Anantaya Resort & Spa Chilaw, owned and managed by LAUGFS Leisure Limited, has recently become the 1^st resort in Sri Lanka to receive the Sri Lanka Standard (SLS) 1672:2020 certification from the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) for COVID-19 Safety Management Systems. An SLSI certification for COVID-19 Safety Management Systems demonstrates an organization’s dedication towards achieving the highest standards of safety and sanitization across all operations, including internal processes as well as outsourced activities. In its uncompromising standards for guest and staff safety, Anantaya Chilaw has established a wide variety of safety measures across its entire resort. It has redesigned its guest check-in and check-out process to allow for socially distanced and sanitary interaction without the need for close physical contact. Staff have been trained with strict guidelines and procedures to follow on a daily basis, including sanitary handling of room service, serving guest requirements and handling of guest belongings. This training extends to all activities across the resort, including restaurant, cleaning and maintenance staff for maximum security. Readily available sanitization and washing stations have also been installed across multiple easy-to-access locations for the convenience of guests and the pool is regularly disinfected with a specially designed solution. Commenting on the achievement, Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAUGFS Leisure Limited, Mr. Roshan R. Perera, said, “We are very pleased to have received the SLS 1672:2020 certification as an indicator of our rigorous compliance to health and safety standards. We believe that it is our responsibility to protect the health of our guests and staff at all times and we have introduced extensive safety measures to accomplish this. Our staff at Anantaya Chilaw will continue to work tirelessly towards welcoming our guests with safety and peace of mind for the entire duration of their stay, to live up to the trust that they place in us.” Tucked away in the charming coastal town of Chilaw, 66km from Bandaranaike International Airport and 100km away from the commercial capital of Colombo, Anantaya Chilaw provides infinite luxury and tranquillity. With 91 spacious rooms, water villas and suites, the Resort offers world-class hospitality with an array of services for anyone who is looking to escape from the hum drum of ordinary life. Offering the ideal venue for business functions, the resort also provides state-of-the-art conference and convention facilities. The Resort is a unique and exclusive sanctuary, offering warm Sri Lankan hospitality to those wishing to experience serenity and romance in a stunning natural setting. LAUGFS Holdings Limited is one of the largest diversified business conglomerates and a trusted and well-loved home-grown business in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1995, LAUGFS today has expanded across 20 industries in Sri Lanka and overseas, establishing a strong presence as a leader and pioneer in the power and energy, retail, industrial, services, leisure and logistics sectors. With 3,500 employees and an annual turnover exceeding Rs. 60 billion, LAUGFS continues to expand and empower millions as a trusted Sri Lankan brand.

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M/s Sierra cables PLC had won a contract worth Rs. 900.50 million (without Vat) to supply aerial bundle cables to state-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). The contract to supply 1500 km of cables for the ‘CEB Distribution zone 02′ was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on a proposal by Minister of Power and Energy The company was selected by the procurement appeal committee’.

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The Asian Development Bank (ADB)  has given its consent for the assistance required for performing feasibility studies applicable to establish ten high-tech universities at district level. The Cabinet of Ministers has considered the facts tabled by the Higher Education, Technology, and Innovation Minister pointing out that necessary actions have been taken by the University Grants Commission for inauguration of the initial feasibility study process relevant to the ten districts of Nuwara Eliya, Kalutara, Hanbantota. Matale, Puttlam, Mannar, Mulativu, Galle, Polonnaruwa and Kegalle. Photo – Nanyang Technological University Academic Building, Singapore

