Centre for Banking Studies (CBS)

The Centre for Banking Studies (CBS), the training and human resource development arm of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) commenced her mission of empowering the nation with knowledge and skills required for the development of the financial landscape, particularly the banking sector, on 15th September 1981 as the “Rural Banking and Staff Training College (RB&STC)”. The need of the day at the inception was to provide training with necessary knowledge and required skills to promote financial services in the rural sector and financial inclusiveness in the country as a whole. Therefore, the focus of the training courses at that time was concentrated on rural and development banking.

Over many years, Sri Lanka has been experiencing a progressive expansion in the financial and non-financial sectors with the rapid development in the economy and with the integration of the financial sector with the global financial system. Having realized, this progress of the financial sector the RB&STC, diversified its programmes to suite the changing environment. Recognizing these developments, the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka renamed RB&STC as the Centre for Banking Studies (CBS) in 1998.

Today, the CBS as a matured training institute offers a wide range of training programmes, seminars, and workshops in the areas of central banking, banking and finance, economics, treasury operations, management, languages and information technology, laws and regulations and research and data analysis for the officers of the central bank and the other financial institutions in the country as well as in other countries in collaboration with international organizations such as SEACEN, Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), foreign Central Banks and international training institutions. In addition, the CBS conducts special programmes on request of public and private sector institutions to meet their emerging needs. CBS is also playing a pivotal role in developing capacity of the financial sector participants on the implementation of Sustainable Finance practices. CBS has been working with institutions such as International Finance Corporation (IFC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in conducting these capacity building efforts. All the CBS programmes are conducted by well experienced and exposed local and international professionals.

Appreciating the importance of social responsibility of promoting public awareness and improving economic and financial literacy, the CBS also hosts public lectures on contemporary issues related to the economy and the financial sector. CBS also recognizes the necessity of facilitating discussions on topics with economic interest with the participation of experts in various disciplines. High level Seminars (HLS) and Expert Panel Discussions (EPD) are being organized throughout the year to serve this purpose and these seminars have been instrumental in generating a significant interest among professionals and the public on timely topics. School children, university students and academia are regular visitors of the CBS to attend sessions designed to enhance their knowledge and skills.

CBS is fully equipped with modern training facilities and support services, including conference rooms, an auditorium, training rooms, computer training laboratories, a library and coffee lounges. It has parking spaces for over 50 vehicles. The CBS is located in a fast-developing suburban area of Rajagiriya bordering the Sri Jayewardenepura Road leading to the Parliament of Sri Lanka. It is 7 km from Colombo Fort where the Central Bank Head Office is located.