The inaugural Sri Lanka FinTech Festival 2026, organized by the FinTech Forum, Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Economy, is set to ignite Colombo, taking place on 2–3 November 2026 at the Shangri‑La Hotel.
Channa de Silva, Chairman, FinTech Forum Sri Lanka stated, “The festival is a landmark moment for Sri Lanka. It demonstrates our ambition to be recognised as a national brand in FinTech, delivering economic value, connecting our ecosystem to global opportunities and investments.”
Global relevance
Distinct from a conventional industry event, the Sri Lanka FinTech Festival 2026 is the nation’s gateway to global fintech recognition, establishing the country as an emerging digital economic hub within Asia and international markets. It builds on strong existing foundations including robust payment infrastructure, a maturing regulatory environment, and a fast-growing FinTech sector.
Under the theme “Building Capacity and Creating Opportunities to scale Sri Lanka’s Digital Future”, the festival convenes FinTech, banking, NBFI, International Networks, government, regional investors, policymakers, and technology partners to accelerate innovation, strengthen financial inclusion, and provide Sri Lanka’s digital economy ambitions a genuine platform on the international stage.
Dr. Kanishka Weeramunda, Director, FinTech Forum Sri Lanka added, “Sri Lanka has already built strong digital‑payment infrastructure. The festival creates the platform to showcase those capabilities, foster innovation, and attract talent and investment into our fintech network.”
Festival’s dynamic programme
The two-day programme unfolds with several distinct high‑impact engagements. It opens on 2 November with an exclusive CEOs Night, an invitation-only gathering of approximately 120 senior stakeholders, including bank and fintech CEOs, FinTech Forum board and advisory members, distinguished speakers, sponsors, government representatives including Central Bank officials, setting the initial tone for the festival.
On 3 November, the main conference, the Sri Lanka FinTech Expo, as a ticketed full‑day programme of estimated 500+ participants, will feature a high‑impact keynote, thought provoking speakers, expert panels, and a FinTech and Solution Provider Exhibition.
The festival concludes with the FinTech Night, a networking reception and celebration with FinTech Awards to unite the festival participants, invited guests, and dedicated Night‑Only ticket holders.
Hithesh Fernando, President, Events, FinTech Forum Sri Lanka noted, “Convening government, regulators, financial institutions, and technology providers, the festival will highlight Sri Lanka’s fintech progress and position the country on the global stage.”
Strategic focus
At the Sri Lanka FinTech Expo, discussions will cover national digital-finance policy, regulation, high profile international keynote on Future of FinTech and sessions under the four themes of Building Unicorns and Monetization, Sustainable and Inclusive Fintech, Cyber Security and Fraud Prevention and Digital assets and Asset tokenization etc.
The festival’s ambitions extend further, to provide the country’s digital-payment infrastructure and technology capacity a global stage, to open space for policy dialogue and thought leadership, and to strengthen the financial inclusion, SME, and tourism-payment ecosystems sustaining the country’s broader digital economy. In doing so, the Sri Lanka FinTech Festival 2026 seeks to firmly secure Sri Lanka’s permanent place in the global fintech landscape.
Source: Lanka Business News