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With the completion of its bigger and better island wide 4G network in February this year, HUTCH is on course to enhance its brand presence and further establish itself as one of Sri Lanka’s premier telco operators with its larger 2G, 3G and 4G network coverage and the widest range of innovative products that appeal to a cross section of consumers across all walks of life. The merger of Etisalat last year has resulted in a visible resurgence and conveys that the local subsidiary of Hong Kong based CK Hutchison Holdings remains buoyant and committed to the island nation. Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. operating under the brand name “HUTCH” continues to disrupt the telco industry by going that extra yard offering real solutions to real problems that customers face in their daily lives. In that background, following are excerpts of an interview conducted with Thirukumar Nadarasa, Chief Executive Officer of HUTCH where he describes the company’s island wide network expansion and how they help deliver the best mobile experience to its customers Q. How has the HUTCH network coverage expanded post–Etisalat merger and new investments? A. This merger opportunity gave HUTCH access overnight to a much larger network infrastructure in terms of both coverage and capacity. This allowed us to reach out to the full potential customer base that we were unable to reach out before, and it allowed us to serve a data hungry population looking for a brand that understands their needs and works for them. Our highly energized and committed engineers and technical support staff worked around the clock to not only merge both 2G and 3G networks, but also to add on top, an advanced  4G network and we were able to complete this mammoth task in just over 12 months. The merger enabled us to integrate the existing network resources of Etisalat to deploy new 4G coverage on 2000+ towers across the island that instantly covered 90%+ of the population. Even though 4G has been around in Sri Lanka since 2014, mass adoption of 4G has not yet occurred with only 40% of mobile subscribers on 4G networks today. There were multiple reasons for this slow uptake including expensive 4G handsets and perceived high cost of using 4G services. With the recent proliferation of more affordable 4G handsets, our mission is to provide digital inclusivity to customers from every walk of life and to bring an affordable 4G broadband experience across the entire country. Q. Why is HUTCH 4G a Better Experience? A. An advantage of coming to the market later is that HUTCH can deploy the latest and most advanced 4G technology into the country. Apart from the expanded coverage, HUTCH has deployed the most advanced core networks and billing systems. This means that the quality of the service will be much higher, supporting the ever-increasing data consumption needs. Also almost the entire HUTCH mobile network including 2G and 3G networks has been modernized as part of the merger enabling HUTCH to deliver a better quality service. As we will also appreciate, as technology like 4G establishes, it not only become more advanced but also equipment costs are lower, which means we can pass on the savings to the customer! So we can be more affordable. Now our network is much larger than what it was a year ago and our coverage is much improved allowing us to provide customers not only a better 4G experience but also 2G and 3G experience across the country. With the unprecedented growth in data especially during the COVID lockdown, we were fortunate that our network expansion was just completed and we were able to deliver a consistent and reliable experience to our customers with all of the above factors put together. Q. You mentioned HUTCH’s data packages. What is unique about them and were any new products launched recently? A. During the COVID – 19 period when the government decided to execute strict lockdown practices to curb the virus, HUTCH worked swiftly to accommodate changes to our product lines and pricing strategies making them more conducive to the Work from Home model. We introduced a “Freemium” offer through which we served over 1.2mn of our customers everyday offering free daily reloads for Voice, SMS and Data to keep them connected with their loved ones. This was especially important during curfew times as access to traditional reload outlets was restricted. We are a working brand. We work hard for our customers and we listen to their grievances. We heard their pain with regards to ‘wasted Night time data quotas’. In the past, we helped to address this issue by extending the Night period up to 9AM every day, resulting in HUTCH subscribers being able to consume over 70% of their night quotas anyway. Then as a “first” in the market, HUTCH introduced 100% Any Time data packs with no night time restrictions at all. We have introduced the extremely popular Unlimited YouTube pack for only Rs. 147 that is valid for a whole month! Recently we also introduced an Unlimited Facebook/Messenger/WhatsApp pack for only Rs. 124, which is also valid for full 30 days. Our legendary cliQ product has proven to be highly popular but was previously only on the 3G network. We have now launched cliQ 4G on our new 4G network. We also very recently launched a series of Data, Voice and Data bundle packs that for the first time in the market include quotas of off net minutes and anytime data. Now with all prerequisites in place, we believe HUTCH is well positioned to address all segments of the market.   Q. How are customers responding to the new Bigger and Better HUTCH? A. Consumer response to our Bigger and Better network and our great value for money products and service offerings has been tremendous from the day we re-launched our merged network. It is delightful to see more subscribers joining HUTCH every day. Our ever-growing subscriber base bears testimony to the fact that we have been successful in providing what the customers expect from a mobile network provider – an affordable, better mobile experience. We will continue to empathize with consumers and empower the nation with constant innovations that will make a real difference. Q: What are your plans for the future? A: At HUTCH, we always believe that technology is of little value if it can’t serve the real and present needs of the people. Our focus is to continue to always work towards making our services accessible and affordable to all citizens. With this in mind, the team at HUTCH will continue to focus on innovations that are meaningful to consumers, not mere marketing gimmicks. Equally important is that, HUTCH will work hard to ensure the mobile experience is consistently delivered to all of its subscribers. This has been the major issue faced by almost all mobile networks across the world. As 3G and 4G broadband data networks addressed the huge data demand, the resultant increase in data traffic begins to deteriorate the data experience for all the data subscribers on the network. Just expanding network capacity alone is insufficient to address this issue and a more intelligent and comprehensive management process has been established by HUTCH to ensure all our data subscribers will continue to experience a consistent data experience in the future.   Q: What about your plans for 5G? A: HUTCH Sri Lanka is part of the global CKH Group of companies including mobile operations across Europe and Asia which are already in the process of deploying 5G networks and services. HUTCH will continue to monitor the development of 5G across the world but will launch full scale 5G services here in Sri Lanka only when there is an established demand for a higher than existing 4G service. At present, there is a big debate about the launch of 5G globally and locally. Even though there is much industry hype about 5G, sufficient user cases for 5G are yet to be identified to justify the huge additional investment into a 5G network.  The question I always ask people is ‘please tell me what services you need today that cannot be addressed by an advanced 4G network and are those additional requirements sufficient to invest in and deploy a 5G network? It’s again a question of affordability, when affordable 5G handsets will be available as well as affordable 5G specific applications. HUTCH’s parent Company has all the experience required to deploy 5G networks today but, we need to first see when the time is right for the Sri Lankan consumer. We shall certainly do it then. It is with utmost pleasure that I invite all mobile subscribers in Sri Lanka to try the HUTCH 4G experience for themselves and see if we are better able to fit their needs.

