Central Finance

What Central Finance does

Central Finance Company PLC is a Sri Lankan non-banking financial institution founded in 1957 and headquartered at 270 Vauxhall Street, Colombo 02, operating through a network of 110 branches nationwide. The company is licensed by the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka under the Finance Business Act No.42 of 2011 and Finance Leasing Act No.56 of 2000, and holds a National Long-Term Rating of A(lka) with Stable Outlook from Fitch Ratings Lanka, affirmed consecutively since 2006. With total assets of LKR 100,041 million and a customer base of 256,823, it is positioned as one of Sri Lanka's larger diversified financial houses.

The company operates across four primary product verticals: (1) Financing — asset leasing for new, secondhand, and reconditioned motor vehicles, business loans, microfinance via the "My First Lease" program, and contract hire for corporates; (2) Vehicle Hire — CF Budget Hire, CF Whizz, CF Short Hire, and Fleet Hire with day rates ranging from LKR 2,090 to 7,480 and monthly fleet hire up to LKR 220,000; (3) Investment Products — a suite of savings accounts (CF Savings, CF Lamaa, CF Excel, CF Super, CF Senior Citizens) and fixed deposit schemes (CF Term 1-60 months, CF Ultra, CF Optima, CF Senior Citizen Deposits); and (4) Insurance Broking through its wholly-owned subsidiary CF Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd, the largest insurance broker in Sri Lanka. The technology layer consists of the CF Click mobile banking app (CEFT transfers, utility payments, FD management) and the Careka.lk vehicle trading marketplace, complemented by the CF Assist Premium Club providing fleet management with 80+ franchise garages.

Central Finance's revenue model is predominantly subscription/recurring, generated from interest spread on leasing and deposits, daily/monthly vehicle hire charges, and insurance brokerage commissions. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based, anchored in physical branches with digital augmentation. Customer segments are horizontally diversified across individual consumers (retail leasing, microfinance, savings), SMEs (working capital, fleet solutions), and corporate clients (contract hire, large-scale fleet management). Sub-brands include CF Insurance Brokers, CF Budget Hire, CF Whizz, CF Short Hire, CF Click, Careka.lk, CF Kalin Poli, and CF Assist Premium Club. The company is governed by a publicly-listed PLC structure with Asite Talwatte as Chairman (since July 2020) and Arjuna Gunaratne as Managing Director (since July 2024), with new Independent Non-Executive Director appointments in 2025.

Name

Central Finance

Legal name

Central Finance Company PLC

Website

https://cf.lk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Central Finance Company PLC is a Sri Lanka-licensed non-banking financial institution, founded 1957, operating 110 branches and serving 256,823 customers with LKR 100,041 million in total assets across vehicle leasing, hire, deposits, savings, and insurance broking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer and Commercial Finance / Leasing

NAICS

Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)

SIC

Finance Lessors (6172), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Middle-Market Lending (FSANADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

SME Trade Finance & Working Capital (LCs, Guarantees, Receivables) (FSABABAF)

Keywords

• Vehicle leasing
• Fixed deposits
• Savings accounts
• Insurance broking
• Vehicle rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Colombo

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Asset Leasing: Financing and refinancing for new, secondhand, and reconditioned motor vehicles including cars, three-wheelers, motorcycles, tractors, construction equipment, plant and machinery, and computers. Revenue generated through interest income and lease rentals.
2. Contract Hire: Finance, sale and leaseback for companies and businesses. Provides vehicles with or without maintenance packages for fleet operators.
3. Fixed Deposits and Savings: Deposit mobilization products including CF Savings, CF Term, CF Ultra, CF Excel, CF Optima, CF Senior Citizen Deposits, and CF Lamaa Children's Savings. Revenue from spread between lending and deposit rates.
4. Vehicle Hire: Short-term and long-term vehicle rental services including CF Budget Hire, CF Whizz, CF Short Hire, and Fleet Hire. Revenue from daily/monthly rental charges.
5. Insurance Broking: Insurance brokerage services through CF Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd, the largest insurance broker in Sri Lanka. Commission-based revenue from placing insurance with various insurers.
6. Business Loans: Working capital and expansion financing for businesses including SME lending.
7. Micro Finance: Micro financing solutions for self-employed individuals including My First Lease for three-wheeler and mini truck financing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Central Finance Company PLC provides diversified financial services in Sri Lanka including asset leasing (new, secondhand, and reconditioned motor vehicles), contract hire and fleet management for businesses, fixed deposits and savings products for individuals, business loans and microfinance, and insurance broking through its wholly-owned subsidiary CF Insurance Brokers. The company operates 110 branches across Sri Lanka and serves over 256,823 customers with a total asset base of LKR 100,041 million.

