Digital payments have not spread as quickly among Sri Lanka’s small businesses, despite their central role in the economy. Nazeem Mohamed, Director/Chief Executive Officer at Dialog Finance, believes this gap can be bridged and that Dialog Finance is well placed to do so.
With the government targeting a $15 billion digital economy by 2030, and allocating Rs3 billion in the 2025 budget towards that goal, there is an opportunity to bring more of the island’s broad, connected base into the digital economy. In this conversation with Echelon, Mohamed sets out how payments, financing, and access to technology can work as a single ecosystem rather than separate products.
Financial services are evolving rapidly today. How do you see the future of the industry?
Financial services are moving from standalone products to connected ecosystems. The future will be shaped by the ability to bring payments, lending, commerce, connectivity, and customer experiences together in a simple and meaningful way.
Customers today expect financial services to be instant, accessible, and frictionless. Whether they are making a payment, accessing financing, purchasing a device, managing expenses, or accepting digital payments as a business, they expect the experience to happen seamlessly at the moment of need.
This shift is redefining the role of financial institutions. Success will depend less on offering individual products in isolation and more on creating integrated journeys that simplify financial lives.
How is Dialog Finance responding to this shift through innovation?
At Dialog Finance, this thinking shapes our direction. As a fintech-driven financial institution backed by Sri Lanka’s leading connectivity provider, we are well positioned to connect technology, financial services, and real customer needs.
Our vision goes beyond traditional financial services. We are building a connected financial ecosystem where payments form the foundation for deeper engagement with consumers, merchants, and businesses.
For us, payments are more than transactions. They are the gateway to digital commerce, richer customer relationships, and more relevant financial solutions.
Through our expanding digital payment ecosystem, we are helping consumers and businesses move towards more secure, convenient, and digitally enabled financial experiences.
What role does fintech innovation play in shaping customer experiences?
Fintech innovation is powerful because it removes friction. It allows financial services to become more contextual, accessible, and relevant to everyday life.
At Dialog Finance, we are focused on building smarter customer journeys across payments, merchant acceptance, collections, financing, and digital financial access. The objective is not simply to use technology for its own sake, but to solve practical customer and business challenges.
The future will not be defined by financial services operating in silos. It will be defined by connected platforms that bring payments, financing, and value-added services together in one seamless experience.
How can innovation support Sri Lanka’s merchants and small businesses?
Merchants and small businesses are central to Sri Lanka’s economic future. Yet many still face barriers in accessing formal financial services, digital payment acceptance, and growth capital.
Fintech can help close these gaps by making financial tools simpler, more affordable, and easier to access. Digital payment acceptance, better collection solutions, and connected financial services can help businesses improve efficiency, expand customer reach, and grow with greater confidence.
By digitising financial interactions, we can help more merchants participate in the digital economy and operate more effectively in an increasingly connected marketplace.
What is your broader vision for financial inclusion and Sri Lanka’s digital future?
Financial inclusion is also about access to the tools that enable participation in the digital economy. Increasingly, access to digital ecosystems depends on access to technology itself.
This makes innovative financing models especially important. Enabling access to devices and digital financial experiences is not just about financing a purchase; it is about helping more people connect, transact, learn, work, and participate in the modern economy.
At Dialog Finance, our ambition is to build a connected financial ecosystem that combines innovation, accessibility, and convenience to create meaningful value for customers, merchants, and businesses across Sri Lanka.
We believe the future of finance will belong to institutions that can connect technology, payments, and customer experiences into a single ecosystem that supports inclusive economic growth.