Business

BIMA Lanka processed Rs.2 bn worth of affordable Insurance claims, says Ajith Alexander Director and Country Manager

Published

4 years ago

2022/09/5

By Sanath Nanayakkare

BIMA Lanka Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd, a leading insurance broker, and healthcare service provider has been ensuring the well-being of over 1.5 million Sri Lankan citizens through various insurance and healthcare products, since its establishment in 2013.Taking note of the performance of BIMA Lanka within a very short span of time, The Island Financial Review had an interview with BIMA Lanka’s Director and Country Manager Ajith Alexander to determine the services the company provides and to get a better understanding of its future plans.

The following are excerpts from the interview.

Could you explain your role and provide a brief introduction to BIMA Lanka?

I have been the Director and Country Manager of BIMA Lanka for close to three years now. BIMA Lanka was established in the year 2013 and it is a subsidiary of a UK-based company named BIMA. BIMA is a multinational company that specialises in affordable insurance and healthcare products in emerging markets. Our services are provided through technology that enables affordable and accessible solutions for each and every one. At the moment, we are present in three regions, namely South East Asia, South Asia, and Africa, and we are providing healthcare and insurance solutions to more than 25 million people. Our vision is to provide 100 million people with access to high-quality and affordable insurance and healthcare services by the year 2026.

Now, in terms of BIMA Lanka, along with our business partners, we have provided affordable insurance and healthcare services to more than 1.5 million people in the country. We have two main products, Per-Day Insurance, and BIMA Doctor, a 24/7 telemedicine service. We have more than 45,000 customers registered for our telemedicine services.

We have a staff of more than 300 in Sri Lanka which includes customer service and claim processing teams to ensure swift payments to customers. We have processed and paid more than 100,000 claims from our customers totalling over Rs. 2 billion. Our staff includes well-trained sales officers in Colombo, Galle, and Kurunegala, who explain the product features and benefits to customers and register them.

Could you elaborate on the per-day insurance service?

BIMA Lanka brings a product named ‘Per-Day Insurance’ for Sri Lankans with an array of affordable insurance covers. We mainly operate three product lines which are ‘life insurance’, ‘hospitalization insurance’, and ‘accident insurance’. Large insurance companies in the country underwrite these as we have Softlogic Life for life insurance, FairFirst Insurance for hospitalization policy, and Ceylinco Insurance for the personal accident policy. Any Sri Lankan can now obtain an insurance cover starting as low as Rs. 7 per day and can go up to higher values depending on the cover they want. They can pay through any debit or credit card of their choice. If they are a Dialog customer, they can also pay through their mobile bills. Our innovative products and payment technologies are what sets us apart from others. This has helped to break the barriers to provide affordable insurance and health care solutions to any customer in any part of the country.Tell us about your hospitalization cover.

Our hospitalization cover is the highest selling policy and is the most popular policy too. We sell it as a bundle offer which includes the hospitalization insurance cover, and BIMA Doctor which is a 24/7 telemedicine service. A customer can pay as low as Rs. 11 per day going up to Rs. 35/- for this bundle offer.

The process of obtaining this product is extremely easy as one can simply dial the hotline number 1343 without needing to fill out applications like in traditional insurance products which require customers to fill out lengthy forms and require them to go through medical tests. In this cover too, the payment can be made through any credit or debit card that a customer has.

This product provides customers a cover of up to Rs. 6,000 per night of hospitalization and an additional amount of up to Rs. 12,000 per day, for accident hospitalization or the use of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Even though we call this product a ‘hospitalization cover’ because customers get a claim when they are hospitalized, this really is an income protection plan. Because you do not need to provide any lengthy bills of hospitalization as merely showing proof that the customer has been hospitalized will help claim the amount. It is a great benefit for the customer, particularly for someone who is a daily wage earner. If someone gets hospitalized the family income will get disrupted but this income will provide them relief.

