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. Two years later, in 1941, BoC started to expand beyond the city of Colombo. It opened its first branch in Kandy. Subsequently, BOC added branches in major cities such as Galle, Jaffna, Kurunegala, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Badulla, and Panadura. 1948: Ceylon obtained her independence from the British; the monetary authorities were transferred to Sri Lanka. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka was established in 1949 and it assumed responsibility for monetary policy and bank regulation. 1949: BoC opened its first overseas branch in London, United Kingdom. The branch helped the bank and the government handle their international business.