ComBank at the forefront of digital banking excellence with top honours at LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026

Representatives of Commercial Bank’s senior and corporate management, led by Chairman Sharhan Muhseen, Deputy Chairman Raja Senanayake, and Managing Director/CEO Sanath Manatunge receiving the Overall Gold Award for Excellence in Digital Payments (Banks)

• Secures Overall Gold in a total of six prestigious awards, reaffirming leadership in digital transformation

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has reinforced its leadership in digital payments and financial technology innovation with a haul of six awards, comprising four Golds, a Silver and a Merit, at the prestigious LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026.

The bank’s standout achievement at this year’s awards was securing the coveted overall Gold Award for ‘Excellence in Digital Payments (Banks)’ for the second consecutive year. This is the highest recognition presented by LankaPay Ltd., Sri Lanka’s National Payment Network, to the most outstanding financial institution in digital payment processing.

In addition to this top honour, Commercial Bank also won Gold awards for ‘Financial Institution of the Year for Best Digital Payment Strategy,’ ‘Most Innovative Financial Institution of the Year’ – its fourth consecutive win in this category – and ‘Best Institution for Excellence in Customer Convenience (Banks) Category A.’

The bank received the Silver award for ‘Best LankaPay Card Enabler of the Year,’ and a Merit award for ‘Best Institution for Financial Inclusivity (Banks) Category A.’

Commercial Bank Managing Director/CEO Sanath Manatunge said: “As our ambitious digital transformation program takes flight, this is just the beginning. Beyond the top prize, we are proud to have secured key Gold awards within category A. This historic achievement belongs to our incredible team and loyal customers, and we appreciate their unwavering support.”

These Technnovation awards recognise Commercial Bank’s strong performance in 2025, particularly in transaction volume growth across key national payment platforms including CEFTS, SLIPS and other digital channels, as well as its sustained efforts to expand access, enhance convenience and drive adoption of secure electronic payments.

Commercial Bank’s recognition at the 2026 awards also reflects a year of significant innovation and firsts that have helped redefine the country’s digital banking landscape. Among these were the launch of Sri Lanka’s first implementation of Google Pay, the introduction of the country’s first AI-driven SME credit underwriting model, and the rollout of an agency banking model through ‘ComBank Shakthi’ to extend financial services to underserved communities.

The bank launched the ‘TradeLink’ platform to streamline trade finance processes for importers and exporters, and achieved a global first by integrating LoungeKey access for UnionPay Asia Prestige cardholders.

Further strengthening its support for the SME sector, Commercial Bank deployed the next-generation PAX E700 Smart POS device, an all-in-one solution designed to empower small and medium enterprises. The bank also launched Sri Lanka’s first Dynamic Currency Conversion facility for ecommerce transactions and served as the official IPG provider for the Pay Local app used for LankaQR transactions.

These initiatives, alongside its continued leadership in interbank payment processing and digital infrastructure development, underscore Commercial Bank’s commitment to advancing Sri Lanka’s national payment ecosystem in line with the objectives of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

Organised annually by LankaPay Ltd., the Technnovation Awards recognise financial institutions and service providers that demonstrate excellence in electronic payments, innovation, security and customer-centric digital solutions, contributing to the growth and modernisation of the country’s payment network.