Pomelo Pay and Dialog Axiata to digitise payments for SMEs in Sri Lanka

By Leandra Monteiro

Digital payments company Pomelo Pay announced a partnership with Dialog Axiata PLC, one of Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity providers, to consolidate and provide an enhanced payment platform for Small and Medium Enterprises in Sri Lanka, enabling them to digitalise payments.

Commenting on this partnership, Renuka Fernando, Group Chief Digital Services Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC added, “We are excited to partner with Pomelo who has expertise in providing seamless and intuitive solutions to merchants globally. As Sri Lanka works towards a cashless society, Dialog is committed to empower and enrich Sri Lankan lives and businesses with accessible, inclusive and convenient digital solutions.”

The partnership is in line with Pomelo’s plans to expand its global presence in Asia and Europe and will consolidate about 80,000 SME merchants across Dialog’s multiple platforms, including ezCash into a common payment platform Genie. These merchants will be able to send and receive payments securely and seamlessly via QR codes and track all their transactions within the same payment interface via their mobile or online.

This programme to empower SMEs reinforces Dialog’s aim to fight for financial inclusion for over 1 million businesses in Sri Lanka. SMEs in Sri Lanka are the backbone of the economy and account for more than 75% of the total number of enterprises attributing to 45% employment and 52% of the country’s gross domestic production.

Vincent Choi, CEO of Pomelo said, “SMEs in South and Southeast Asia face massive challenges in digitalising and accepting digital payments, and we believe that Pomelo can aid growth and adoption in these markets. We are honoured to collaborate with Dialog in their mission to champion financial inclusion in Sri Lanka by empowering over one million merchants with solutions to digitalise, as the country works towards a cashless society.”

Pomelo’s entry into Sri Lanka comes at a time when the firm’s enhanced payment platform will integrate with the national LANKAQR standard which will allow Dialog to offer its merchants a low cost and seamless digital payment methods to opt for over traditional Point-of-Sales (POS) terminals which requires them to commit to recurring fees.

This shift in payment method will eventually allow merchants to become e-commerce ready, digitalise with ease and offer more payment options, including LANKAQR, to their customers.