CB Bank

CB Bank is a Myanmar commercial bank established in 1992 with approval from the Central Bank of Myanmar. It began as a small institution with 33 employees and developed into a nationwide banking organization serving individuals, businesses and corporate customers. Its head office is in Yangon, and the bank has built a broad branch, ATM, foreign-exchange and agent network across Myanmar. The bank has positioned itself around accessible commercial banking, payment-card adoption, digital channels, trade finance and support for small and medium-sized enterprises. It became a public company in 2004 and subsequently invested in technology intended to connect its branches and modernize customer access. In 2013, CB Bank implemented the Temenos T24 core-banking platform, supporting more integrated operations across its network. CB Bank has been an early participant in Myanmar's card and electronic-payment market. Mastercard's 2012 licensing agreement with the bank helped enable card acceptance at local merchants and ATMs. In May 2013, CB Bank issued what it describes as Myanmar's first debit card and processed the country's first card-related financial transaction. Its ATM service, branded EASI Banking, became a prominent part of the bank's self-service offering. The bank later expanded into contactless payments, cardless cash withdrawal, mobile banking, mobile wallets and app-based card management. Its digital portfolio has included CB Pay and other mobile-banking services for consumers and corporate users, with functions such as account access, transfers, payments and mobile airtime purchases. Through Easi Mobile Banking Agent, the bank extended services into areas without conventional branches and worked with Myanmar Post Office locations to broaden reach. Partnerships with telecom operators, payment networks, technology companies and platforms such as Grab supported account access, cash management and electronic payments for workers, merchants and small businesses. CB Bank also operates in corporate and institutional banking. Its trade-finance relationship with the Asian Development Bank, established through the ADB Trade Finance Program in 2015, provided a reported US$12 million facility supporting letters of credit and other trade transactions. The bank later worked with Japanese-backed programs, Myanmar Insurance and Germany's KfW Development Bank to provide SME financing, including secured and unsecured lending and longer-term investment facilities. In 2018, it opened an SME center in Mandalay to help businesses identify and apply for suitable financing. The bank has pursued partnerships and branded products as additional routes to market. These have included a co-branded Visa card with Telenor Myanmar, a mobile-wallet initiative with Ooredoo, contactless payment programs with Visa and Mastercard, and Manchester United-branded prepaid, debit and credit cards after becoming the club's financial-services partner in Myanmar in 2019. It also introduced a smart branch in Yangon in 2020, allowing customers to complete selected account-opening and card-issuance processes with limited staff interaction. CB Bank's later technology initiatives included an innovation laboratory on the APIX platform, a banking service delivered through the Viber community platform, the CB Card+ application for NFC payments and consolidated card management, and a Mastercard collaboration connected to retailer financing through Myanmar Zarla Distribution's BAHOZAY application. The bank received the Temenos Core Transformation Award in 2023 for its modernization efforts. Awards listed for the institution have included recognition in digital banking, SME banking, trade finance, cash management, corporate and investment banking and Myanmar's domestic banking market. The supplied reference material also lists awards attributed to CB Bank in 2024–2026, although individual award claims should be verified against the issuing organizations.

