ECONOMYNEXT – The Asia Pacific Chapter meeting of Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) held in Colombo will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Climate change and their impacts on value-based banking which is mostly targeting small and medium enterprises.
Top CEOs and senior leaders of GABV members in 20 countries will gather from October 15-16 to discuss on the topic centered on ‘Value-Based Banking’ and it will explore how ethical, inclusive, and sustainable financial practices can drive long-term impact across communities and economies.
Sarvodaya Development Finance Plc (SDF), one of the two GABV members, will host the meeting in Colombo alongside the annual GABV Board Meeting, bringing together global leaders in sustainable finance for the first time in Colombo.
Martin Rohner, the GABV Executive Director said AI is key in value based banking as those banks have to be just as competitive as mainstream banks.
“They have to also look at AI, just like the other banks and see how AI can help them be cost efficient and reach the customers as effectively as possible,” Rohner told EconomyNext on Tuesday.
He also said using AI in a responsible way, reaching the banks’ target group and reaching missions more effectively are crucial for GABV members.
“We had a bank in the United States who was worried that their financial, their lenders were maybe biased towards certain types of people that would come into the bank. And so they started using AI and thanks to AI, they were able to increase the number of loans that they were doing, and at the same time, actually reduce the nonperforming loans,” he said.
“So, AI can be a very powerful tool to reach your value based mission more effectively, especially in finance.”
“In terms of climate change, obviously, climate change is a major topic and our members have been among the most ambitious in terms of net zero goals in climate finance. So it’s not just about the operations, but really about the loans, the activities, and their financing, which need to become climate neutral.”
“So it’s about mitigation and also helping their clients to adapt to the adverse impact of climate change. So our member banks are really focusing on that very much.”
The two day event is designed as an immersive collaborative exchange where participants will exchange with industry peers, policy makers and civil society leaders.
Delegates will include GABV board members, international CEOs, and senior representative from leading financial institutions, such as Sunrise Banks (USA), Southern Bancorp (USA) Qudos Bank (Australia), EkoBanken (Sweden) Centenary Bank (Uganda) Bank Maumalat (Malaysia), BRAC Bank (Bangladesh), and banks from India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Papua, New Guinea, and Kyrgyzstan.
Together, they will share insights and best practices on transforming financial system systems to serve long-term societal and environmental goals.
“Sarvodaya Development Finance is honoured to host this year’s GABV Asia-Pacific Chapter Meeting in Colombo,” Nilantha Jayanatti, CEO of Sarvodaya Development Finance said in a statement.
“For Sri Lanka, this event represents more than a conference. It is a moment of reflection and renewal. The conversations we will lead here, from sustainable lending and SME empowerment to value-driven innovation, are directly aligned with our national journey towards recovery and resilience.”
“As a nation and as an institution, we believe finance must rediscover its moral compass to serve people, planet, and prosperity in equal measure.”
Founded in 2009, the GABV is a global network of over 70 independent banks, credit unions, and micro finance institutions committed to using finance to deliver sustainable economic, social, and environmental development.
Collectively, its members serve more than 60 million customers across 45 countries with combined assets exceeding USD200 billion. (Colombo/October 14/2025)