Sampath Bank wins coveted ‘Bank with the Best Digital Payment Strategy’ title at LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2023

From left: LankaPay Chairman Dr. Kenneth De Zilwa, Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Sampath Bank PLC Managing Director Nanda Fernando, DBS Bank Singapore Former Chief Innovation Officer Neal Cross, Colombo Stock Exchange CEO Rajeeva Bandaranaike and LankaPay GM/CEO Channa De Silva at the awards ceremony

 From left: Sampath Bank staff pose with the awards Business Analyst Kasun Perera, Network Security Manager Aruna Krishantha, Systems Development Manager Menake Fernando, IT Assistant General Manager Pasan Manukith, Managing Director-Designate Ayodhya Iddawela Perera, IT Systems Chief Manager Nuwan Wickramanayake, Operations Assistant General Manager Udara Suraweera, Network Service Centre and Bank Notes Operations Manager Nalin Liyanage, System Administration Manager Manjula Godevithanage

Further stamping its pioneering credentials in the banking and financial services industry, Sampath Bank won as many as five awards at the LankaPay Technnovation awards 2023, held at the Shangri-La Hotel Colombo recently. 

In addition to the top ‘Bank with the Best Digital Payment Strategy’ award, Sampath Bank  also won the Silver -’The Most Innovative Bank of the Year’; Silver -’The Best Acquirer on LankaPay Online Payment Platform’; Merit -’The Bank of the year for Excellence in Customer Convenience-Category A’; and the Overall Bronze -’Excellence in Interbank Digital Payments (Banking Institutions)’ in recognition of the outstanding growth percentage for electronic fund transfers via Sri Lanka Inter-bank Payment System (SLIPS), Common Electronic Fund Transfer System (CEFTS) and USD Online (for USD payment transfers) and the ability to maintain an efficient service across delivery channels. These crucial awards are a resounding testament to the bank’s dynamic digital transformation strategy. 

Commenting on the honours won by the Bank at the awards, Sampath Bank Chief Information Officer Ajith Salgado said: “We, at Sampath Bank, are humbled to win five awards at the highly respected Lanka Pay Technnovation Awards 2023. Being recognised amongst peers as the best of the best is a real endorsement of our digital transformation strategy. 

“Being ahead of the digital curve, Sampath Bank was able to adapt quickly to the disruption caused by the pandemic in order to support its customers and employees. All our digital banking breakthroughs are focused on ensuring a more effortless and safer banking experience for customers. These awards provide further impetus to revolutionise digital banking for our stakeholders.”

Sampath Bank has made continued efforts to accelerate the pace of acceptance, adoption, and integration of innovative digital payment solutions to implement new technologies to streamline the payments and settlements infrastructure. 

The Bank introduced Slip-less transactions to deposit and withdraw cash; digital onboarding to open accounts; and other digital products like Sampath Vishwa, WePay and PayEasy. Sampath Bank’s Touchless Cash Withdrawal is a revolutionary digital solution to the Sri Lankan market, wherein its customers and customers of all other banks in the country are able to withdraw funds in their accounts and cards without even having to physically touch the machine, by visiting any of Sampath’s over 450 ATMs located around the island.

Instead of inserting the ATM card, the customer only has to scan the QR code displayed on the ATM screen through WePay app to withdraw money. An added advantage of this service is that customers can withdraw money even when they may have lost or damaged their ATM card. Sampath Bank has also introduced Sampath i PIN which helps customers to onboard with Sampath Vishwa online banking facility, conveniently and securely, using their debit card and PIN.