Business

WEBXPAY partners with Visa to expand scope of digital payments in Sri Lanka

Published

4 years ago

2022/06/12

WEBXPAY, Sri Lanka’s leading online payment gateway solution provider, has entered into a partnership with Visa to expand the scope of the country’s digital economy by enabling seamless, effortless, and sustainable digital payment acceptance solutions for small and medium businesses (SMBs) across the island, a company news release said last week.

“This collaboration provides WEBXPAY a boost to faster achieve its goal of empowering SMBs island-wide with face-to-face digital payment acceptance capability; offering them access to Visa cardholders across the globe. This in turn will increase scalability for the small business sector and consequently aid its recovery,” it said.

“WEBXPAY, now a part of the Visa Acceptance Fast Track Program for Asia Pacific, hopes to widen its net of financial inclusion by enabling digital payment acceptance to 10,000 new-to-digital Sri Lankan SMBs by 2025; aiming for a Gross Merchant Volume (GMV) of LKR 10 billion by 2025 to elevate the country’s digital economy.

“This will help increase contactless payments acceptance through soft POS, enable tap to phone payments with soft POS technology and bring about low-cost face to face transaction acceptance. In a post COVID-19 economy, this will also help merchants rebuild and increase sales to more consumers and improve customer loyalty; all while offering their shoppers a friction-free digital payment experience at checkout,” the release added.

Avanthi Colombage, Country Manager – Sri Lanka and Maldives, Visa said, “Small businesses have always been keen to adopt technology to further their business and most times, only need enablers to accelerate this. Through the Visa Acceptance Fast Track Program, we are excited to partner with WEBXPAY and play a role in helping thousands of small businesses across Sri Lanka go digital. With Visa’s solutions and best practices and WEBXPAY’s superior payment gateway solutions, small businesses can now accept contactless payments and enable tap to phone for merchants quicker and in a secure manner, in their path to recovery.”

“We appreciate the support extended by Visa to help expand our products and social goals in reaching out to the SMBs in Sri Lanka,” commented Founder of WEBXPAY, Omar Sahib, on the collaboration. “Through this partnership we are further extending our ability to offer fast, convenient and frictionless payments processing in the hope that we contribute towards greater expansion of the local digital payments’ ecosystem, and in turn play a transformative role in the growth of the digital economy of Sri Lanka.”

Already trusted by over 2000 businesses island-wide, WEBXPAY’s integrated platform allows merchants to set up their online business within just 3 business days. With affordable solutions for every business size, merchants get in return the guarantee of a secure, cost-effective, and comprehensive digital payment solution with endless payment options in one platform that will bring ease and mobility to their business.

More recently WEBXPAY inked a partnership the Australian Government’s Department of foreign affairs and Trade (DFAT) in a bid to revitalise COVID-19 hit rural economies by significantly expanding access to digital payments to empower SMB’s across the Island to be a part of the digital revolution.

Ever since its launch as Sri Lanka’s first online payment aggregator in 2015, from humble beginnings WEBXPAY has grown to become the country’s most trusted payment gateway solutions provider with the largest number of payment options for its growing portfolio of small and large businesses, the release claimed.

“With a vision to grow the digital economy of Sri Lanka by introducing a visionary platform of comprehensive and centralized payment capabilities, WEBXPAY remains focused on its goal of enabling ease of digital transaction for SMBs across the country. This year the company is looking at expanding its value proposition even further by introducing Point of Sales (POS) solutions for merchants to accept both online and offline payments in one platform.” it said.

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Business

ADB approves $100 million loan to boost skills development and jobs for youth in Sri Lanka

Published

5 hours ago

2026/10/2

Thilina Walpola

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million results-based loan to help Sri Lanka transform its technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system, equip more young people with industry-relevant skills, and strengthen the country’s competitiveness and inclusive growth.