Further, this cover can be claimed for hospitalization in any government or private hospital by providing proof that the person has been hospitalized. This also provides access to 24/7 high quality teleconsultation from a panel of doctors who are SLMC registered. Not only do they provide consultation, but they also provide the prescription for medicines and lab tests. If one requires any specialist appointment or purchase of medicines or lab tests that need to be carried out, we work with our partner company called ‘Doc990’ for that purpose. Doc990 has tied up with several hospitals, pharmacies, and laboratories in Sri Lanka for fulfilling these services.

What are the future plans of BIMA Lanka?

BIMA Lanka wants to contribute to BIMA’s global vision of providing affordable and high-quality insurance and healthcare service to 100 million people by the year 2026. In line with that vision, BIMA Lanka’s vision is to become the largest affordable insurance and healthcare provider in Sri Lanka by 2024, and within the next one and a half years we need to reach that position and significantly increase the number of families we are covering. We will continue to innovate and bring new products and services to our customers by partnering with leading insurance companies and healthcare companies in the country and we will continue to use technology in a big way to make it easy for our customers to access these services. This is the goal of BIMA Lanka and we want to be with the customer in their time of need. Healthcare and insurance are really underpenetrated in Sri Lanka but these two are critical requirements for people, more so at a time of crisis. Currently, people in Sri Lanka can really relate to that because we are all going through a tough period and if there is a loss of income or shortage of income, healthcare becomes a main concern. But when we have very affordable products in the market, it will definitely provide much-needed relief to more and more families.

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Business

Cross-border supply chains seen as key to new business opportunities

Published

17 hours ago

2026/09/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

Dignitaries at the launching of the new dhal processing factory.

By Ifham Nizam

Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Matthew Duckworth described Omega Traders’ latest investment in a modern dhal-processing facility as a strong example of how cross-border supply chains can translate into productive investment, local value addition and new business opportunities in Sri Lanka.

The investment, which adds a 150-metric-tonne-per-eight-hour-day processing capacity to Omega Traders’ operations, marks a significant expansion of the company’s manufacturing footprint as it celebrates 45 years in Sri Lanka’s food commodity industry.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new Lentil and Orid Dhal Processing Factory in Wattala, last Friday, H.C. Duckworth said the facility represented more than an increase in production capacity, pointing to the wider economic value created when Australian agricultural production is connected with Sri Lankan processing and distribution.

‘This facility is not operating on its own. It is part of a long supply chain and a trade partnership between Sri Lanka and Australia, Duckworth said.

His comments placed the Omega Traders’ investment within a broader commercial context: Australia brings agricultural production and established export capabilities, while Sri Lanka provides processing capacity, labour, market access and opportunities for further value addition.

The investment comes as Sri Lanka continues to look towards greater domestic processing and value-added manufacturing rather than relying solely on the import and distribution of finished commodities.

Dr. (Mrs.) Siddhika G. Senaratne, Director General/CEO of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI), who attended the inauguration as Guest of Honour, highlighted the importance of quality assurance in food processing and the role of standards in maintaining confidence across the supply chain.

The facility is equipped with new-generation cleaning, processing, sorting and quality-control machinery, including advanced colour-sorting technology, automated systems and an in-house quality-control laboratory.

The additional capacity will support Omega Traders’ three principal Mysoor Dhal brands — Rainbow Jumbo Dhal, Komas Dhal and Rozanna Dhal — which serve different segments of the Sri Lankan market.

But the investment also has a distinctly local agricultural dimension.

Through its Orid Dhal operation, Omega Traders plans to source locally grown black matpe from Sri Lankan farmers and process it at the new facility.

That creates a domestic value chain linking farmers to industrial processing and consumers, while potentially increasing demand for locally produced agricultural commodities.

Duckworth said this type of business partnership could generate benefits for both countries.

‘Australia produces some of the world’s best agricultural products and we are very efficient and very capable at trading them. But that alone is not going to bring success to Australia. Just as building a factory like this is not going to bring success to Sri Lanka, he said.

