Payment methods in Sri Lanka

Asia

8methods

2banks

PayHere is the leading domestic payment gateway, approved by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, supporting cards, mobile wallets, and internet banking on a single platform

Market takeaways

PayHere is the leading domestic payment gateway, approved by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, supporting cards, mobile wallets, and internet banking on a single platform
LankaPay is the national payment network operating the Common Electronic Fund Transfer Switch (CEFTS) for interbank real-time transfers and the Lanka QR national QR standard
The 2022 economic crisis caused significant disruption to e-commerce and digital payments but also drove more consumers to digital wallets as currency became scarce
frimi (by HNB — Hatton National Bank) and Dialog eZ Cash (by Dialog Axiata) are the two most significant mobile wallet brands
Card acceptance infrastructure is reasonable in urban areas; Visa and Mastercard are the dominant international card schemes

Population

22M

Online population

13M

B2C e-commerce

$0.7B

Banked population

~74%

Payment method breakdown

Market data coming soon.

Card scheme breakdown

Market data coming soon.

Cross-border e-commerce

Market data coming soon.

Featured payment methods in Sri Lanka

Popular options based on coverage and prominence in this market.

frimi (HNB)

frimi is a mobile wallet launched by Hatton National Bank (HNB), one of Sri Lanka's largest commercial banks. It supports P2P transfers, merchant QR payments, utility bill payments, and fund transfers between frimi and bank accounts. frimi operates on the Lanka QR standard, enabling interoperability with other LankaPay-connected wallets and banks.

Dialog eZ Cash

Dialog eZ Cash is a mobile money service operated by Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka's largest telecom operator. It allows users to store money, transfer funds, pay bills, and make merchant payments via mobile phone without needing a traditional bank account. eZ Cash has strong reach in rural and semi-urban areas through Dialog's mobile network.

LankaPay / Lanka QR

LankaPay is the national payment network of Sri Lanka, operating the Common Electronic Fund Transfer Switch (CEFTS) for interbank instant transfers and the Lanka QR national QR code payment standard. It functions as the interoperability backbone connecting all licensed banks and financial institutions in the country, enabling real-time domestic payments regardless of the consumer's bank.

RuPay

RuPay is India's domestic card network with growing cross-border acceptance through bilateral corridors (e.g. Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Singapore) and alliances with JCB/Discover/UnionPay.

mCash

Central Bank-approved mobile money service supporting LANKAQR, bill and online payments in Sri Lanka. Operator: Mobitel (SLT-Mobitel). Est. users: 1 million+ users (2024).

Genie (Dialog)

Dialog's digital wallet linking cards for contactless and online payments, popular with Sri Lankan freelancers. Operator: Dialog Axiata PLC. Est. users: 1 million+ users (2024).