The Skills Development System Transformation Program will support the Government of Sri Lanka’s efforts in improving the quality and relevance of skills training, strengthening links between training providers and industries, and expanding employment opportunities for youth. The program will increase women’s employment opportunities in nontraditional jobs in fields including automotive technology, engineering, information and communications technology, construction, and renewable energy.

“A skilled workforce is essential to Sri Lanka’s long-term economic transformation and competitiveness,” said ADB Country Director for Sri Lanka Shannon Cowlin. “This program will help create stronger pathways from education to employment by making training more responsive to industry needs, expanding opportunities for young people and women, and ensuring that graduates have the skills required by a modern and evolving economy.”

Though Sri Lanka’s economy is recovering, it faces skills shortages in priority sectors, high youth unemployment, and low female labor force participation. Many employers report difficulty finding workers with the skills needed in a changing economy.

Aligned with the Government of Sri Lanka’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector Strategic Framework 2026–2035, the nationwide program will be implemented from 2027 to 2031 and is expected to directly benefit more than 100,000 young people through improved access to quality, employment-oriented training.

Business

USD 40.84m pipeline to secure aviation fuel supplies to BIA

Published

6 hours ago

2026/10/2

Thilina Walpola

By Ifham Nizam

The government has cleared a USD 40.84 million and Rs. 8,548.75 million contract to build a dedicated aviation fuel pipeline from Muthurajawela to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), alongside a massive new fuel storage facility with a capacity of 92,000 cubic metres.

Energy Minister Anura Karunatilaka said the project represented a major investment in strengthening the infrastructure underpinning Sri Lanka’s aviation fuel supply and ensuring more reliable fuel availability at the country’s main international airport.

‘This project will provide the infrastructure required to strengthen the reliability and continuity of aviation fuel supplies to Bandaranaike International Airport, Karunatilaka said.

The contract has been awarded to China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Company Limited, following an international competitive procurement process in which three bids were received.

The project will see a new aviation fuel storage tank complex constructed at Muthurajawela, together with the associated infrastructure required for handling and transferring aviation fuel.

Business

CSE activity up, turnover weak at Rs. 1.4 billion

Published

6 hours ago

2026/10/2

Thilina Walpola

By Hiran H Senewiratne

Trading activity on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) gathered pace yesterday as global fuel prices began to show signs of easing, according to market analysts.In this context, both indices moved upwards. All Share Price Index up by 67.97 points while S and P SL20 up by 8.30 points.

Turnover stood at Rs 1.4 billion with seven crossings. Those crossings were reported in Sampath Bank 1.7 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 238 million and its share price traded at Rs 140, Access Engineering two million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 159 million and its share price traded at Rs 79.50, LOLC one million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 129 million and its share price traded at Rs 129, HNB 100,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 38.4 million and its share price traded at Rs 384, JKH 1.9 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 35 million and its share price traded at Rs 18.60, Hayleys 100,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 22.50 million and its share price traded at Rs 225 and Richard Pieris 847,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 22 million and its share price traded at Rs 25.50.

In the retail market top seven companies that have mainly contributed to the turnover were Sampath Bank Rs 114 million (813,000 shares traded), JKH Rs 100 million (5.3 million shares traded) LB Finance Rs 49 million (325,000 shares traded), HNB Finance Rs 30 million (27 million shares traded), HNB Rs 27 million (70000 shares traded), NTB Rs 25 million (82000 shares traded ) and Lanka IOC Rs 21 million (666,000 shares traded). During the day 65 million shares volumes changed hands in 10433 transactions.

The Banking and manufacturing sector counters performed well. In the banking sector Sampath Bank let the market while manufacturing sector especially JKH also significantly performed well. With the fuel revision Land IOC also a significant stock at the floor.

Meanwhile, First Capital Treasuries said that Ramesh Schaffter resigned as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director with effect from October 1, to facilitate the restructuring of the company’s board.

Yesterday the Central Bank announced the US Dollar rate as against rupee. The rupee was quoted flat at Rs 330.65/80 to the US dollar in the spot market , while bond yields dropped, dealers said.