‘It’s when we bring these entities together that our products produced in Australia can be processed in excellence here in Sri Lanka that enables this to be a success, the H.C. explained.

The investment therefore combines two complementary supply streams: imported agricultural commodities, including Australian-origin products, and locally produced black matpe for the Orid Dhal operation.

For Sri Lanka, the business significance extends beyond Omega Traders itself. Increased processing capacity creates demand for logistics, packaging, distribution, services and agricultural inputs, while supporting employment within the food-processing ecosystem.

Business

Ideal Motors makes history with multiple workplace excellence accolades

Published

17 hours ago

2026/09/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

Representatives from Ideal Motors (Pvt) Ltd receive top organizational culture and workplace accolades at the Great Place to Work® 2026 awards ceremony.

HR-led transformation places people, culture and business performance at the heart of the organisation

Ideal Motors (Pvt) Ltd,has achieved a significant milestone by securing multiple prestigious workplace and organisational culture accolades in 2026, reinforcing its position as an employer of choice in Sri Lanka’s automotive sector.

Among its latest achievements, Ideal Motors has been recognised as one of the 20 Great Workplaces for Young Talent in Sri Lanka 2026, ranked No. 1 and awarded the Gold Medal in the Small and Medium category of Best Workplaces™ in Sri Lanka 2026, and ranked No. 18 among Best Workplaces™ in Asia in the Medium Scale category—the highest-ranked Sri Lankan organisation in the category. The company also received Industry Excellence for Workplace Culture – Trading Industry.

The Young Talent recognition was presented at the Great Place To Work® CXO Forum 2026 held on 10 September 2026 at Cinnamon Life, Colombo. The recognition followed an evaluation of more than 100 certified organisations and highlights workplaces that create meaningful opportunities for employees under 35 to develop, contribute and grow.

At the Best Workplaces™ in Sri Lanka Awards Gala 2026, held on 11 September 2026 at Cinnamon Life, Colombo, Ideal Motors achieved another historic milestone by entering the Best Workplaces Sri Lanka list for the first time and securing the No. 1 Gold Medal in the Small and Medium category. The company also achieved No. 18 in Best Workplaces™ in Asia, reflecting the strength of its workplace culture beyond Sri Lanka.

These achievements represent more than a collection of awards. They reflect the transformation taking place within Ideal Motors, where people, culture and business performance are increasingly viewed as interconnected drivers of sustainable growth.

Over the past few years, the organisation’s HR function has evolved from a predominantly administrative role into a strategic business partner, with greater emphasis on employee experience, capability development, engagement, performance, communication, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, and data-driven HR practices.

Business

AAC takes seat belt safety message to Colombo motorists

Published

17 hours ago

2026/09/22

Sahan Weerasooriya

AAC staff distribute seat belt safety material to motorists on Galle Face Centre Road, Colombo.

The Automobile Association of Ceylon (AAC) conducted a seat belt safety awareness programme in front of its headquarters and along Galle Face Centre Road, encouraging motorists and passengers to make seat belt use a habit on every journey.

AAC staff, working alongside officers of the Sri Lanka Police Traffic Division, distributed specially designed hanging tags and stickers to drivers. The material carries a clear reminder that seat belts protect drivers as well as passengers in both the front and rear seats.

The public awareness drive was held ahead of the requirement taking effect on 20 September 2026, under which seat belt use becomes mandatory for every occupant of a vehicle travelling on an expressway.

AAC emphasized that the regulation should be understood as a life-saving measure rather than only a legal obligation. Wearing a seat belt can help prevent occupants from being thrown inside or from a vehicle during a collision and can lessen the severity of injuries.

The Association said road safety legislation must be supported by sustained public education, visible enforcement and responsible behaviour by all road users. The participation of the Traffic Police helped the campaign reach motorists directly in a busy part of central Colombo.