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Although provisions are furnished for local selections in the government procurement guidelines, it has been observed the available limits to achieve benefits for the local suppliers and companies from those provisions. Under the circumstances generated due to COVID – 19 pandemic conditions, local companies, and entrepreneurs expect the government assistance more. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers had approved the following proposals submitted by Prime Minister as the Minister of Finance, Economic and Policy Development. i) Limit contract for software, hardware, furniture supply and construction would be given to companies with a domestic ownership of over 51%, ii) Office furniture and equipment should have a 50% domestic value addition. iii) All software should be procured from local firms, and if it is not possible, approval has to be received from the Information Communications Technology Agency and Treasury. iv) Hardware supplies for which specifications has to be developed by the ICTA, will get a 30% preference if domestic value addition in 25% or more. v)All contracts for housing, roads, irrigation, water supply and drainage should be given to local contractors. Foreign subcontracting should be less than 10%.  

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Seylan Bank recently relocated its Padaviya branch to new office premises – a more central location strengthening its financial service offerings to a plethora of customers in the vicinity. Offering a more comprehensive banking experience, the new branch was declared open by Deputy General Manager – Branches of Seylan Bank, Chitral De SIlva and is located at No 387- A, Bandaranayaka Mawatha, Padavi Parakramapura, Anuradhapura. Operating from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on weekdays, customers can avail themselves to a broad spectrum of banking products and services, offering maximum customer convenience. Seylan Bank, the Bank with a Heart, operates with a vision to offer the ultimate banking experience to its valued customers through cutting-edge technology, innovative products, and best-in-class service. The Bank has a growing clientele of SMEs, Retail and Corporate Customers and has expanded its footprint with 172 branches across the country and an ATM network of 215 units with 10 branches providing 365-day banking. Seylan Bank has been endorsed as a financially stable organisation with performance excellence across the board by Fitch Ratings, with the bank’s national long-term rating revised upward, from ‘A-(lka)’ to ‘A (lka). The bank was ranked second among public listed companies for transparency in corporate reporting by Transparency Global, and is now part of the S&P Dow Jones SL 20 Index. These achievements are a testament to Seylan Bank’s financial stability and unwavering dedication to ensure excellence across all endeavours.

