Hatton National Bank expanded its support to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL)’s ‘Rata Purama LANKAQR’ initiative with the launch of a promotional campaign for merchants in Maharagama.
The event was hosted at HNB Maharagama Customer Center and featured participation from prominent CBSL and HNB officials, including Dharmasri Kumaratunga, Director, Bank Payments and Settlements, CBSL as the Chief Guest of the event together with Sanjay Wijemanne, Deputy General Manager – Retail and SME Banking, HNB; Rohan Buultjens, Chief Technology and Digital Officer, HNB; Mahinda Senevirathne, Regional Business Head – South Western Region, HNB; and Kumudu Liyanage, Maharagama Customer Center Manager, Hatton National Bank. “When compared with other economies in the region, Sri Lanka still has a lot of ground to cover in order to achieve a truly digitally empowered economy. However, since the onset of the COVID pandemic, we have seen unprecedented growth in digital payment solutions. The establishment of a common standard for these transactions through LANKA QR is a clear signal that Sri Lanka is making cashless payments that are accessible to all a top priority. We therefore, express our gratitude to HNB for wholeheartedly supporting this vital national endeavor, and we look forward to working with them and the banking sector as a whole in order to encourage larger numbers of merchants and customers to adopt QR-based payments as their preferred method of transacting,” stated Dharmasri Kumaratunga, Director – Bank Payments and Settlements, CBSL.
Several merchants from the Maharagama were presented with the LANKAQR code to conduct transactions by the CBSL Director. Teams from HNB customer centers in the region raised awareness among merchants in the area regarding cashless and contactless payment options available via HNB SOLO.
“The bold decision by the Government and the CBSL to champion QR-code payments, promises to unleash a wave of growth and innovation from the grassroots of the Sri Lankan economy up. With the number of customers shifting to QR-based payments like HNB SOLO recording an unprecedented surge in recent months, we are all excited to support merchants in Maharagama and across the island to get on board with LANKAQR,” Sanjay Wijemanne, Deputy General Manager – Retail and SME Banking, HNB.
