The decision was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers following a proposal submitted by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Digital Economy, in line with the 2026 Budget proposals aimed at accelerating the National QR Payments Implementation Programme.
According to Government data, although the LankaQR system is currently in operation with more than 20 financial institutions and nearly 30 mobile applications, the level of active usage remains low. During the third quarter of 2025, about 274,000 QR transactions were recorded with a total value of around Rs. 1.18 billion, while the average transaction value was less than Rs. 5,000.
Officials said the continued heavy reliance on cash for day-to-day retail transactions has slowed the growth of the digital economy and limited financial transparency.
Under the new programme, no additional fee will be charged from either the sender or the recipient for QR payments below Rs. 5,000, a move expected to encourage small-value digital transactions and improve financial inclusion while strengthening the country’s digital payment ecosystem.
