Sri Lanka FinTech Festival to position country as emerging digital finance hub Sri Lanka is set to strengthen its position in the regional digital finance landscape with the inaugural Sri Lanka FinTech Festival 2026, organised by the FinTech Forum Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Economy. The two-day flagship event will be held on November 2 and 3 at Shangri-La Colombo. The Festival was officially announced at a press conference at Amari Colombo, where organisers also unveiled its official website. The Festival aims to bring together Sri Lanka’s growing fintech and digital finance ecosystem, showcase local capabilities and connect stakeholders with regional and global developments in financial technology. It is also expected to encourage stronger public-private collaboration, increase visibility for Sri Lankan fintech innovation and deepen engagement with international digital finance markets. Sri Lanka has already established important digital finance infrastructure and capabilities. The Festival will provide a platform to highlight these developments and demonstrate the country’s readiness to participate in the next phase of financial innovation. The programme will focus on four key themes: the future of FinTech; building unicorns and modernisation; sustainable and inclusive FinTech; and security and fraud. Discussions will examine developments shaping the regional and global fintech landscape, including digital finance policy and regulation, regulatory sandboxes, digital assets, cross-border payments and remittances, artificial intelligence in finance, tokenisation, digital public infrastructure and digital identity, financial inclusion, SME finance and tourism payments. The Festival will commence on November 2 with CEOs Night, an invitation-only gathering of banking and fintech CEOs, members of the FinTech Forum Board and Advisory Committee, speakers, government representatives and officials of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. On November 3, the Sri Lanka FinTech Expo will bring together more than 500 participants for a full-day programme featuring keynote addresses, expert panel discussions and a FinTech and Solution Provider Exhibition. The exhibition will provide businesses with an opportunity to showcase their technologies and solutions to industry leaders and potential partners. The Festival will conclude with FinTech Night, a networking reception for participants and invited guests. Speaking at the press conference were Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eng. Eranga Weeraratne, Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy Dr Hans Wijayasuriya, Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy Waruna Sri Dhanapala, FinTech Forum Chairman Channa de Silva and Vice Chairman Conrad Dias. The event was attended by representatives from the Government, banking and financial services sector, fintech and technology industries, Festival organisers and the media.