Business
WEBXPAY partners with Visa to expand scope of digital payments in Sri Lanka
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.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.
The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.
AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.
According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.
Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.
The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.
[PMD]
Business
IceWarp expands into Sri Lanka, fostering European innovation in collaboration with FentonsIT
IceWarp, a global leader in business communication solutions, has officially launched its cutting-edge platform in Sri Lanka, bringing European expertise in email and collaboration solutions to support the country’s evolving business landscape.
This expansion is driven by a strategic partnership with Fentons Information Technology (FIT), the Information Technology arm of Hayleys Fentons Limited.
The grand launch event held at The Kingsbury Colombo on 4th April, 2025, was graced by several distinguished guests, including Chief Guest Mohan Pandithage, Chairman and Chief Executive of Hayleys PLC.
The presence of Adam Paclt, Global CEO of IceWarp, and Pramod Sharda, CEO for India and the Middle East of IceWarp, along with their global team, highlighted the significance of this expansion. Industry experts, government officials, corporate leaders, and CIOs from the banking, financial services and insurance sectors were in attendance as well, reflecting strong local interest in IceWarp’s European expertise.
With this launch, Sri Lankan businesses now have access to an affordable, scalable and secure alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. IceWarp’s advanced Collaboration Suite integrates a wide range of tools into a single, unified platform designed to streamline communication and boost productivity. Offering flexible hybrid deployment options and cost-efficient solution, IceWarp enables organisations to optimise their operations without compromising security or functionality.
Eventistry Sports, a trailblazer in innovative sporting events, has unveiled the Sri Lanka Padel League (SLPL), the nation’s first franchise-based padel tournament, set to debut in June 2025. This groundbreaking league promises to redefine Sri Lanka’s sports landscape by creating a dynamic national platform for athletes while fostering unity among fans, brands, and communities.
The SLPL will showcase six franchise teams, each embodying the spirit of iconic Sri Lankan locales: the Colombo Chargers, Yala Rangers, Hikkaduwa Riders, Ella Hawks, Arugambay Vipers, and Trinco Warriors. These teams will not only ignite regional pride but also unite the country through a shared passion for padel—a fast-paced racquet sport merging tennis and squash, played on enclosed courts.
“The SLPL is more than a league; it’s a movement,” declared Karin Wijeratne, Director of Eventistry Sports. “By blending franchise sports with Sri Lanka’s vibrant culture, we’re creating a platform where players gain national recognition, fans rally behind their hometown heroes, and brands engage with communities in meaningful ways.”
The league’s launch on June 21–23, 2025, at Colombo’s Padel House courts (CR&FC) will kick off with three days of high-octane matches, preceded by a star-studded player auction on May 16th at The Vault, Colombo City Centre. Local talent—both professional and intermediate—will be drafted by franchise owners, with international registrations now open to elevate the competition’s global appeal.
Please log in to: www.slpadelleague.com and social media: @SriLankaPadelLeague (Facebook & Instagram) for more information.
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