Development bank chair Aruni Goonetilleke resigns
Aruni's resignation follows the departure of the bank's former Managing Director, Noel Gregor Paterson-Jones, who stepped down in March last year.
Aruni Goonetilleke has resigned as Chairperson of the Development Bank of Maldives (DBM), the state-owned bank established to finance infrastructure and development projects.
The Privatisation and Corporatisation Board (PCB) confirmed her resignation but did not disclose the reason for her departure.
Aruni is a financial services professional and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from Harvard Law School.
The Development Bank of Maldives was established in May 2024 to finance infrastructure projects and support economic and social development in line with government policy. The bank was also created to encourage the retention of foreign currency within the Maldivian banking system.
The bank was officially inaugurated in November 2024. Although it has been in operation for nearly two years, its core banking activities have yet to begin.
The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) authorised the bank to commence business operations in January this year, following the issuance of its banking licence on 24 October 2024.
Aruni's resignation follows the departure of the bank's former Managing Director, Noel Gregor Paterson-Jones, who stepped down in March last year.
Paterson-Jones later filed a case with the Employment Tribunal over unpaid wages. The tribunal dismissed the case, while DBM said all outstanding salary payments owed to him had been settled in full.
