HNB launches UnionPay international acceptance for E-Commerce transactions

In alignment with its strategic roadmap and unwavering commitment to advancing customer experiences while bolstering payment acceptance capabilities in the market, Sri Lanka’s leading private sector bank, HNB PLC, is delighted to announce the successful launch of UnionPay International (UPI) acceptance for e-commerce transactions.

This strategic collaboration is particularly timely, given the burgeoning growth within the tourism sector and the expansive card base of UPI. The resultant partnership not only marks a significant milestone but also presents a substantial opportunity for HNB merchants to tap into a new and diverse customer base, thereby augmenting the bank’s market presence.

Enhanced by the bank’s cutting-edge payment gateway services, this initiative ensures that merchants’ technical requirements are comprehensively met, facilitating the seamless processing of UPI transactions. This strategic move underscores HNB’s continuous commitment to innovation, customer-centricity, and its positioning as a leader in the evolving landscape of financial services.

HNB Deputy General Manager – Retail Banking Group, Sanjay Wijemanne, expressed that, “HNB always strives to remain steadfast in its commitment to enhancing business organizations through innovative and diverse modes of payment acceptance. The successful launch of e-commerce UnionPay International transactions, complemented by the bank’s technologically sophisticated tools, signifies a strategic step towards realizing the bank’s vision within this competitive market landscape.”

UPI Country Manager (Sri Lanka and Maldives), Crispin Weerasekara said, “The successful collaboration between HNB and UnionPay International (UPI) highlighted the effective provision of acquiring services across all HNB Point of Sale (POS) platforms. Acknowledging the evolving landscape of digital payments, we noticed that there has been a substantial increase in transaction volumes over the preceding years, and accordingly, our primary goal became to address the growing demand for digital transactions, thereby actively contributing to enhancing HNB’s presence in the e-commerce market. The strategic focus lies in meeting consumer needs while bolstering the bank’s competitiveness in the dynamic financial environment.”

UnionPay International is a subsidiary of China UnionPay focused on the growth and support of UnionPay’s global business. UnionPay is the world’s largest card network with more than 7 billion cards issued. In partnership with more than 2,500 financial institutions worldwide, UnionPay International has enabled card acceptance in 180 countries and regions with issuance in more than 70 countries and regions. UnionPay International provides high quality, cost effective and secure cross-border payment services to the world’s largest cardholder base and ensures convenient local services to a growing number of global UnionPay cardholders and merchants.

With 254 customer centres and 800+ Self Service Devices (SSMs) nationwide, HNB is one of Sri Lanka’s largest, most technologically innovative private banks. Consolidating its legacy in sustainability, good governance and corporate excellence, HNB was crowned the Best Corporate Citizen for 2022 at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Best Corporate Citizen Awards. The bank further secured four additional accolades, including being ranked among the Top 10 Best Corporate Citizens and taking home the Governance category and Sustainability Champion for the Finance sector titles.

Additionally, HNB was ranked among the World’s Top 1,000 Banks list compiled by the prestigious UK-based Banker Magazine for the sixth consecutive year in 2022, in addition to being crowned the Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka for the 13th occasion at the prestigious International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards 2023 hosted by the Asian Banker Magazine.