CB Bank was founded on 21 August 1992 after receiving approval from the Central Bank of Myanmar. It started with 33 employees and expanded gradually from a small financial institution into a nationwide commercial bank. The institution became a public company in 2004. Its head office is located in Botahtaung Township in Yangon. The bank's development has been closely associated with the modernization of Myanmar's payment and banking infrastructure. Mastercard signed a card-licensing agreement with CB Bank in September 2012, helping local merchants and ATMs accept internationally recognized payment cards. In May 2013, CB Bank issued a debit card and processed what it describes as Myanmar's first card-related financial transaction. During the same period, it moved to the Temenos T24 core-banking platform, improving connectivity and operational integration between branches. The bank branded its ATM service EASI Banking and built one of the country's largest ATM and foreign-exchange-counter networks. CB Bank expanded beyond conventional branches through mobile banking, agent banking and electronic payments. Its mobile services provided account access, transfers, basic banking functions and mobile-airtime top-ups for individual and corporate users. Easi Mobile Banking Agent extended services to locations without branch coverage. In 2017, a partnership with Myanmar Post Office helped make agent services available through post offices. The bank also worked with Grab to provide drivers with bank accounts and cards, and with Ooredoo on the M-Pitesan mobile wallet for money transfers and bill payments. In September 2017, it introduced contactless payments with Visa and Mastercard. Trade finance and SME banking became important parts of the institution's commercial strategy. In October 2015, the Asian Development Bank approved a reported US$12 million trade-finance facility under its Trade Finance Program. The facility supported letters of credit and allowed eligible exporters to conduct transactions with payment support and guarantees. From 2016 onward, CB Bank participated in SME-lending programs involving Japanese government-backed initiatives and Myanmar Insurance. KfW Development Bank also selected the bank for a reported EUR4.45 million SME-lending program. CB Bank opened its first SME center in Mandalay in January 2018 and signed a further KfW agreement in April 2018 for reported US$13.22 million in SME financing. Technology partnerships continued to shape the bank's product development. In 2017, CB Bank worked with Diebold Nixdorf on cardless cash withdrawal, peer-to-peer services and expansion of self-service banking. In 2019, it announced an APIX innovation lab and partnered with Telenor Myanmar and Visa on a co-branded card. The Manchester United partnership in 2019 added branded prepaid, debit and credit cards to its consumer portfolio. In 2020, CB Bank supported a digital-payment portal for MSMEs with Mastercard and the Myanmar government, introduced a Viber-based banking service with Infobip, and opened a smart branch at Kantharyar Center. The smart-branch model reduced the need for direct staff involvement in selected account and card processes. On 15 December 2020, the bank launched CB Card+, an application supporting NFC payments and centralized card management. In December 2023, CB Bank signed a memorandum with Mastercard for retailer-financing solutions connected to Myanmar Zarla Distribution's BAHOZAY application. The bank was also recognized with the Temenos Core Transformation Award at the 2023 Temenos Regional Forum. Its stated and reported activities place it among Myanmar's largest domestic commercial banks, with services spanning retail banking, corporate banking, trade finance, SME lending, payment cards, cash management and digital financial access. The supplied source material reports a network of more than 250 branches and a workforce of approximately 8,000 by 2026; these figures require independent date-specific verification.

• 2023

  Core Transformation Award and Mastercard retailer-finance MOU

  [1]CB Banken.wikipedia.org

  CB Bank received the Temenos Core Transformation Award and signed a Mastercard memorandum concerning retailer financing through BAHOZAY.

• 2020

  Smart branch and CB Card+ launch

  [1]CB Banken.wikipedia.org

  CB Bank opened a smart branch, introduced a Viber banking service and launched CB Card+ for NFC payments and card management.

• 2019

  APIX, Telenor and Manchester United partnerships

  [1]CB Banken.wikipedia.org

  The bank announced an APIX innovation lab, launched a Telenor co-branded Visa card and became Manchester United's financial-services partner in Myanmar.

• 2018

  First SME center opens in Mandalay

  [1]CB Banken.wikipedia.org

  CB Bank opened an SME center in Mandalay and announced financing programs supported by institutions including KfW and JICA.

• 2017

  Expansion of self-service and agent banking

  [1]CB Banken.wikipedia.org

  CB Bank expanded cardless cash and self-service capabilities, partnered with Grab and Myanmar Post Office, and announced the M-Pitesan wallet with Ooredoo.

• 2015

  ADB trade-finance facility

  [1]CB Banken.wikipedia.org

  The bank entered the Asian Development Bank Trade Finance Program and received a reported US$12 million trade-finance facility.

• 2013

  Debit-card and core-banking milestones

  [1]CB Banken.wikipedia.org

  CB Bank issued a debit card and processed the first card-related transaction described in the source material as occurring in Myanmar; it also adopted Temenos T24 as its core-banking system.

• 2012

  Mastercard card-licensing agreement

  [1]CB Banken.wikipedia.org

  Mastercard signed an agreement with CB Bank that supported card issuance and acceptance in Myanmar.

• 2004

  Conversion to a public company

  [1]CB Banken.wikipedia.org

  CB Bank became a public company.

• 1992

  CB Bank is established

  [1]CB Banken.wikipedia.org

  The bank was established on 21 August 1992 with approval from the Central Bank of Myanmar.

A broad-based domestic Myanmar bank combining nationwide commercial banking with early adoption of cards, ATMs, mobile channels, digital payments, trade finance and SME lending.

