SriLanka, June 14 -- Sri Lanka's banking and finance sector alone cannot finance climate adaptation needs, Commercial Bank Managing Director and CEO Sanath Manatunge said last week. He was speaking at the Sri Lanka Climate Summit 2026.

He called for strong Government intervention, development finance, and policy support to protect vulnerable communities and climate-exposed sectors.

"From a banking business model perspective, climate risk is fundamentally a credit risk because it increases the probability of default," he said, adding that banks also have a broader responsibility in promoting sustainable finance, disseminating knowledge, and gathering data to support climate action.

However, he said Sri Lanka lacks a climate risk mitigat...