Banking literacy for Sri Lankan SMEs

Debt isn’t the enemy.
Not understanding it is.

Compare loans across every bank, see the true cost with every fee included, and walk into the bank knowing exactly what you qualify for.

Banks compared
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Housing from
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Personal from
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Every fee shown
A = L + E
Live loan estimator
Lowest monthly instalment
LKR 152,284
NSB · from 10.75% Fixed
You could saveLKR 2,515,212vs. the costliest option
  • NSNSBfees LKR 127,50010.75%
  • BOBOCfees LKR 135,00011%
  • CoComBankfees LKR 180,00011.25%
Compare all banks
Bank of CeylonCommercial Bank of CeylonDFCC BankHatton National BankNational Development BankNational Savings BankPeople's BankSampath BankSeylan BankBank of CeylonCommercial Bank of CeylonDFCC BankHatton National BankNational Development BankNational Savings BankPeople's BankSampath BankSeylan Bank
The first principle of banking

Assets = Liabilities + Equity. Play with it.

A loan isn’t “bad money” — it’s another way to fund what your business owns. Move the sliders and watch what happens to your return when the asset earns more than the loan costs.

Assets=Liabilities+Equity
LKR 8.0M
=
LKR 3.0M
LKR 5.0M
Return on your money, no loan22.0%
Return on your money, with loan37.0%

The asset earns 22% but the loan costs only 13% — the gap is profit that grows your equity.

Compare the true cost

The lowest rate isn’t always the cheapest loan

We add processing, legal and valuation fees to the interest so you can see what you’ll really pay.

True cost for LKR 1M over 5 years — interest + every upfront fee Interest FeesDemo data · not live rates
  1. HN
    Hatton National BankNo collateral · Guarantors
    Lowest true cost
    12%–14.75%Floating
    Monthly LKR 22,244Fees LKR 15,000Total LKR 1,349,667
  2. Co
    Commercial Bank of CeylonNo collateral · Guarantors
    12.25%–15%Floating
    +LKR 5,092
    Monthly LKR 22,371Fees LKR 12,500Total LKR 1,354,759
  3. Sa
    Sampath BankNo collateral · Guarantors
    12.5%–15.25%Fixed
    +LKR 10,209
    Monthly LKR 22,498Fees LKR 10,000Total LKR 1,359,876
  4. BO
    Bank of CeylonNo collateral · Guarantors
    12.5%–15%Fixed
    +LKR 10,209
    Monthly LKR 22,498Fees LKR 10,000Total LKR 1,359,876
  5. PB
    People's BankNo collateral · Guarantors
    12.75%–15.5%Fixed
    +LKR 17,851
    Monthly LKR 22,625Fees LKR 10,000Total LKR 1,367,518
  6. Se
    Seylan BankNo collateral · Guarantors
    13%–16%Fixed
    +LKR 28,018
    Monthly LKR 22,753Fees LKR 12,500Total LKR 1,377,684
How it works

From “not sure” to bank-ready in four steps

  1. 01

    Learn the basics

    Bite-size guides in Sinhala, Tamil and English.

  2. 02

    Check your eligibility

    Know your borrowing capacity before you apply.

  3. 03

    Compare true cost

    Rates and every fee, across every bank.

  4. 04

    Walk in prepared

    Documents ready, project report in hand.

Deals & discounts

This week’s card offers

See all offers
BillsNDB
LKR 500 off

Pay utility bills & save

Online bill payments

Until Dec 27
FuelBOC
5% cashback

Fuel cashback

All fuel stations

Until Dec 27
DiningSeylan
25% off

Dine & save

Partner restaurants, Colombo

Until Dec 27
OnlineSampath
0% for 12 months

0% instalments on electronics

Partner electronics stores

Until Dec 27
SupermarketsHNB
15% off

Supermarket savings Wednesdays

Selected supermarkets

Until Dec 27
SupermarketsComBank
20% off

20% off weekend groceries

Leading supermarket chains

Until Dec 27
Learn

Banking, explained in plain language

5 min read

Assets = Liabilities + Equity: why a loan isn’t “bad money”

The one equation every business owner should know — and how good debt grows what you own.

Read guide
6 min read

How banks decide how much you can borrow

Debt burden ratio, repayment capacity and how to show income from more than one source.

Read guide
8 min read

Writing a project report a bank will say yes to

Cash flow, DSCR and break-even — explained step by step with a sample SME.

Read guide
5 min read

The true cost of a loan: every fee, explained

Processing, legal, valuation, stamp duty and early settlement — what to ask before you sign.

Read guide

Walk into your bank prepared.

Find out how much you can borrow and what documents you need — in under three minutes.