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The mini-hydropower sector is near saturation and hydropower energy generation is itself susceptible to the erratic patterns of floods and droughts we experience continually, so investing in solar and wind power, for instance, could be the way forward to meet the country’s energy needs, a top industry official said. “Pollution in Sri Lanka is not at significantly high levels when compared with several other countries in the region, but we are still very vulnerable to local and regional weather conditions in terms of our geography, location and rainfall patterns brought on by climate change. Therefore, it is imperative that we pursue more options in renewal energy that take advantage of our tropical climatic conditions,” Vallibel Power Chairman Dhammika Perera told shareholders in the annual report 2019/20. “The mini-hydropower sector is near saturation and hydropower energy generation is itself susceptible to the erratic patterns of floods and droughts we experience continually, so investing in solar and wind power, for instance, could be the way forward to meet the country’s energy needs. All these facts confirm the importance of expanding green energy initiative,” he added. The drought that prevailed during the first seven months of 2019 caused a decline in the generation of both large hydropower as well as mini-hydropower plants, but generation picked up somewhat during the latter part of the year as rainfall in the catchment areas improved. However, this reduction in the generated power of mini-hydropower plants resulted in a corresponding lowering of the contribution of NCREs to the country’s energy mix. “Although coal looks the more profitable option to both producers and consumers in Sri Lanka due to the purported low cost of fossil-fuel based power plants, its potential environmental impact too must be considered in the long term,” Perera said and added; “the environment costs of carbon, soil degradation and air-quality and other related issues could be substantial.” The full statement conveyed by the chairman is given below:  

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Reuters – Twitter Inc disclosed late on Thursday that hackers targeted about 130 accounts during the cyber attack this week, an incident in which profiles of many prominent personalities and organizations were compromised. Hackers had accessed Twitter’s internal systems to hijack some of the platform’s top voices including U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, former U.S. President Barack Obama and billionaire Elon Musk and used them to solicit digital currency. In its latest statement, Twitter said that the hackers were able to gain control to a “small subset” of the targeted accounts, and send tweets from them. The company added that it was continuing to assess whether the attackers were able to access private data of the targeted accounts. The high-profile accounts that were hacked also included rapper Kanye West, Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos, investor Warren Buffett, Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates, and the corporate accounts for Uber Technologies Inc and Apple Inc. Twitter reiterated that it was working with impacted account owners.

