Port City Colombo honoured at Asian Digital Finance Forum and Awards 2025

Asian Digital Finance Forum and Awards Convener and Global Fintech Institute, Singapore Industry Fellow Rajkumar Kanagasingam (left) presents the award to Port City Colombo Assistant Managing Director Bai Xiaping. Commercial Bank of Ceylon Chairman Sharhan Muhseen, Central Bank former Assistant Governor Dr. Dharmasri Kumaratunge and Port City Colombo Chief Marketing Officer Li Xing (Stan) are also present

Port City Colombo, last week received the Visionary Award for Next-Generation Financial Hub Development at the Asian Digital Finance Forum and Awards 2025, held as part of the Asia International Digital Economy and AI in Finance Summit 2025 recently at Port City Colombo.

The award was in recognition of Port City Colombo’s pioneering vision to establish an AI- and fintech-ready international business hub and financial centre positioned as a future gateway for global finance.

Now in its vertical development phase, Port City Colombo serves as a cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s national strategy to integrate digital infrastructure, global investment, and next-generation financial services within a progressive, internationally aligned regulatory framework. Strategically located at the crossroads of the Indian Ocean, the project builds on Sri Lanka’s historic role as a maritime and trade hub—redefining it for the digital age as a regional centre for innovation, capital, and connectivity.

The Asian Digital Finance Forum and Awards 2025—organised by the Asian FinTech Academy (AFTA) in collaboration with the Fintech Association of Sri Lanka (FASL), and supported by Tech London Advocates (TLA), Global Tech Advocates (GTA), the International Digital Economies Association (iDEA), and Wall Street Fintech AI Inc. (USA)—celebrated excellence in AI for Financial Inclusion, Ethical AI Governance, Sustainability, and Emerging Leadership in AI and Finance, while spotlighting how AI, digital finance, and regulatory innovation are shaping more inclusive and resilient economies across Asia.

All recognitions were validated through an independent process led by Global Validation Chair Dr. Sivaguru S. Sritharan, ensuring that each award reflected genuine leadership, impact, and integrity in AI-powered finance. 

An internationally respected aerodynamicist, applied mathematician, and AI research leader, Dr. Sritharan serves as Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of QuantSafe Inc. (USA). His distinguished career includes appointments as Provost and Vice Chancellor of the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, Dean of Engineering at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and Director of Science and Technology at the U.S. Naval Information Warfare Systems Command. The validation framework combined independent research, Generative-AI–assisted analysis, and cross-border benchmarking against global standards, with a final interdisciplinary review ensuring every recognition met the highest benchmarks of integrity and innovation.

This year’s honourees showcased the diversity and dynamism of Asia’s fintech and AI landscape. Nium (Singapore) received Best Cross-Border Payments Optimization Platform for redefining real-time global payments and embedded finance across over 190 countries. Paytm (India) earned Excellence in AI-Powered Financial Inclusion for expanding digital payments and credit access through large-scale AI integration. Sopnendu Mohanty (Singapore) was recognised for Outstanding AI and Fintech Governance Leadership for his global contributions to responsible fintech policy as former Chief FinTech Officer of Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Neil Tan (Hong Kong), Founder and Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Association of Hong Kong (AIHK) and former Chairman of the Fintech Association of Hong Kong (FTAHK), received Outstanding AI-Driven Fintech Ecosystem Leadership for his pioneering role in advancing AI integration and cross-border collaboration across Asia’s fintech sectors. Purvi Munot (UAE / MENA) received Outstanding AI and Inclusive WealthTech Innovation for advancing gender-inclusive wealth management through Sav, while Amira Abdelaziz (Egypt / MENA) was honoured for Outstanding AI in Financial Inclusion and Policy for leading central-bank-driven digital transformation and ethical AI governance in North Africa.

Previous honourees include the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) (India) for advancing cross-border fintech innovation via GIFT City, along with Sri Lanka’s Bank of Ceylon, Hatton National Bank, People’s Bank, Commercial Bank, Dialog Genie, and SLT-Mobitel mCash, as well as distinguished individuals such as Yasmeen Al Sharaf (Central Bank of Bahrain) and Iman Mutlaq (Jordanian entrepreneur, featured in Forbes Middle East “100 Most Powerful Arab Businesswomen”).