Reaffirming its commitment to leading the nation toward a sustainable digital economy, the Commercial Bank of Ceylon has taken its digital payments drive to Jaffna, undertaking its most extensive single-region merchant canvassing exercise to date in support of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s (CBSL) national digital payments promotional programme.
The initiative, conducted as part of the CBSL’s third Digital Payments Promotional Programme for 2026, was centred on the Bank’s Q+ Payment App and deliberately timed ahead of the Nallur Festival, one of the largest religious and commercial events in the Northern Province.
Supporting the Central Bank’s efforts to expand the reach and everyday use of cashless payments in the Northern Province, the Commercial Bank Card Centre’s Q+ Sales and Q+ Merchant Acquisition teams canvassed more than 350 merchants across Jaffna town and surrounding areas, while more than 40 merchants were activated for a special cashback campaign covering the duration of the promotional period.
The participating businesses included leading clothing stores, restaurants and other prominent merchants in Jaffna, giving customers a significantly expanded network of establishments where they can make convenient, fast and contactless QR payments through Q+, while also benefiting from cashback rewards.
The participation of senior officials including the Northern Province Governor and representatives of the Department of Payments and Settlements of the Central Bank, underscored the institutional support for accelerating digitalisation in the region. A highlight of the events was the handing over of a QR facility to Vamadeva Thiagendran, owner of TCT Multi Trade by Commercial Bank’s Chief Manager – Card Centre and Regional Manager – North.
The initiative builds on Commercial Bank’s continuing partnership with CBSL in advancing the national LANKAQR agenda and follows similar regional digital payments forums conducted earlier this year in Kurunegala and Trincomalee. The Jaffna programme is particularly significant in extending the Q+ QR payment ecosystem into a region where digital payment penetration has historically been lower, the Bank said.
Q+ is the first LANKAQR-certified payment app in Sri Lanka and the only payment app to support four types of QR payments – LANKAQR, Visa QR, MasterCard QR and UnionPay QR.
The Bank’s activation in Jaffna combined merchant identification and onboarding, QR registration, merchant branding and customer education with live demonstrations of Q+ payments.
For customers, the initiative provides access to a wider network of QR-enabled merchants for everyday purchases, particularly in categories such as clothing and dining, while the cashback campaign makes digital payments more rewarding.
Source : Daily News