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Uber today announced the appointment of Prabhjeet Singh as President Uber India and South Asia, tasked with overseeing the next phase of growth in the company’s mobility business and ensuring safety for riders and drivers across India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. His appointment is effective immediately. While making the announcement Pradeep Parameswaran, Regional General Manager for Asia Pacific, said, “I’m delighted to announce that Prabh is replacing me as Uber’s new President for India and South Asia, one of our fastest growing and most strategic markets. Prabh is a passionate and innovative leader and has been instrumental in helping build Uber from the ground up and established our category leadership in the ride-sharing market. I’m confident Prabh will exceed our expectations by leading Uber India SA on to the path of profitability, further consolidate our partnership with public transport authorities, continue our growth trajectory by expanding Auto and Moto to the next batch of cities, and build iconic teams.’’ Commenting on his new appointment Prabhjeet, said, “I’m thrilled to have been given the responsibility of leading Uber in India and South Asia, and look forward to collaborating with exceptional teams and gifted colleagues across the Uber family to strengthen our services and product offerings. Uber is an integral part of the fabric of our cities and as they start moving again, we have prioritized the highest standards of safety, sustainability and service that our riders and drivers expect of us.’’ Prabh, an IIT Kharagpur and IIM-A alum, joined Uber in August 2015 from McKinsey and Co., where he was an Associate Partner. Since, he’s been part of the core team that adapted the global business model to India, launched multiple new cities and led several India-first innovations, including scaling up Auto and Moto categories and building a multi-modal platform, which have both been exported to other emerging markets. Prabh will be supported in his new role by a seasoned regional leadership team. Key members include Joyjyoti Misra, former Partner at Khaitan & Co. now Director for Legal Affairs; Satinder Bindra, former Director United Nations and Principal Director Asian Development Bank, now Director Communications; Pavan Vaish, former co-founder and CEO of IBM Daksh, currently head of central operations; Rajiv Aggarwal, former Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, presently Director Policy; Shirish Andhare, former Senior VP at  Ezetap Mobile Solutions, who heads Product at Uber; Neha Mathur, former GE executive, now head of HR; Priyanshu Singh, former COO, Lithium Urban Technologies, now head of Community Operation and Sanjay Gupta, former Urban Ladder and Marico executive, who’ll now have an expanded role as Marketing Director India and APAC Rides Brand Marketing. In keeping with Uber India South Asia’s tradition of being a reservoir of talent, other key South Asian leaders have recently been elevated to wider, regional roles. Former India SA President, Pradeep Parameswaran, is now the Regional General Manager APAC and Vidhya Duthaluru, former Director, Engineering, has also recently been promoted as the global head of engineering for the customer care platform.   Caption: Mr. Prabhjeet Singh – President, Uber India and South Asia.

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People’s Bank held a ceremony in the Keppetipola region of Badulla to distribute Aswenna loans, a unique product launched to support the Government’s development programme to create a self-sufficient nation. The event was graced by the presence of People’s Bank Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse and Chief Executive Officer / General Manager Ranjith Kodituwakku. The ceremony was held at the premises of Richy Dairies, a company where the Managing Director Priyantha Manatunga is a People’s Bank customer who had obtained an SME loan from the Bank and successfully grown his business from SME level to become a large national level dairy producer. The loans were distributed for the purpose of agriculture, horticulture, greenhouse crops and dairy milk production. Vanitha Saviya loans, introduced by the Bank to empower female entrepreneurs, were also handed over to the loan recipients during the event. People’s Bank Deputy General Manager (Enterprise Banking) Krishani Narangoda, Assistant General Manager (Small & Medium Enterprises) Wickrama Narayana, Badulla Regional Manager Manjula Dissanayake, Asst. Regional Manager Rajiv Karunanayake and several others participated in the event. Photo : People’s Bank Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse handing over a loan facility

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1. Redmi Note 9 Pro has 3 color variants namely Glacier White, Interstellar Grey, Tropical Green and will be available in 6GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB storage variants for LKR 46,999 and LKR 49,999 respectively.
2. Redmi Note 9S will be available in 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB storage variants for LKR 40,999 and LKR 44,999 respectively. The phone comes in two color variants namely Interstellar Grey and Aurora Blue.
3. Mi Note 10 Lite is offered in 6GB + 128GB and 8GB +128GB variants and three color options: Midnight Black, Glacier White and Nebula Purple at LKR 69,999 and LKR 74,999 respectively.
4. All three devices will be available across Authorized Mi Stores, retail partners and online channels starting today.

