Sri Lanka’s digital governance ambitions took a significant leap forward today as the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), in partnership with LankaPay and under the Ministry of Digital Economy, announced that GovPay, the country’s official government digital payment platform, has now integrated over 50 government organisations.
Launched by the President on 7 February 2025, GovPay has swiftly expanded across the public sector, enabling around 700 government services to accept digital payments. The platform has already processed 7,024 transactions, generating Rs. 65.62 million in revenue through seamless and secure online payments.
At a media briefing held yesterday in Colombo, key officials hailed the milestone as a major step towards building a cashless, transparent, and citizen-centric digital economy.
“Reaching 50 organisations island wide is not just a milestone—it’s a clear signal that GovPay is leading Sri Lanka’s national drive toward building a cashless society,” said Eng. Eranga Weeraratne, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy. “This is a transformative step toward financial inclusion, transparency, and economic empowerment for all.”
Dr. Hans Wijesuriya, Chairperson of ICTA and Chief Advisor to the President on the Digital Economy, called GovPay “a pivotal step” in the journey toward full economic digitisation, predicting exponential growth of the platform’s reach.
ICTA board member Harsha Purasinghe underscored the platform’s future goals:
“Our immediate goal is to onboard over 100 organisations in the coming months and achieve over Rs. 1 billion in transaction value within a year, accelerating the country’s vision for a USD 15 billion digital economy.”
Among the top-performing institutions on the platform are the University of Moratuwa, Kotelawala Defence University, the Department of Technical Education and Training, and the Apeksha Cancer Hospital, each reporting high transaction volumes and strong user engagement.
In addition to the main platform milestone, ICTA also provided updates on the online traffic fine payment system, piloted since April 2025 in selected police divisions including Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, and Dambulla. The system has processed 461 digital transactions, collecting over Rs. 739,500 in fines through real-time digital payments.
Channa De Silva, CEO of LankaPay, revealed plans to enhance GovPay by introducing credit and debit card payment options, including for citizens abroad:
“GovPay will soon support card payments, making it even more accessible to citizens worldwide. LankaPay is proud to support this groundbreaking initiative, which is expected to expand to over 150 organisations by year’s end.”
Meanwhile, Sanjay Karunasena, Acting CEO of ICTA, emphasized GovPay’s role as the foundation for a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for payments:
“We’re building an open-loop, interoperable system that fosters innovation, vendor neutrality, and seamless public-private collaboration.”
ICTA also unveiled a revamped GovPay.lk website with improved user experience and real-time transaction dashboards, designed to increase transparency and performance tracking across institutions.
As part of the call to action, ICTA and the Ministry urged all government bodies to integrate with GovPay and appoint onboarding focal points immediately. Citizens are encouraged to use GovPay via banks or FinTech apps, available 24/7, to enjoy faster, safer, and more accountable public service payments.
