Sri Lanka Ready to Embrace QR Payments With Right Support, Says AKD

COLOMBO (News 1st); President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has expressed confidence that the country’s latest initiatives will rapidly popularise all forms of transactions conducted through QR codes, stating that Sri Lankan society is ready to embrace efficient and practical new systems when they are made attractive and convenient. 

Speaking on the adoption of QR‑based digital payments, the President said past experiences clearly demonstrate the public’s willingness to accept new technologies. He highlighted the swift acceptance of fuel QR codes, online education and work‑from‑home arrangements as evidence that people readily adopt solutions that are efficient and useful.

The President noted, however, that new systems will not gain acceptance if they are not appealing or easy to use. Drawing an analogy from earlier discussions on organic fertiliser, he recalled a conversation with a researcher deeply involved in organic agriculture. He said the most reliable measure of success is whether farmers themselves choose to continue using a method based on their own experience, stressing that people ultimately adopt what works best for them.

President Dissanayake said society naturally embraces what is effective and beneficial, and that what is required from policymakers is a timely boost, encouragement, confidence and initial momentum, to get the process moving.

Once that initial push is provided, he said, society begins to drive the change on its own.

He emphasised that the government has a clear starting role in initiating and energising this transformation. According to the President, key institutions including the government, relevant ministries, the Central Bank, commercial banks and financial institutions must take the lead by providing that initial stimulus needed to “start the engine”.

If that responsibility is fulfilled, he said, the adoption of QR‑based digital payments will spread rapidly across society.

President Dissanayake appealed for the necessary support and intervention from all stakeholders to ensure the success and widespread acceptance of digital payment systems in Sri Lanka.