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The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), considering the national importance of reviving business sectors that were adversely affected by the COVID-19 and the exceptional circumstances of the economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic, has implemented a Credit Guarantee and Interest Subsidy scheme under Phase III of Saubagya COVID- 19 Renaissance Facility and a liquidity facility to construction sector against “Letter of Acceptance of Payments of Outstanding Bills to Contractors” issued by the Government to settle dues to contractors by 31 December 2020. Issuing a circular yesterday (16) in this regard the CB stated that the Monetary Board, in terms of the powers conferred by Sections 21(1), 86, 46(1) and 76J(1) of the Banking Act No. 30 of 1988, as amended, has approved the following extraordinary regulatory measures. Empowerment under the Banking Act

• In terms of Section 21(1) of the Banking Act, every licensed commercial bank shall maintain liquid assets in such amount as may from time to time be determined by the Monetary Board having regard to the nature of the business carried on by such bank provided that the percentage determined by the Monetary Board shall not be less than 20 per cent and not more than 40 per cent.
• In terms of Section 86 item (g) under Liquid Assets, the Monetary Board is empowered to determine such other assets as “liquid assets”.
• In terms of Sections 46(l) and 76J(1) of the Banking Act, in order to ensure the soundness of the banking system, the Monetary Board is empowered to issue Directions to all or any licensed commercial banks and licensed specialised banks, hereinafter referred to as licensed banks, regarding the manner in which any aspect of the business of such bank or banks is to be conducted.

• Licensed commercial banks shall consider the new credit facilities granted to the construction sector against “Letter of Acceptance of Payments of Outstanding Bills to Contractors” issued by the Government as referred to in the Operating Instructions No. 35/03/023/0001/002 or any other subsequent amendments issued by the Domestic Operations Department of CBSL, as liquid assets for the purpose of computation of Statutory Liquid Assets Ratio (SLAR), until 31 December 2020, subject to a haircut of 10% of such credit facilities.

• In terms of Banking Act Directions No. 03 of 2008 on Classification of Loans and Advances, Income Recognition and Provisioning and any subsequent amendments, licensed commercial banks are permitted to initially classify the new credit facilities granted to the construction sector against “Letter of Acceptance of Payments of Outstanding Bills to Contractors” issued by the Government, as performing loans without considering the current classification status of other existing facilities, provided that the new facility is granted for the purpose of new economic activities.
• Licensed commercial banks shall ensure compliance with all other requirements relating to classification of loans and advances, in case of subsequent default or potential risk of such borrowers.

• In terms of Part III (C) of the Banking Act Directions No. 01 of 2016 on Capital Requirements under Basel III for Licensed Banks, the following will qualify as acceptable credit risk mitigants for credit facilities granted against the same and shall be risk weighted at zero per cent.

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The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has decided to provide further relief measures to assist tourism sector businesses and individuals who are adversely affected by the prevailing COVID-19 outbreak. Hence, issuing a circular yesterday (16) the CBSL requested all licensed commercial banks, licensed specialised banks, licensed finance companies and specialised leasing companies (hereinafter referred to as Financial Institutions) to provide the following relief measures to eligible borrowers: 1. Financial institutions shall extend the existing 6 months moratorium period granted in terms of Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Circular No. 05 of 2020 issued on 27 March 2020 to 12 months in respect of capital outstanding of leasing facilities granted to tourism related vehicles. 2. Financial institutions may recover interest during the moratorium period from eligible borrowers referred to in paragraph (1) above, in a manner that is not inconvenient to the borrower. 3. Financial institutions shall waive off the accrued penal interest in respect of leasing facilities granted to tourism related vehicles.  

