Sampath Bank became the first bank in Sri Lanka to present a Man of the Match award digitally at a cricket match, giving away a prize purse of Rs.300,000 through its widely popular digital wallet, Sampath WePay, at the recently held first ODI of South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s Avishka Fernando, who was adjudged the Man of the Match, received this sum through an electronic fund transfer made in real time, using Sampath WePay during the presentation ceremony.

This is quite possibly the first instance of a digital transfer such as this being done by a bank for a Man of the Match award, anywhere in the world.

Sampath Bank is the co-sponsor of South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka. As part of the partnership, the Bank is sponsoring the Man of the Match award prize money and digitally transferring the sum to the award winners through Sampath WePay. Furthermore, the bank has also invited all Sri Lankans to predict the Man of the Match in each of the games in the series and stand a chance to win exciting cricket memorabilia.

This initiative is part of Sampath Bank’s continued efforts to raise greater awareness about digital payment solutions like Sampath WePay and drive the adoption of the same in line with the Government and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s vision for digital payments.

“At Sampath Bank, we share the nation’s passion for the game of cricket. As a bank that has been committed to offering innovative digital payment solutions such as Sampath WePay, we view the sport as a great vehicle to engage and educate all Sri Lankans about digital payments and their added significance during this global pandemic. Hence, it is our privilege to be the first bank in Sri Lanka, and possibly the world, to present the Man of the Match award prize money digitally, through Sampath WePay,” said Tharaka Ranwala, Senior DGM – Operations / Group Chief Marketing Officer, Sampath Bank PLC. “Going beyond digitizing the Man of the Match purse, we are also inviting cricket fans around the island to predict the Man of the Match winners for each game and stand a chance to win cricket memorabilia. As part of our efforts to add greater value to the nation and present its future, we will continue to transform the nation’s financial services landscape with more such innovative solutions.”

Sampath WePay serves as a one stop digital wallet where users can store all types of financial instruments from JustPay allowed local banks and carry out real-time online transactions. Continuing to transform the way Sri Lankans conduct their day-to-day transactions, it also offers Social Share – the ability to transfer funds to any individual over online social messaging services such as WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger, Telegram, etc. as well as through regular text messages; QR based payments; Sampath Bank and third-party fund transfers - bill payments and more.

In doing so, Sampath WePay helps minimize the need to use cash for transactions, enabling users to make and accept payments in a safe and convenient manner from anywhere, at any time, thereby saving both time and effort.

Recognizing the fact that people will still need to use cash for certain transactions, Sampath Bank also recently introduced Touchless Cash Withdrawals at ATMs for the first time in Sri Lanka. Sampath Bank customers and customers of all other banks in the country can now use Sampath WePay to withdraw the funds in their accounts and cards at any Sampath Bank ATM around the island. They simply need to scan the QR code displayed on the ATM screen through the app, select the preferred account, and enter the desired amount. Thus, this serves as an ideal means of withdrawing cash from ATMs during the current global COVID-19 pandemic.

Sampath WePay is available as a free download on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei AppGallery. Users can get onboard Sampath WePay by simply entering their National Identity Card (NIC) details alone. They can begin transacting through the app by updating their Sampath Bank or any other bank’s account, credit card or debit card details. For more information on Sampath WePay, visit https://www.sampath.lk/en/personal/electronic-banking/wepay.

Sampath Bank is a 100% local bank that has deeply rooted itself in the hearts of the people of Sri Lanka. Established in 1987, the bank has become a state-of-the-art financial institution that continues to be a market leader today thanks to its constant innovation and customer focused approach to business. It has introduced many firsts to the Sri Lankan banking sector including the introduction of ATMs to Sri Lanka, extended banking hours and slip-less banking to name a few. The Bank continues to steadily transform itself into a technology-driven financial services provider whilst keeping true to our traditions and values.

Caption: Sri Lanka’s Avishka Fernando, Man of the Match in the first ODI of South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka, showing the digital transfer he received through Sampath WePay during the presentation ceremony.