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ComBank partners Central Bank’s nationwide rollout of LANKAQR­

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Commercial Bank Managing Director S. Renganathan (second from right) with Minister Namal Rajapaksa (Centre), Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal (second from left), Director Payment and Settlements Department of the Central Bank D. Kumaratunge (extreme left) and Executive Director DSI Group Dilshan Rajapaksa (extreme right) at the event

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon recently participated in the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s (CBSL) ‘RATAPURAMA LANKAQR’ programme’s nationwide rollout campaign to promote cashless digital payments via the LANKAQR platform.

Namal Rajapaksa, Minister of Youth and Sports, Minister of Development Coordination and Monitoring and State Minister of Digital Technology and Entrepreneur Development, graced the event as Chief Guest.

Commercial Bank’s Q+ Payment App, Sri Lanka’s first QR-based payment application to be launched under LANKAQR, reaffirmed its partnership with the LANKAQR initiative by partnering with the DSI Samson Group, the country’s leading manufacturer of footwear and bicycle tyres, as a tier-one merchant for the campaign as a user of its payment app.

Notably, the Q+ Payment App is now the fastest-growing QR app in the country. It has an easy self-registration process, and is well received by customers owing to the convenience and security it offers them in cashless payment processing when they pay for purchases by scanning QR codes via mobile phones or via the in-app bill payment facility. The App recently surpassed the 100,000 registered customer milestone, doubling its customer base in just five months.

The LANKAQR Nationwide rollout campaign is being held to popularise LANKAQR payments among small and medium merchants as a low-cost digital payment method and as a secure and convenient payment solution that can be operated via mobile devices.



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Sumathi IT marks 25 years of engineering excellence and technology leadership in Sri Lanka

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Sumathi Information Technologies (Pvt) Ltd (SIT), a technology arm of Sumathi Holdings, marks 25 years in Sri Lanka’s ICT industry in 2026, reflecting a journey that has seen the company evolve from Networking and End Devices to become an end-to-end enterprise technology and systems integration provider.

Its 25th anniversary is being commemorated under the theme “25 Years of Excellence. Built on Trust. Driven by Technology.” highlighting the role of technical expertise, client relationships and technology partnerships in shaping its growth.

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IPS releases the ‘Sri Lanka: State of the Economy 2026 Report’

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Sri Lanka’s post-crisis recovery has restored a measure of stability, but transforming it into durable growth requires stronger productivity, resilience, and improvements in household living standards.

With limited fiscal and external space, growth must rely on private investment, more competitive exports, and better-quality jobs rather than consumption-led expansion.

Building resilience to climate, energy, and external shocks is central to sustaining long-term economic progress.

Sri Lanka has made significant progress since the economic crisis of 2022. Economic growth has continued into 2026, with real GDP expanding by 5% in both 2024 and 2025 and 4.7% in the first half of 2026. Inflation has moderated substantially from its 2022 peak, external debt restructuring has advanced, and foreign reserves have been rebuilt to more comfortable levels. However, the country now faces a more complex challenge in ensuring that recovery evolves into a durable growth process that can withstand future shocks and deliver broad-based improvements in living standards. These issues are examined in the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka’s (IPS) flagship annual report, Sri Lanka: State of the Economy 2026: Policy Choices for Durable Growth.

Sri Lanka can no longer rely on debt-financed spending, tax concessions, or import-intensive consumption as drivers of growth. Instead, durable growth must sustain macroeconomic stability while raising productivity, complemented by higher private investment, a more competitive and diversified export sector, and more effective use of scarce public resources. The challenge then is to accelerate growth without reopening the fiscal and external vulnerabilities that contributed to the crisis.

The report highlights the importance of strengthening human capital, improving labour market outcomes, enhancing social protection, and building climate resilience. With two-thirds of workers employed informally, reforms are needed to create better-quality jobs, address skills gaps, and protect vulnerable groups. As recent climate-related disruptions, including Cyclone Ditwah, and global energy shocks have demonstrated, resilience must be at the centre of Sri Lanka’s development strategy. Investments in renewable energy, food systems, infrastructure, and disaster preparedness can help safeguard future growth while reducing vulnerability to shocks. Additionally, the report examines how infrastructure investment, regional development, and responses to changing population dynamics can support more inclusive growth.

Through a series of practical policy recommendations across trade, fiscal management, labour markets, urbanisation, energy, agriculture, social protection, and human capital development, Sri Lanka: State of the Economy 2026 sets out a roadmap for transforming recovery into a more resilient, inclusive, and productive growth trajectory. The report concludes that Sri Lanka can achieve its long-term development ambitions, but only by pursuing reforms that build competitiveness, strengthen resilience, and ensure that the benefits of growth are broadly shared.

Visit www.ips.lk for more information.

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Sanctus Properties commences smart boutique-style Lume Residences in Kandana

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Sanctus Properties (Pvt) Ltd recently marked the commencement of construction of Lume Residences, a planned fully furnished, state-of-the-art boutique-style residential development in Kandana, Ja-Ela, with an official groundbreaking ceremony. Once completed, the development is expected to combine the security and privacy of a gated community with contemporary architecture, abundant natural light, and integrated smart-home functionality. Designed with sustainability in mind, each residence is planned to meet 50-80% of its energy requirements through rooftop-generated green solar energy, integrated with the national grid through individual Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). Electrical systems, including lighting, air-conditioning, and garage roller doors, are also expected to be controlled through a smartphone-integrated mobile app. Lume Residences is positioned as the first development of its kind in the Gampaha district.

“Lume Residences has been thoughtfully designed as a private and exclusive community of eleven contemporary two-story boutique-style homes set within a green and serene environment. Our vision is to offer future residents a living experience defined by privacy, security, comfort, and practical modern convenience, with interiors and furnishings carefully selected to support everyday living,” said Primesh Hopwood, Director, Sanctus Properties (Pvt) Ltd.

“This is the very first such exclusive community residence project in Kandana,” he added.

Situated just 400 meters away from the Colombo-Negombo main road on St. Sebastian Church Road, Kandana, the project has received the requisite development approvals from the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and the Kandana Urban Council, enabling construction to proceed and laying the foundation for a streamlined home-ownership experience upon completion.

Beyond its focus on secure and modern living, Lume Residences is also expected to offer strong long-term investment potential for discerning homebuyers and investors seeking a future-ready address in a growing suburban location.

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