Its head office is located in an iconic cylindrical building in Colombo.

Bank of Ceylon (BOC) was founded in 1939, with Sir Ernest de Silva as its first chairman.

At the time, Ceylon was a British colony and the then governor Sir Andrew Caldecott ceremoniously opened the bank on 1 August.

The British government introduced the banking arm for its government-oriented businesses.

Subsequently, BOC added branches in major cities such as Galle, Jaffna, Kurunegala, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Badulla, and Panadura.