Product overview

Central Finance Company PLC operates as a diversified financial services platform offering a comprehensive portfolio of products organized into four main categories: (1) Vehicle Hire Services including CF Budget Hire, CF Whizz, CF Short Hire, and Fleet Hire for both individual and corporate customers; (2) Financing Solutions encompassing Leasing, Business Loans, My First Lease for three-wheelers and mini trucks, and Contract Hire arrangements; (3) Investment Products including multiple Savings variants (CF Savings, CF Lamaa Savings for children, CF Excel Savings, CF Super Savings, CF Senior Citizens Savings) and Fixed Deposit products (CF Term, CF Ultra, CF Optima, CF Senior Citizen Deposits); and (4) Insurance Broking through its subsidiary. The ecosystem is supported by digital platforms including the CF Click Mobile App for mobile banking and Careka.lk for vehicle trading. The company holds 110 branches across Sri Lanka serving over 256,000 customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CF Insurance Brokers: Insurance broking subsidiary providing insurance solutions from the largest Insurance Broker in Sri Lanka
• CF Budget Hire
• CF Whizz
• CF Short Hire
• CF Click
• Careka.lk
• CF Kalin Poli
• CF Assist Premium Club

Products and services

• Asset Leasing
• My First Lease
• Business Loans
• Contract Hire
• CF Budget Hire
• CF Whizz
• CF Short Hire
• Fleet Hire
• CF Savings

Quantifiable outcome

• Lease application processing within 2 working days
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CF Insurance Brokers (Pvt) LtdcoreOthersFully owned subsidiary providing insurance brokerage services. Places insurance with insurers acceptable to Central Finance. As the largest insurance broker in Sri Lanka, provides comprehensive insurance solutions for leased assets and customer needs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DFCC Bank PLC: Sri Lankan licensed commercial bank with deep development-finance and SME / vehicle leasing heritage; a broader incumbent competing across most of Central Finance's product set.

Direct peers

• Commercial Credit PLC: Sri Lankan Licensed Finance Company offering leasing, hire purchase, and deposits; similar mid-tier scale and customer profile to Central Finance.
• LOLC Finance PLC: Part of the LOLC Group, offering vehicle leasing, SME lending, and deposits across Sri Lanka — a scaled direct competitor in the LFC leasing market.
• Lanka ORIX Leasing Company PLC: Sri Lankan LFC focused on vehicle and equipment leasing plus deposits and insurance broking; directly comparable in product mix and target customer segments.
• HNB Finance Limited: Subsidiary of Hatton National Bank offering leasing, deposits, and SME loans; competes head-to-head with CF in vehicle financing and is a key direct peer.
• People's Leasing & Finance PLC: One of Sri Lanka's largest Licensed Finance Companies and a direct competitor in vehicle leasing, fixed deposits, and SME lending — the closest scale-comparable peer to Central Finance.
• Singer Finance (Lanka) PLC: Sri Lankan LFC specializing in consumer and vehicle financing plus deposits; comparable in branch-led distribution and SME / consumer leasing focus.
• Dialog Finance PLC: Sri Lankan LFC with vehicle leasing, microfinance, and deposits; an emerging direct peer, especially in micro / SME lending.
• Senkadagala Finance PLC: Sri Lankan LFC providing leasing, loans, and deposit products; comparable in product breadth and middle-market / SME customer focus.
• Softlogic Finance PLC: Sri Lankan LFC offering leasing, hire purchase, gold loans, and deposits; comparable in consumer and SME finance product mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeI2eBhqlmJSJYKMFnxyDTA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CentralFinanceCompanyPLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/central-finance-90730a15a

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Central Finance