditwah underscored the critical need for advanced and accessible risk information systems. The Disaster Management Centre, as Sri Lanka’s primary agency for disaster risk management, is crucial in coordinating disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. It utilizes platforms such as the RiskInfo Spatial Data Portal and the DesInventar database, which contain multi-hazard risk maps, exposure and vulnerability data, and historical disaster loss information.
These platforms facilitate evidence-based planning, early warning dissemination, and emergency response. They also guide decisions impacting communities, such as urban redevelopment, safe relocation, infrastructure resilience, and sustainable business development, to protect people, livelihoods, and long-term growth from climate and disaster risks.
Recognizing the national significance of these systems and the deficiencies highlighted by the recent cyclone, Commercial Bank assessed the current infrastructure and identified the urgent requirement to modernize the RiskInfo Spatial Data Portal. The Bank’s support will lead to improvements in the system’s architecture, visualization tools, and data-sharing capabilities, ensuring that risk information is more accessible, interoperable, and responsive to evolving climate and disaster risks.
Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Kapila Hettihamu, Chief Risk Officer of Commercial Bank, stated: “Cyclone Ditwah was a stark reminder that Sri Lanka is facing increasingly complex and far-reaching climate and disaster risks. As a leading financial institution, we believe our responsibility extends beyond responding to crises, to helping the country prepare for them. We have collaborated with the DMC to operationalize this upgrade as a way to transition the nation from reactive recovery to proactive, data-driven disaster risk management. As a bank that believes in using technology to make lives better, we feel the revamping of the RiskInfo Spatial Data Portal represents an investment in knowledge, preparedness, and early action. This platform has the potential to save lives, protect livelihoods, and reduce long-term economic loss. This initiative reflects our commitment to sustainability, sound risk management, and aligning the strength of the financial sector with Sri Lanka’s national resilience goals.”
This significant engagement by Commercial Bank was formalized at an event at the Disaster Management Centre, attended by Major General Sampath Kotuwegoda (Retd.) (ndc, IG), Director General of the DMC, Ms. Anoja Senevirathna, Director of the Mitigation Research and Development Division at DMC, Mr. Kapila Hettihamu, Chief Risk Officer of Commercial Bank, members of the Bank’s senior management, and the Bank’s Sustainability Department.
By supporting the revamp of the RiskInfo Spatial Data Portal, Commercial Bank’s contribution extends beyond immediate relief, focusing on long-term resilience and future readiness. As climate risks increasingly intersect with financial risks, access to robust disaster and climate data is crucial for the banking and financial services sector, aiding in better credit assessments, asset protection, climate-resilient lending, and responsible investment decisions.
Commercial Bank is the first Sri Lankan bank with a market capitalization exceeding US$ 1 billion, the first bank in the country to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World, and has the highest Tier I capital base among all Sri Lankan banks. It is the largest private sector lender in Sri Lanka and the largest lender to the country’s SME sector. The Bank is a leader in digital innovation and is Sri Lanka’s first 100% carbon-neutral bank.
Commercial Bank operates a network of strategically located branches and automated machines island-wide, and boasts the widest international footprint among Sri Lankan banks, with 20 branches in Bangladesh, a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake in the Maldives, a microfinance company in Myanmar, and a representative office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The Bank’s fully owned subsidiaries, CBC Finance Ltd. and Commercial Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Limited, also provide a range of financial services through their own branch networks.
Photo caption: Mr. Kapila Hettihamu, Chief Risk Officer of Commercial Bank, presents the Bank’s support to Major General Sampath Kotuwegoda (Retd.) (ndc, IG), Director General of the Disaster Management Centre, in the presence of representatives from both organizations.
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