Finance sector unions from across South Asia reaffirmed their shared commitment to socially responsible finance and regional solidarity at the 2nd South Asia Finance Sector Unions Conference (SAFSUC), held on 9 July 2025 at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Organized under the theme of Finance with a Social Focus: Driving Sustainable Development in South Asia, the conference brought together union leaders and delegates from Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

The event was supported by the generous efforts of the Ceylon Bank Employees’ Union (CBEU) led by President Channa Dissanayake, who also serves as President of the UNI Sri Lanka Liaison Council (UNI SLAC).

The conference was further strengthened by the presence of key officials from UNI Global Union Finance and UNI Asia & Pacific Regional Organization (UNI Apro). These included Angelo Di Cristo, Head of Department, UNI Finance (Switzerland); Arne Fredrik Håstein, Vice President, Finance Sector Union (Norway); Maureen Hick, Regional Director, UNI Europa Finance; Rajendra Acharya, Regional Secretary, UNI Asia & Pacific; Sota Kitamura, President, UNI Apro Finance Sector; and Jayasiri Priyalal, Regional Director, UNI Apro Finance Sector.

The gathering marked a critical moment for the region’s finance union movement to respond collectively to mounting challenges, including the accelerating digitalisation of the sector, the impacts of climate change, shrinking labour rights, and the erosion of public finance institutions. These issues are compounded by growing pressures on State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), precarious transitions to digital platforms, and widening inequality across financial systems.

Developing regional strategies for a transformative finance sector

Through the two roundtable sessions anchoring the programme, participants reflected on their shared struggles, from regressive labour reforms to the exclusion of finance workers from existing legal protections. They also explored strategies to expand union organizing in both traditional and emerging subsectors. Key priorities included building union presence in under-unionised areas such as BPOs and fintech and advancing youth and women’s leadership in the sector.

A symbolic milestone of the conference was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ceylon Bank Employees’ Union (CBEU) and the Financial Institute Employees Union of Nepal (FIEUN). This agreement strengthens cross-border union cooperation, mutual learning, and collective advocacy in the finance sector.

Charting the way forward

The conference concluded with the election of the SAFSUC Executive Committee, which will lead the Council’s revitalised work in the coming years, coordinating organizing efforts, advocating for policy reform, and defending the social mission of public finance institutions across South Asia. The newly elected officials are President L Chandrasekhar (AISBISF, India), Deputy President Bikash Shrestha (FIEUN, Nepal), and Secretary Sachini Wijesekara (CBEU, Sri Lanka).

The SAFSUC Committee will work together with the newly formed UNI Apro Insurance Network Working Group to map out a joint workplan to be presented at the 7th UNI Apro Finance Sector Conference, to be held in Manila, Philippines, on 15–16 October 2025.