The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has announced that its ‘Flash’ digital account holders can now pay digitally for their rides with taxi service PickMe thanks to a convenient QR code upgrade that minimises contact with the driver.

This touch-less and cash-less payment option is made possible by the Bank’s recent partnership with PickMe and the ensuing integration of the respective apps of the two organisations leading to the generation and acceptance dynamic EMV-compliant QR codes.  

The process is both simple and safe for the Flash app user and PickMe driver alike. After each taxi ride, a dynamic QR code will be generated on the PickMe app on the mobile device of the driver. The passenger only has to open his or her Flash account application on the phone, click on the QR-Pay option on the app’s home screen, and scan the QR code generated on the driver’s app to instantly settle the taxi fare.

Commenting on the launch of this facility, Commercial Bank’s Head of Digital Banking Mr Pradeep Banduwansa said: “As a technology driven bank, the Commercial Bank of Ceylon consistently seeks to break new ground in providing customers the most convenient, secure, efficient and user-friendly services. Our partnership with PickMe is timely at this point when the country is slowly opening up for operations and people are looking for safe options to get about their daily lives. With this touch-less payment option we hope to make commuting a little more convenient and safe for our customers.”

Mr Isira Perera, Chief Operating Officer of PickMe said: “PickMe was one of the first businesses in the country that rose to the occasion during the lockdown to deliver essential goods and services to the doorsteps of people island-wide. With this partnership with Commercial Bank of Ceylon we are further enhancing the relevance of our service, not just by offering convenience to the customer but also by ensuring safety via contactless payments to our Driver Partners and Customers. We are looking forward to seeing this payment option grow in popularity.”

In order to better service the needs of its customers during the recent lockdown, the Commercial Bank of Ceylon added a QR Payment module that enables Flash account users to scan a Lanka QR code of any merchant to make payments direct from the account to the merchant for goods or services purchased. Facilitated by Lanka Clear (Pvt) Ltd., the Lanka QR code is a national standard introduced by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for local currency payments through mobile phones.

Even before the introduction of the QR payment module, Flash Account holders could settle their PickMe taxi fares via their Flash Debit Cards.

The first Sri Lankan Bank to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World and the only Sri Lankan bank to be so listed for nine years consecutively, Commercial Bank is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year. The Bank, which won more than 50 international and local awards in 2019, operates a network of 268 branches and 865 ATMs in Sri Lanka.

Commercial Bank’s overseas operations encompass Bangladesh, where the Bank operates 19 outlets; Myanmar, where it has a Representative Office in Yangon and a Microfinance company in Nay Pyi Taw; and the Maldives, where the Bank has a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake.

Photo caption: Commercial Bank’s Head of Digital Banking Mr Pradeep Banduwansa (fourth from right) and PickMe Chief Operating Officer Mr Isira Perera exchange the agreement in the presence of Messrs Sanjiv Alles and Mufaddal Lukmanjee, Directors of Digital Payment Systems Pvt Ltd. (second and third from left), Mr Shifaz Riyaz, Chief Financial Officer of PickMe (fourth from left) and other representatives of PickMe and Commercial Bank’s Digital Banking Unit.