LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026 to honour pioneers of ‘Inclusive FinTech’

From left: LankaPay Deputy CEO Dinuka Perera; CEO Channa de Silva; Panel of Judges Chairman Rajeeva Bandaranaike; Central Bank of Sri Lanka Director – Payments and Settlements Vasantha Alwis; and Sri Lanka Banks’ Association Secretary General Indrajith Boyagoda

LankaPay has 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, 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, FinTech’s as well as Government institutions who have expanded access to financial services across Sri Lanka through innovation, delivering 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 24 March at Cinnamon Life, under the patronage of Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe as Chief Guest, with Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eng. Eranga Weerarathne attending as Guests of Honour and Chief Adviser to the President on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya. 

Initiated in 2017, LankaPay Technnovation Awards aims to recognise the pioneers of technology innovations in the financial services sector of the country. The objective is to recognise the banks, non-bank financial institutions, Government institutions and FinTechs who have been steadfast to the cause of 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. 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. 

LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026 is aptly supported by the sponsorship of several leading players in the industry reflecting a strong industry-wide 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 FT, Sunday Times, Daily Mirror, 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 1 January 2025 to 31 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 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 predefined set of evaluation criteria, which were 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 Panel of Judges Chairman is Colombo Stock Exchange Chief Executive Officer and Data Protection Authority of Sri Lanka Chairman Rajeeva Bandaranaike. He is also a member of the Nominations and Governance Committee of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE). The esteemed judging panel further comprises Statutory Accounting Standards Committee and Accounting Standards Committee of the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) Chairman, and Ernst and Young Sri Lanka and Maldives Former Country Managing Partner Manil Jayesinghe, BDO Partners Managing Partner and Statutory Auditing Standards Committee Former Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse, B R De Silva and Company Partner and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka Past President Lasantha Wickremasinghe, Hemas COE Ltd., General Manager – Shared Services and the prestigious TAGS Awards 2025/26 organised by CA Sri Lanka Chairperson Chamila Cooray, and Kapruka PLC Founder and Chairman Dulith Herath.