HNB supports MSMEs and LANKAQR with SOLO Avurudu Pola

CBSL Director – Payments and Settlements Department Dharmasri Kumaratunge presenting a QR code to a merchant at the Pola in Kottawa

• Organised at 8 key locations across the island  
• Supports 450+ MSMEs with market access, through digital payments    
• Promotes LANKAQR with exclusive discounts for SOLO users 

Sri Lanka’s most customer friendly bank HNB PLC, partnered Micro, Medium and Small (MSME) entrepreneurs across extensive merchant partner network to launch the HNB SOLO Avurudu Pola promoting QR-based payments at eight key locations across the island.  

Supporting the ‘Rata Purama LANKAQR’ campaign by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to create a cashless payment eco-system, HNB offered exclusive discounts at trade fairs for the users of its digital payment wallet SOLO.  

Over450+ merchants showcased their products from vegetables and fruits to ayurvedic products, flowers, handcrafts, electronic appliances, traditional sweet meats and brass products at Nugegoda, Kottawa, Negombo, Hettipola, Matara, Nuwara Eliya, Bandarawela and Batticaloa from April 10 to 18, with strict adherence to health guidelines.  

“The SOLO Avurudu Pola goes beyond the confines of a traditional trade fair or market as it opens up a world of possibilities for HNB entrepreneurs, from strengthening their supply chains while simultaneously moving towards a cashless payment system. As a bank with a long history of working with MSMEs we are delighted to promote LANKAQR and empower these entrepreneurs to compete in an increasingly digital economy,” HNB Deputy General Manager – Retail and SME Banking Sanjay Wijemanne said. 

Launched in 2019, HNB’s flagship digital payments solution SOLO provides the convenience of digital transactions via the adaptable QR code, a more cost effective option when compared to alternative payment solutions available in the market. 

Having linked LANKAQR to SOLO, HNB was among the first financial institutions driving a cashless QR-code based payment revolution that aims to make mobile phones and digital payments the standard for day-to-day transactions islandwide. Users can make payments via LANKAQR by scanning the code using SOLO. Upon completion, merchants will receive an instant SMS notification, confirming the receipt of payment. 

The bank has continuously bolstered SOLO’s features and functionality while refining its user interface to make QRbased payments intuitive, easy to use, and versatile. The app can digitally store all payment instruments, including Visa, Master debit and credit cards, and any bank accounts connected to the JustPay payment ecosystem.    

HNB Managing Director/CEO Jonathan Alles making a purchase at the Kottawa Pola

HNB Deputy General Manager – Retail and SME Banking Sanjay Wijemanne completing a transaction via SOLO at the Nuwara Eliya Pola

Members of the general public using HNB SOLO at the Nugegoda Pola