Sampath Bank

The bank was originally incorporated as the Investment and Credit Bank Limited in 1988. The bank became popularly known as Sampath. In 1988, Sampath Bank started to operate a multi-point network of automated teller machines (ATMs) for the first time in the country, as "Sampath Electronic Teller" or "SET". Then, as the popularity of ATM banking increased it introduced MasterCard (in 1989), PBU (Personal Banking Unit) and Uni-Banking System. The bank was the first to introduce debit cards in South Asia in 1997. Since 2009, the bank is the third-largest private sector bank in Sri Lanka in terms of total assets.

Since its opening in 1986, Sampath Bank is the first bank in Sri Lanka to operate using a fully computerised database.

Sampath Bank was the first to introduce the use of ATMs, MasterCard, Personal Banking Unit Facilities, Uni Banking System & Debit Cards (Initially with Cirrus and Maestro and Visa) to Sri Lanka.

After its massive re-engineering during the transfer to IT-induced banking, the bank was able to launch Internet Banking, Internet Payment Gateways and 24/7 mobile banking services.

The Bank was the first in Sri Lanka to introduce one-day clearing for all cheques drawn on any branch, collected by any commercial bank on the island and presented through the Sri Lanka Automated Clearing House (SLACH). It launched the first-ever Cheque Imaging and Truncation (CIT) system to Sri Lanka in October 2004.