LankaPay – Sri Lanka’s National Payment Network – announced the eighth edition of its flagship event, LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026, at a press conference held on 25th February 2026 at Hilton Colombo Residencies. Recognised as Sri Lanka’s first and only awards competition dedicated to payment technology innovation, the LankaPay Technnovation Awards continue to set the national benchmark for excellence in digital payments.
Honouring the theme “Inclusive FinTech,” the LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026 recognise financial institutions, FinTechs, as well as government institutions that have expanded access to financial services across Sri Lanka through innovation. These institutions have delivered secure and convenient digital payment solutions from urban centres to the most remote communities. Having established itself as the de facto national recognition standard for payment technology innovation, the awards continue to attract strong industry and public engagement, including the online poll for the “Most Popular Digital Payment Solution of the Year 2025.”
The grand finale and awards ceremony will be held on 24th March 2026 at Cinnamon Life, under the patronage of Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, as Chief Guest. Eng. Eranga Weerarathne, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, will attend as Guest of Honour, alongside Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy.
Initiated in 2017, the LankaPay Technnovation Awards aim to recognise the pioneers of technology innovation in the country’s financial services sector. The objective is to acknowledge banks, non-bank financial institutions, government institutions, and FinTechs that have remained steadfast in promoting digital payments, thereby enhancing customer convenience.
As Sri Lanka steadily embraces digitalisation, this transformation has been driven by vision, collaboration, and purposeful innovation, with financial inclusion at its core. The country’s financial sector has remained resilient and forward-looking, playing a vital role in economic stability while ensuring that digital financial services reach a broader spectrum of society. As the National Payment Network, LankaPay continues to enable inclusive digital payment solutions that expand access, enhance convenience, and empower individuals, businesses, and government institutions across the country.
The LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026 serve as a tribute to the pioneers of Inclusive FinTech—those who have broken barriers to access, empowered everyday lives, and brought more Sri Lankans into the digital economy. Their innovations are shaping a shared journey towards an inclusive, empowered, and future-ready nation, where progress is accessible to all.
The event is supported by several leading industry players, reflecting a strong commitment towards advancing Inclusive FinTech. The Strategic Partners of the event are Mastercard, marking its second consecutive year of partnership, and BPC, which steps up as a Strategic Partner this year following its role as a Platinum Sponsor in 2025.
The Platinum Sponsors are UnionPay International, partnering with the event for the fourth consecutive year, and NOVUS Technologies, associating with the LankaPay Technnovation Awards for the second time as a valued partner. The Gold Sponsor, Alipay+, continues its strong association with the event, marking its third consecutive year of partnership.
The Silver Sponsors include JCB International, which has supported the LankaPay Technnovation Awards since its inception in 2017; NETS Singapore, partnering for the fifth consecutive year; and N-able, which joins the event for the first time, further strengthening this year’s sponsor lineup. Rolling & Action joins as the Official Creative Agency, partnering with the event for the second consecutive year.
The Media Sponsors include Daily Mirror, Daily FT, Sunday Times, Ada Derana Biz, FM Derana, and TV Derana.
In line with its commitment to advancing financial inclusivity, the LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026 aim to strengthen the efficiency, reach, and impact of Sri Lanka’s national payment network. The award criteria for 2026 consider interbank digital payment performance during the period from 1st January 2025 to 31st December 2025. Banks, non-banking financial institutions, FinTech service providers, and government institutions that have demonstrated a steadfast commitment to inclusive digital payment innovation will compete across 12 award categories.
These categories include: Overall Award for Excellence in Digital Payments; Excellence in Customer Convenience; Best Institution for Financial Inclusivity; Most Innovative Financial Institution; Most Popular Digital Payment Solution; Best Digital Payment App for Retail Payments; Best Enabler for Cross-border Transactions; Best Digital Government Payments Enabler; Best Government Institution for GovPay; Best LankaPay Card Enabler; Best Enabler for LankaSign Digital Signatures; and Best Digital Payment Strategy.
The initial shortlisting for the LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026 was conducted based on a predefined set of evaluation criteria, communicated at the commencement of the assessment period and subjected to an independent audit process. In the second phase of evaluation, the shortlisted institutions presented their success stories before an independent and distinguished panel of judges.
The Chairman of the Panel of Judges is Mr. Rajeeva Bandaranaike, Chief Executive Officer of the Colombo Stock Exchange and Chairman of the Data Protection Authority of Sri Lanka. He is also a member of the Nominations and Governance Committee of the World Federation of Stock Exchanges (WFE).
The esteemed judging panel further comprises Mr. Manil Jayesinghe, Chairman of the Statutory Accounting Standards Committee and Accounting Standards Committee of the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) and Former Country Managing Partner of Ernst & Young Sri Lanka & Maldives; Mr. Sujeewa Rajapakse, Managing Partner of BDO Partners and Former Chairman of the Statutory Auditing Standards Committee; Mr. Lasantha Wickremasinghe, Partner at B R De Silva & Company and Past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka; Ms. Chamila Cooray, General Manager – Shared Services at Hemas C O E (Pvt) Ltd and Chairperson of the prestigious TAGS Awards 2025/26 organised by CA Sri Lanka; and Mr. Dulith Herath, Founder and Chairman of Kapruka PLC, Sri Lanka’s largest e-commerce enterprise.
Caption –
Head table (L-R) – Mr. Dinuka Perera – DCEO LankaPay; Mr. Channa de Silva – CEO LankaPay; Mr. Rajeeva Bandaranaike – Chairman of the Panel of Judges; Mr. Vasantha Alwis, Director – Payments and Settlements of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka; and Mr. Indrajith Boyagoda – Secretary General of Sri Lanka Banks’ Association
