AI-Powered Decision-Making System Gets Silver for CDB at CIMA – JXG Pinnacle Awards
Award-winning innovation reshapes credit evaluation, deepens financial inclusion and reinforces CDB’s tech-first strategy
Colombo, Sri Lanka, 04 July 2025: Citizens Development Business Finance PLC (CDB) continues to earn national recognition for its trailblazing AI-Powered Credit Decision Making System, winning Silver in the Digital Transformation Project of the Year category at the CIMA – JXG Pinnacle Awards 2025. Marking the second major accolade for the project given the award won last year at the National ICT Awards NBQSA 2024, this Silver underscores the consistent excellence and impact of CDB’s digital innovation journey.
The award-winning system, developed entirely in-house, draws on CRIB data through direct API integration, offering real-time access to critical credit information. By harnessing advanced AI algorithms, it evaluates a broad spectrum of data to generate highly accurate credit assessments. This is further reinforced with an AI-powered vehicle valuation module, which determines the collateral value of vehicles – a key asset in vehicle-based credit decisions. The result is a credit decision-making model that is informed, swift, reliable and rooted in robust asset understanding.
“This AI model is an essential pillar of our future-forward credit assessment strategy,” says Director – Business Operations Dave De Silva. “With AI evolving rapidly and competition intensifying across financial services, our aim is to deliver unmatched service through speed and precision in credit decision-making – setting new standards for customer experiences. Importantly, the system has been instrumental in the successful implementation of risk-based pricing, enabling data-driven differentiation of customer risk profiles – ensuring credit is priced accurately and fairly.”
General Manager – Credit Sudath Fernando compares tangible advantages over traditional manual approval methods. “We have seen improvements in credit quality, reduced default risk and expanded business capacity. With branch staff receiving credit decisions and recommended pricing on their mobile phones, they can now approve credit facilities virtually from wherever they are, under central oversight. This empowers our teams to make sound and consistent decisions, significantly reduces human bias, and enhances compliance with regulatory standards.”
Beyond operational efficiency and credit risk management, this transformation drives a vital role in financial inclusion. By streamlining approvals and making credit more accessible, particularly to underserved segments with limited formal financial histories, the system ensures wider participation in the financial ecosystem. The intelligent automation allows for a fairer, data-driven evaluation of creditworthiness, enabling more individuals and entrepreneurs to access timely financing.
CDB’s digital journey began with its Robotic Process Automation (RPA) programme in 2019, incorporating OCR, ICR, BOTs, and API-based integrations. These innovations laid the foundation for deeper technology-led disruptions, transforming CDB’s operating model into one that emphasises virtual operations, remote collaboration and enhanced agility. As a result, CDB has not only optimised internal processes and reduced costs but also established a future-ready, resilient infrastructure which redefines how financial services are delivered.
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