ComBank at the forefront of digital banking excellence with top honours at LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026

Secures Overall Gold in a total of six prestigious awards, reaffirming leadership in digital transformation.

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has reinforced its leadership in digital payments and financial technology innovation with a haul of six awards, comprising four Golds, a Silver and a Merit, at the prestigious LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2026.

The Bank’s standout achievement at this year’s awards was securing the coveted overall Gold Award for ‘Excellence in Digital Payments (Banks)’ for the second consecutive year.

This the highest recognition presented by LankaPay (Pvt) Ltd., Sri Lanka’s National Payment Network, to the most outstanding financial institution in digital payment processing.

In addition to this top honour, Commercial Bank also won Gold awards for ‘Financial Institution of the Year for Best Digital Payment Strategy,’ ‘Most Innovative Financial Institution of the Year’ – its fourth consecutive win in this category – and ‘Best Institution for Excellence in Customer Convenience (Banks) Category A.’

The Bank received the Silver award for ‘Best LankaPay Card Enabler of the Year,’ and a Merit award for ‘Best Institution for Financial Inclusivity (Banks) Category A.’

Commenting on these latest accolades, Mr Sanath Manatunge, Managing Director/CEO of Commercial Bank said:

“As our ambitious digital transformation programme takes flight, this is just the beginning.

Beyond the top prize, we are proud to have secured key Gold awards within category A.

This historic achievement belongs to our incredible team and loyal customers, and we appreciate their unwavering support.”

These Technnovation awards recognise Commercial Bank’s strong performance in 2025, particularly in transaction volume growth across key national payment platforms including CEFTS, SLIPS and other digital channels, as well as its sustained efforts to expand access, enhance convenience and drive adoption of secure electronic payments.

Commercial Bank’s recognition at the 2026 awards also reflects a year of significant innovation and firsts that have helped redefine the country’s digital banking landscape.

Among these were the launch of Sri Lanka’s first implementation of Google Pay, the introduction of the country’s first AI-driven SME credit underwriting model, and the rollout of an agency banking model through ‘ComBank Shakthi’ to extend financial services to underserved communities.

The Bank launched the ‘TradeLink’ platform to streamline trade finance processes for importers and exporters, and achieved a global first by integrating LoungeKey access for UnionPay Asia Prestige cardholders.

Further strengthening its support for the SME sector, Commercial Bank deployed the next-generation PAX E700 Smart POS device, an all-in-one solution designed to empower small and medium enterprises.

The Bank also launched Sri Lanka’s first Dynamic Currency Conversion facility for ecommerce transactions and served as the official IPG provider for the Pay Local app used for LankaQR transactions.

These initiatives, alongside its continued leadership in interbank payment processing and digital infrastructure development, underscore Commercial Bank’s commitment to advancing Sri Lanka’s national payment ecosystem in line with the objectives of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

Organised annually by LankaPay (Pvt) Ltd., the Technnovation Awards recognise financial institutions and service providers that demonstrate excellence in electronic payments, innovation, security and customer-centric digital solutions, contributing to the growth and modernisation of the country’s payment network.

Commercial Bank is the first Sri Lankan bank with a market capitalisation exceeding US$ 1 Bn. and was also the first bank in the country to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World.

Commercial Bank has the highest capital base among all Sri Lankan banks, is the largest private sector lender in Sri Lanka, and the largest lender to the country’s SME sector.

Ranked No. 1 in the Business Today Top 40, Commercial Bank is recognised as the most respected and most-awarded Bank in Sri Lanka.

Commercial Bank is also a leader in digital innovation and is Sri Lanka’s first 100% carbon-neutral bank.

Commercial Bank operates a network of 272 strategically located branches and automated machines island-wide, and has the widest international footprint among Sri Lankan banks, with 20 branches in Bangladesh, a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake in the Maldives, a microfinance company in Myanmar, and a representative office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

The Bank’s fully owned subsidiaries, CBC Finance PLC and Commercial Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Limited, also deliver a range of financial services via their own branch networks.

Photo caption : Representatives of Commercial Bank’s senior and corporate management, led by Mr. Sharhan Muhseen, Chairman, Mr. Raja Senanayake, Deputy Chairman, and Mr. Sanath Manatunge, Managing Director/CEO, receiving the Overall Gold Award for Excellence in Digital Payments (Banks).