• ATM and self-service banking

  EASI Banking

  CB Bank's ATM and self-service banking brand. The network supports routine cash and account-access functions and has been presented as one of the largest ATM networks in Myanmar. Later technology work extended the proposition toward cardless cash withdrawal and broader self-service capabilities.

• Mobile banking

  CB Pay

  A mobile-banking service for consumer and business users. The service has included remote account access, transfers, basic banking functions, payments and mobile-airtime top-ups, supporting CB Bank's effort to move routine transactions beyond branches.

• Agent banking

  Easi Mobile Banking Agent

  An agent-based delivery channel designed for communities without convenient access to a CB Bank branch. The bank expanded the model through partnerships, including a 2017 arrangement with Myanmar Post Office locations, to support transfers and other banking services.

• Card and NFC-payment application · 2020

  CB Card+

  A mobile application launched in December 2020 that brings CB Bank card information into one place and supports NFC payments. It is part of the bank's broader card-management and contactless-payment ecosystem.

• Business lending · 2016

  SME financing

  CB Bank's SME portfolio has included credit-guarantee-insurance loans, longer-term investment loans supported by JICA, KfW-backed business-expansion loans and SME term loans. The Mandalay SME center was created to help businesses navigate applications and financing options.

• Trade finance · 2015

  Trade finance

  Commercial trade-finance services including letters of credit and related facilities for importers and exporters. The bank's participation in the ADB Trade Finance Program supported transactions in which eligible exporters could ship goods before receiving payment under supported trade-finance lines.

• Prepaid, debit and credit cards · 2019

  Manchester United co-branded cards

  A set of Manchester United-branded prepaid, debit and credit cards introduced after CB Bank became the club's official financial-services partner for Myanmar. The cards combined the bank's payment products with sports-related branding and customer acquisition.

• 2019Manchester United financial-services partnership

  Myanmar

  CB Bank partnered with Manchester United as the club's official financial-services partner in Myanmar and promoted branded prepaid, debit and credit cards.

  Outcome. The partnership expanded CB Bank's consumer-facing branding and added a globally recognizable sports property to its card portfolio.

  Source
• 2017Grab driver banking program

  Myanmar

  CB Bank and Grab provided drivers with bank accounts and ATM cards, later enabling integrated transfers of driver savings into bank accounts.

  Outcome. The collaboration was recognized by The Asian Banker for cash-management work and extended banking access to platform workers.

  Source
• 2017M-Pitesan mobile-wallet partnership

  Myanmar

  CB Bank partnered with Ooredoo to introduce M-Pitesan, a mobile wallet intended to provide nationwide transfers and bill-payment services.

  Outcome. The initiative broadened the bank's reach into telecom-enabled mobile payments.

  Source

• 2020

  Launch CB Card+Product launch

  Background

  Customers increasingly needed mobile access to payment cards and contactless transactions.

  Action taken

  CB Bank launched the CB Card+ application with NFC-payment support and centralized card information.

  Aftermath

  The application strengthened the bank's digital card-management and contactless-payment offering.

  Source

• 2018

  Expand KfW-backed SME lendingStrategy

  Background

  Small and medium-sized businesses in Myanmar faced limited access to longer-term and expansion financing.

  Action taken

  CB Bank signed an agreement with KfW Development Bank to extend financing for SMEs and operated dedicated SME-support channels.

  Aftermath

  The initiative expanded the bank's SME-lending capacity and complemented its Mandalay SME center and other supported loan programs.

  Reported SME financing agreement. US$13.22 million (April 2018)

  Source

• 2015

  Enter the ADB Trade Finance ProgramStrategy

  Background

  Myanmar exporters and importers required additional institutional support for trade transactions and letters of credit.

  Action taken

  CB Bank signed an agreement with the Asian Development Bank and received a reported US$12 million trade-finance facility.

  Aftermath

  The facility supported trade-finance lines and letters of credit for eligible customers, with transactions backed by the program's guarantees.

  Trade-finance facility. US$12 million (October 2015)

  Source

• 2013

  Adopt Temenos T24 as the core-banking platformStrategy

  Background

  CB Bank needed stronger connectivity and integration across its expanding branch network.

  Action taken

  The bank switched to Temenos T24 as its core-banking system.

  Aftermath

  The platform became part of the bank's longer-term modernization program, later recognized by Temenos with a Core Transformation Award.

  Source

1. 1CB Banken.wikipedia.org