"We are looking for regional expansion," de Mel said. "Though we have 30 years of experience as a development banks, the country is now becoming a services hub. We feel now we have to go beyond the shores of Sri Lanka."
NDB started as a state initiated development bank and later became a public listed financial group with a commercial banking license, capital market operations, insurance and fund management.
It has now signed a deal with AIA group to exit its stake in Sri Lanka'a Aviva NDB Insurance.
NDB already has an investment banking operation in Bangladesh and stake in a leasing company in the Maldives.
De Mel said they may expand the scope of the activities in Bangladesh beyond investment banking and was also scouting other countries in the region.
Many Sri Lankan firms were doing business in Bangladesh now which provided a client base.
Sri Lanka's Commercial Bank of Ceylon has been in Bangladesh for several years.
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