The Fintech Association of Sri Lanka (FASL) commenced its university engagement under the National Artificial Intelligence Awareness Programme with a guest lecture at the University of Kelaniya on 26 October.
The two-hour lecture, delivered to undergraduate Financial Technology students by Rajkumar Kanagasingam, Founding President of FASL and Industry Fellow at the Global FinTech Institute, Singapore, introduced students to the evolution of FinTech, Generative AI, Agentic AI and emerging developments in global financial services.
The lecture was coordinated by Dr. Hirindu Kawshala, Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of the Master of Commerce (MCom) Programme at the University of Kelaniya.
The initiative follows a discussion Kanagasingam held with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at Temple Trees in January 2026 on AI awareness and capacity building, followed by a proposal submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office concerning FASL’s National Artificial Intelligence Awareness Programme.
The FASL-led programme is supported by the Global Tech Advocates (GTA) Sri Lanka Working Group, part of an international network of over 40,000 technology professionals that includes Tech London Advocates, a Founding Partner of London Tech Week.
The lecture featured selected video-based educational presentations from the University of Hong Kong’s ‘Introduction to FinTech’ course, led by Professor Douglas W. Arner, Kerry Holdings Professor in Law at the University of Hong Kong, Associate Director of the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance at the University of Cambridge, and Senior Adviser to FASL.
The presentations included case studies by Huy Nguyen Trieu, Co-Founder of the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE) and former Managing Director at Citi, covering Alibaba, India’s Aadhaar digital identity infrastructure and DBS Bank’s digibank, illustrating how digital innovation is transforming financial inclusion and financial services.
The lecture highlighted Singapore’s emergence as a leading international financial and FinTech hub, with particular attention to DBS Bank’s pioneering role in integrating artificial intelligence across banking operations, customer services and digital banking.
The lecture drew an analogy between Agentic AI and aircraft autopilot systems to illustrate the importance of human oversight. While Generative AI primarily produces content, analysis and recommendations, Agentic AI can plan and execute tasks with varying degrees of autonomy. Just as aircraft autopilot systems operate under pilot supervision, Agentic AI requires appropriate safeguards and human oversight to prevent unintended outcomes.
The lecture also introduced students to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance’s 2026 Global AI in Financial Services Report, highlighting the growing importance of understanding AI developments in the global financial sector.
Drawing on the Global Finance & Technology Network’s (GFTN) Insights resources, students viewed selected video excerpts featuring Michael S. Barr, Governor of the US Federal Reserve and former Special Adviser to US President Bill Clinton, from the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025 panel discussion, “The Global Policy Dialogue: Towards the Next Decade of Transformation and New Financial Corridors.”
FASL plans to continue the National Artificial Intelligence Awareness Programme through university engagements and other initiatives, strengthening AI literacy, industry–academia collaboration, responsible innovation and financial inclusion in Sri Lanka.
Source: Daily Mirror