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Catering to the rapidly increasing demand for digital payment solutions Sri Lanka’s leading private sector bank HNB PLC and Lanka IOC PLC, a top-ranked listed energy company launched phase 1 of contactless payment options via the Solo Digital Payment App by HNB at 41 Lanka IOC Petrol Sheds across the island with phase 2 set to offer the facility at a further 167 sheds. Developed in line with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Lanka QR mandate for licensed commercial banks, HNB SOLO offers the opportunity to complete transactions via the app while maintaining social distancing and avoiding the exchange of cash or cards when refueling their vehicles at a Lanka IOC Petrol Station. HNB Solo users now have the opportunity to complete transactions via the app and avoid the exchange of cash or cards when refueling their vehicles at a Lanka IOC Petrol Station. The partnership inked in a post COVID-19 landscape, offers customers a safe and convenient payment option in a world in which social distancing measures will be in force for the foreseeable future. “With the gradual move to the new normal, consumers are encouraged to strongly adhere to the mandatory physical distancing rules that are imposed by the government. This new lifestyle has brought about a significant increase in cashless and contactless transactions and we are fully committed to providing our customers with the safest and most secure payment options. In times like these, every effort can have a positive impact on our society. As such, we will continue to explore innovative solutions to support businesses and consumers as we face this challenge together,” HNB Deputy General Manager- Retail and SME Banking, Sanjay Wijemanne said. Customers can pay for their Petrol or Diesel by merely scanning the unique QR code generated with the Solo app. To adopt this cleaner, safer way to pay at Lanka IOC’s 208 Fuel Stations spread across the isalnd, users only require a smartphone with the Solo Payment App installed. “Our partnership with HNB to activate contactless payment options was brought about by our deep commitment in keeping our Customer attendants at Petrol Sheds and Customers safe and healthy in a post-COVID, new normal scenario. Contactless payments have completely changed the way customers pay for goods and most importantly, reduced the time spent in queues at POS terminals, which is an absolute necessity in today’s world,” Lanka IOC spokesperson said. Providing users with complete freedom in digital payments, Solo by HNB is designed to offer users the flexibility to handle any transaction anywhere whether it be purchasing from an established retail franchise or even a small stall or three-wheeler. Users can sign up with Solo by downloading the app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store for free. Once downloaded, a user can register by entering the mobile number and personal details with no requirement for paperwork at a branch office. Customers also have the option of connecting the app directly to their bank account or VISA/ MASTER credit or debit card from any bank. Thereafter, the user can scan the Solo QR code at any Solo merchant to complete any transaction through VISA, Master Card or JustPay platforms with just the swipe of a screen. Lanka IOC PLC is engaged in Retail Sales of Petrol/ Diesel through its strong network of Fuel Stations across the island and stands committed to participate in meeting the energy requirement of country. The company is also a leading Bunker Fuel supplier at Sri Lankan Ports. In addition, Lanka IOC is also engaged in the blending and marketing of Lubricants under the brand name of SERVO. With 252 customer centres across the country, HNB is one of Sri Lanka’s largest, most technologically innovative banks having won local and global recognition for its efforts to drive forward a new paradigm in digital banking. Over the recent past, the bank has continuously won prestigious accolades including being declared Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka by the Asian Banker Magazine. Locally, HNB leads the Business Today Top 10 rankings and also claimed seven awards at the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards 2019. The first Sri Lankan bank to obtain an international credit rating, HNB is rated on par with the sovereign by Moody’s Investors Service, and the national long term rating of HNB revised upward by two notches to AA+ (lka) recently by Fitch Ratings (Lanka) Ltd. Photo caption: (Above) HNB Managing Director/CEO, Jonathan Alles making a payment via SOLO by HNB with Lanka IOC Managing Director, Manoj Gupta, Lanka IOC Senior Vice President – Retail Sales & HR, Girish Ranjan at the Felix Perera Shed in Alexander Place, Colombo – 07 (From left) HNB Deputy General Manager – Wholesale Banking Group, Damith Pallewatte; HNB Chief Technology & Digital Officer, Rohan Buultjens; HNB Deputy General Manager- Retail and SME Banking, Sanjay Wijemanne; HNB Managing Director/CEO, Jonathan Alles; Lanka IOC Managing Director, Manoj Gupta; Lanka IOC Senior Vice President- Retail Sales & HR, Girish Ranjan; Lanka IOC Senior Vice President- Finance, Pramod Jain and HNB Assistant General Manager – Corporate Banking, Majella Rodrigo

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