Spemai launches Onepay payment gateway

Spemai team 

Sri Lankan company Spemai Ltd. was able to attract Japanese investment and launch its mobile payment application Onepay. One of the few mobile payment applications to be produced by a Sri Lankan startup driven by entrepreneur Amila Fernando, Onepay is intended to be Sri Lanka’s first super app for consumers to enjoy multiple benefits as a one-stop, going beyond transactions. 

Following the Onepay app which was successfully launched a year ago, the company launched Onepay payment gateway recently. With this, Spemai boasts of launching two major platforms to the markets within a span of a year. This was a major step in their business strategy of becoming one big force in the fin-tech industry locally and globally. 

Enabling the traditional role of a bank to be facilitated by a third party, Onepay payment gateway has simplified the process for both the merchant and the customer, says Amila Fernando, CEO and Co-Founder of Spemai Ltd. Fernando’s long-term association with Japan where he completed his higher studies, attracted investment for his startup which is supporting sustainable growth of Sri Lankan businesses and the economy. Today Spemai has also set up a branch in Japan. 

The COVID pandemic has driven many Sri Lankans to adapt to ‘cashless transactions’ using technology. Onepay payment gateway has given it a further thrust, says Spemai’s CEO. “Since the first wave of the pandemic, our entire technical team had been adapting to new normalcy and the launch of our payment gateway in such a setting is a commendable achievement by the Spemai team,” notes Fernando.

Onepay is also targeting a market segment which is so far not covered by similar technology, remarks Spemai Head of Marketing and Channel Development Anuradha Uswattage. “Our research shows that although customers across the island are keen to obtain such a facility, accessibility is a challenge and we strive to bridge this gap. Moreover, we always gear ourselves to provide the human touch to technology by leveraging our customer service to be of superior standards,” says Uswattage 

Remarking that Spemai has the ‘operating model to create the best visibility’ to maintain highest service standards at all times, the company’s COO, Akila Fernando cites customer service policy, payment options to suit the size of each business and partial payment facility available for customers as special features of the new payment gateway. “Our web-based platform is also offering the facility to start-ups at a very nominal fee as means of enabling wider accessibility,” says Fernando. 

The payment gateway removes the hassle of providing bank account details for customers for transactions by replacing them with a common link. “Very often merchants are unable to trace the payment sources and this payment gateway enables a reading of all payments which is very convenient,” says Spemai CTO Salitha Herath.

Onepay, which can be obtained through Spemai website and their Instagram facilities, is working towards some more exciting innovations to be released including a mobile app in coming months.