Business
“How Digital Asset Exchange and Blockchain can benefit Sri Lanka”

Bridge Advisory and Consulting in association with Syntrex Global Technologies, the Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS) and Daily FT recently hosted a webinar on the 19th of January 2022 on the topic “How Digital Asset Exchange and Blockchain can benefit Sri Lanka”. With over 300 registrations, the webinar through its discourse provided valuable insights on the trending topics of Blockchain and digital assets – which continue to dominate the dialogue within many circles and networks throughout Sri Lanka.
The webinar featured cross industry panelists including, Sanjay Mendis- Chief Innovation Officer of Bridge Advisory and Consulting, Peter Hofmann- CEO, Custodigit AG, Switzerland, Kavin Phongapandecha- CEO/Co-Founder of Bitazza, Dr. Amal Illesinghe. Chief Information Officer- National Savings Bank, Prasanna Lohar- Vice President- Technology of DCB Bank Limited, Venkatesh Hariharan- Representative of Open Invention Network, Satish Mohan- Chief Technology Officer- Dhiway Networks Private Limited, Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe- FITIS Chairman and Imran Vilcassim who moderated the session.
Having understood Sri Lanka’s vision and road map on the many digitization initiatives around national ID, Blockchain and digital assets, Bridge works closely with key policy decision makers towards driving a ‘new digital economy’ and foundation throughout the country.
Speaking on ‘A possible roadmap for Sri Lanka’, Sanjay Mendis commented, “With Crypto and Blockchain being the fastest growing tech in the world, the opportunities for its adoption will also see an exponential growth in the coming years. Setting up a regulated Cryptocurrency exchange is the first part of this revolution. It is important that Sri Lanka embraces the many opportunities provided by this emerging tech, utilizing it to the fullest to drive economic growth and prosperity.”
“There has been a lot of focus on leveraging Blockchain based Technologies in Sri Lanka, from Cabinet approval in October 2021 to forming a Blockchain committee to advice the government on the way forward. We certainly see opportunities in the e-KYC space and the Central Bank has already initiated the process of exploring blockchain based solutions for e-KYC and SSID based Technology. There are also various use cases in Trade Finance, Reconciliation and Document Storage which can also be looked at” stated Dr. Amal Illesinghe when addressing the advantages to the Banking sector with Blockchain.
Speaking on Crypto tech and public policy changes, Venkatesh Hariharan, stated, “The genie of Blockchain and crypto is out of the bottle. Cryptocurrencies have a USD 2 trillion market cap and have quickly become a small percentage of world GDP, which is at USD 85 trillion. We must embrace crypto for innovation and efficiency and establish guard rails for consumer protection to get the best out of this decentralized technology.”
“The ‘National Strategy on Blockchain’ is very important milestone for any country. It should accelerate the move in the direction towards enabling trusted digital platforms creating Blockchain framework for the development of applications based on this technology. The world is moving ahead, it’s time to collaborate & accelerate this journey towards education, research, government and industry adoption” added Prasanna Lohar, while addressing the topic of ‘A national strategy for Blockchain’
“It’s great to see how Sri Lanka is embracing Blockchain and Digital Assets and how all stakeholders want to work together for a prospering Sri Lanka,” said Peter Hofmann who touched on the topic of ‘Digital Asset Management for conventional financial institutions’
The webinar highlighted the need for Sri Lanka to advance its digital transformation road map by leveraging on developing trends and emerging technologies such as Blockchain which will significantly contribute towards developing a new economy – integral to securing a stable future for the nation.
Business
Wing Commander (Retd.) D. Pradeep S. Kannangara elected president, Industrial Security Foundation

The Industrial Security Foundation (ISF) which acts as the sole organization in Sri Lanka to represent the Private Security industry having incorporated by an Act passed in the Parliament, Act No. 51 of 1999, elected Wing Commander (Retd.) Pradeep Kannangara as its President for the years 2022/2023 at its 30th annual General Meeting which was held at the PIM Auditorium in Borella. Wing Commander Pradeep Kannangara was appointed President while 14 other members were appointed to the Executive Committee, strengthening the ISF in order to drive and uplift the standards of the private security industry in Sri Lanka.
He has served on the ExCo consecutively since 2012 under four different presidents where he held the positions of Senior Vice President during the last three consecutive years. He has also been a committed member of the ISF and was awarded prestigious coveted FISF title due to his many valuable contributions to the organization and the Private Security Industry in Sri Lanka in 2012.
Wing Commander Kannangara’s journey into private security began after a successful career in the Sri Lanka Air Force for over 24 years where he served in many capacities finally being the Officer Commanding of the Special Air Borne Force. A recipient of the Ranasura Padakkama (RSP) Gallantry award for his bravery, sacrifices and service to the nation by the President of the Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in 1990. He holds a Master’s in business management from the Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia too and serves as a Board Director in AB Securitas (Private) Limited in Sri Lanka and AB Securitas Bangladesh Limited.
Business
Kitchen & Bedroom reaffirms its partnership with Häfele Sri Lanka

Kitchen & Bedroom, a name synonymous in the interior designing and furniture sector in the country recently celebrated its long-standing partnership with Häfele Sri Lanka during the latter’s 12th year anniversary celebratory event, reaffirming its ambitious plans to further strengthen and explore the numerous opportunities available here.
Häfele Sri Lanka, part of Häfele India which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hafele Global network, is a technology partner for various projects and initiatives of Kitchen & Bedroom. Both the companies operate in the interior design space, sharing their cumulative knowledge and expertise to provide extensive and personalized solutions catering to domestic requirements.
‘We take great pride in our association with Häfele Sri Lanka having exchanged and collaborated on many projects both commercial and household. We share similar values such as providing high quality, sustainable, functional and customized solutions to our customers, and most importantly to guide them through every aspect and step of the project and how best we could bring out their desired design,’ said Dr. Sacquaff, Kitchen & Bedroom Group CEO.
Business
DSI strengthens its islandwide presence with three new showrooms

Amid the prevailing economic hardships faced by Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka’s premier footwear brand DSI recently expanded its islandwide presence in the country with the opening of three new showrooms in Kahawatta, Akuressa, and Chavakachcheri, with the aim of offering greater access to its diversified product range to a wider customer base.
Gracing the special occasion, the showrooms were declared open by D. Samson & Sons (Pvt.) Ltd. Managing Director Thusitha Rajapaksa, in the presence of Director Asanka Rajapaksa, General Manager Pradeep Samarathunga, National Sales Manager – Retail Sales Naleen Weerawardana, invitees, and well-wishers.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Thusitha Rajapaksa stated: “We are excited about expanding DSI wings to three new locations. Despite the ongoing economic conditions of the country, we took a call to take a proactive measure to expand our islandwide presence. While it has been a challenge, the commitment and hard work of our team has made it possible to serve our loyal customers better, and we are confident that we will be able to continue these efforts in the future as well.”
DSI is renowned for its well-trained staff who offer exceptional customer service. The three new DSI showrooms prioritize providing a unique service and customer support to make purchasing further convenient for the customer.
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