NSB Museum

NSB Museum is located on the ground floor of the Head Office of the National Savings Bank at No: 255, Galle Rd, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka.

NSB which was opened for business activities on 16th March 1972, was established in 1971 by Parliament act No. 30 of 1971. It inherits an ancient and rich tradition of institutional Banking culture in Sri Lanka. Four traditional savings organizations namely the Ceylon Savings Bank (1832), the Post Office Savings Bank (1885), the Savings Certificate Section of the PMG’s Department (1938) and the National Savings Movement (1942) were amalgamated to form NSB in 1971 by the late Dr. N. M. Perera, the then Minister of Finance.

The Museum was opened for customers with a view to recapitulating the significant role performed by the 4 pioneering traditional savings institutions and the National Savings Bank in the field of mobilization and promotion of domestic savings in Sri Lanka for over 175 years since 1832.

Portraits of pioneers of savings institutions particularly in the colonial era and post-independence, photographs of important events, Govt. gazettes notifications and Govt. ordinances of historic importance in the savings banking industry, manual registers and ledgers, traditional savings instruments and materials and series of old coins have been preserved in the NSB museum for the benefit of the present and the future generations.

Visitors to the museum can have access to explore the historic evolution and gradual transformation of banking traditions from manual account opening register/ledger to modern ATM cards introduced to its customers by the National Savings Bank.

You are cordially invited to visit the NSB Museum which is open between 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. every working day.

Sir Robert Wilmot Horton, Governor of Ceylon (1831-1837) pioneered the establishment of the Ceylon Savings Bank on 6th August 1832.

Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan Legislative Council Member pioneered the establishment of the Post Office Savings Bank in 1885.

Late Dr. N.M. Perera the then Minister of Finance (1970-1975) established the National Savings Bank by Parliament act No.30 of 1971

The “Thonigala” rock inscription attributed to King Kirthi Sri Megawarna (303-331 AD) reveals the wisdom of our ancestors who preserved their harvest and received interest on them.

Collection of Anniversary Coins

Inside the Museum