PLC emerges as Best Digital Process Enabler at NQBSA out-competing banks, others

From Left to Right :Epic Lanka Technology Vice President Isuru Sirinimal, NBQSA 2023 Head Judge Geethapriya Tillekeratne, BCS Sri Lanka Chairman Alanzo Doll, Sanjaya Amarasekara (PLC), LankaPay Chief Executive Officer Channa de Silva, ICT (PLC) DGM Prabath Gunasena, Niranjan Selvanayagam (PLC), Gayani Hettiarachchi (PLC), Asanka Weerasena (PLC), Chamith Perera (PLC) 

People’s Leasing Company PLC (PLC) digital process enablement and tech innovation initiatives were recognised with prestigious awards at the National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA) – organised annually by the British Computer Society (BCS) Sri Lanka, and widely regarded as the most prestigious platform for achievements in software/digital services.

PLC won the Special Award for Best Digital Process Enabler of the Year, along with a Merit Award for In-house Development, recognising the “PLC TOUCH” integrated total solution, which is PLC’s seamless integrated digital touch point for all customer needs. The awards were presented to PLC at the NQBSA Awards Ceremony held recently and were accepted on behalf of the company by ICT DGM Prabath Gunasena. Notably, PLC was the only non-banking financial institution to win such recognition at the NQBSA, out-competing other larger banks and its peers in the NBFS sector. 

PLC CEO Shamindra Marcelline said: “Our journey into digital transformation began in 2021, driven by our unwavering commitment to our customers. We recognised the evolving shifts in consumer behaviour and needs within the rapidly changing digital landscape. Understanding the potential of digital enablement for streamlining processes and enhancing service delivery, we have remained at the forefront of the industry in terms of innovation, adoption, and implementation of digital solutions for our valued customers. Receiving these prestigious awards, particularly the Best Digital Process Enabler accolade, validates our capacity for innovation and our dedication to providing a seamless customer experience. We seize this opportunity to reiterate our commitment to our customers and eagerly anticipate the introduction of many more ground-breaking and customer-centric digital solutions in the future.”

The NQBSA Awards are highly competitive, with each candidate being rigorously scrutinised by a distinguished independent panel of expert judges. The award for Best Digital Process Enabler of the year is particularly coveted and hotly contested, as every participating candidate is automatically eligible for consideration for this very special open award. The decision to present this award is affected by a number of criteria including uniqueness of technologies, innovation, and trendsetting; value delivered to the organisation and its social impact including UI/UX design, transparency, and impact on quality of life; functionalities and features including user convenience and process automation; and business impact including operational efficiency and resultant new business opportunities. 

Emphasising the significance of the award for Best Digital Process Enabler, Prabath Gunasena added, “The category for Best Digital Process Enabler is an open category, which means that we were not only competing against our peers in the NBFS arena but also against big banks and major players from other diverse sectors that may or may not be related to finance. This truly underscores our commitment to digital enablement both internally and externally, along with our thirst for innovation and seamless service delivery. Furthermore, as a responsible corporate citizen, we are also pleased to be contributing to the national drive towards digitalisation, and also towards achieving our ESG goals, and furthering the national effort towards the UN SDGs through the reduction of paper use and energy consumption.” 

This is not the first time that PLC has received recognition for its digital innovation and service delivery. In 2017, PLC emerged as the Gold Winner of the Financial Industry Category at APICTA 2017 in Bangladesh for its Selfecash solution. The same year, Selfecash also won the Gold Award in the In-house Category at the NBQSA, while also winning a Merit Award in the Financial Application Category for its ‘Margin Trading System’. Meanwhile, in 2016, the People’s General Insurance System (PGInS) won the Bronze Award at the NBQSA in the In-house Category. These achievements demonstrate PLC’s continued commitment to customer-centric solutions and digital enablement, pushing firmly towards the digital future.