As affluent clients rethink how they manage their finances, Hatton National Bank is expanding private banking into a broader platform of investments, advisory services, and curated experiences.
Sanjay Wijemanne, Chief Operating Officer at HNB, says clients are moving towards diversified portfolios across property, equities, and alternative assets, while expecting more personalised guidance. In response, HNB has deepened its advisory capabilities across tax, legal, and succession planning, while HNB Investment Bank brings research, market outlooks, and investment advice on equities and fixed-income instruments directly to private banking clients. The bank has also built out experience-led engagement and is investing in digital platforms to serve a younger, more self-directed client base.
The result, Wijemanne says, is a more integrated model built around long-term relationships that meet evolving client needs.
Sri Lanka’s economic reset has reshaped how affluent clients think about wealth. How is HNB evolving its private banking strategy to support priorities like capital preservation, diversification, and long-term growth today?
We foresaw this shift coming over the last few years. Customers were moving away from traditional fixed deposits and exploring different asset classes, including property, equities, and even art. So we expanded our proposition to support that.
We’ve partnered with leading property developers, enabling clients to build a property portfolio. On the investment side, with HNB Investment Bank, they have access to equities, margin trading, and fixed-income instruments, such as treasury bills and bonds. At the same time, we’ve strengthened our advisory, tax, legal, and trust structuring services, enabling clients to plan for the next generation. We also cover insurance and broader financial needs.
Our vision is to provide a comprehensive platform encompassing investment, protection, and long-term planning.
With new initiatives by the bank, there’s a shift towards more experience-led engagement. How are you redefining private banking beyond transactions to create a more holistic lifestyle-oriented offering?
A key shift has been the strengthening of our relationship management model. We now have a more senior, stable team, with an average experience of over 10 years ensuring continuity, deeper client understanding, and highly personalised engagement.
We have also redefined the client experience. Through partnerships with leading hospitals and international medical specialists, we provide insights on lifestyle and preventive health. In the art space, we connect clients with domain experts, positioning art as a credible global asset class. Our CSR initiatives are designed to be immersive, allowing clients to witness first hand the impact of their contributions.
In addition, we curate a diverse range of social and cultural experiences from quiz events to Avurudu celebrations with families to the HNB Legacy Open, our flagship golfing event, creating great engagement beyond transactional banking. Clients also benefit from integrated access to a broader ecosystem, including insurance and investment banking expertise.
With 8 private banking centers in key cities and 17 lounges across strategic suburbs, we ensure comprehensive coverage and accessibility across our islandwide network. Our focus is clear: to go beyond transactions and build enduring, multi-generational relationships catering to diverse communities, interests, and life stages across the country.
As client expectations become more sophisticated, how is HNB enhancing its advisory capabilities to deliver truly personalised, insight-driven financial solutions?
It’s really a team approach. We recognise that a single Relationship Manager won’t have the depth of understanding of every product. While the Relationship Manager remains the main point of contact, we bring in specialists depending on the client’s needs. The Relationship Manager focuses on understanding the client’s goals, for example, planning for a child’s education or building a long-term investment plan. From there, the wider team steps in.
Our investment banking arm provides advice on equities, fixed income, and market outlooks, while insurance specialists guide clients on protection and coverage. Importantly, this is tailored. If a client has a lower risk appetite, the advice shifts towards government securities or longer-term instruments, if they have a higher risk appetite then we direct them towards equities.
The model is simple, the relationship leads, supported by a team of experts delivering personalised, insight-led advice.
With digital adoption accelerating across Sri Lanka, how do you strike the right balance between technology-driven convenience and the high-touch relationships that define private banking?
For us, it centres on customer choice. We map every client journey at the bank and identify which can be delivered digitally. Simultaneously, we keep the physical channel fully accessible. If a client prefers to meet their Relationship Manager and open a fixed deposit, they can. Alternatively, they can complete the same action on the app, as well as access services like loans against deposits or start new accounts. We don’t push customers towards any option. Even for something routine like a cash withdrawal, we welcome branch visits. The relationship remains important.
Digitally, we prioritise intuitive design. We customise journeys for each age group, and Relationship Managers share simple guides to familiarise clients. It’s truly about offering both channels and letting customers select their preferred experience.
With shifts in the competitive landscape and a new generation of affluent clients emerging, where do you see the biggest opportunities for HNB’s private banking arm; how are you positioning to capture them?
The biggest opportunity is with the younger generation. What we’re seeing is a strong preference for a fully digital experience; they want everything at their fingertips. A key part of our focus is enhancing our digital platform to bring in investment advisory, market insights, and investment options into one place. This includes access to research, performance of shares and unit trusts, and broader market views, so clients can make informed decisions on their own. That’s where behaviour is shifting.
At the same time, many of these clients are starting their own businesses early. There’s a growing need for advisory around capital raising, scaling, and even going public. Through HNB Investment Bank, we support clients with capital infusions, IPOs, and broader corporate financing; so the same client we serve personally, we can also serve at the business level.
The opportunity is to combine digital sophistication with strong advisory, tailored to a more independent, entrepreneurial client base.