People’s Leasing IT team that spearheaded the development of PLC Touch app, led by Deputy General Manager ICT Group Prabath Gunasena (centre) 

Youth and Sports, Development Co-ordination and Monitoring Minister and Digital Technology and Enterprise Development State Minister Namal Rajapaksa and People’s Leasing & Finance PLC Chief Executive Officer/General Manager Shamindra Marcelline launch new PLC Touch app

Sri Lanka’s leading state-owned non-bank financial institution (NBFI) People’s Leasing & Finance PLC recently unveiled its mobile application – PLC Touch – to facilitate a convenient user experience. 

The state-of-the-art app has a plethora of interesting features, including the insurance component, which is a first for a banking app in Sri Lanka.

Speaking at the launch of the app, People’s Leasing & Finance PLC Chief Executive Officer/General Manager Shamindra Marcelline said, “We are excited to be the first NBFI to deliver a product of this nature to the market. This serves to make the user experience convenient and safer given the current context. All transactions can be done with a single tap, from the comfort of one’s own home without having to visit a branch physically. This we believe is the future of not just banking but all industries generally – we are moving ahead with the times and in doing so, blazing the trail for the local NBFI industry.”

People’s Leasing & Finance PLC Deputy General Manager ICT Group Prabath Gunasena added that another specialty of this app is that it is fully developed in-house and with local talent, which was a highly cost-effective move as opposed to outsourcing. This way, he said the organisation was able to save a substantial amount of money, which could be channelled to other areas, including corporate social responsibility initiatives.

“We can proudly claim that the tech expertise for this product came from within the organisation. The app is trilingual in keeping with PLC’s ethos of championing diversity and inclusivity. We have made the interface simple so anybody can easily navigate without feeling overwhelmed.”

Some key features of the app include ability to make QR code-based and utility bill payments, ability to manage savings while mapping activities of any other account with any other bank, PLC loan and leasing rental payment through any bank account via the app, ‘Call & Go’ feature to simplify the claim process in the event of an accident and ability to obtain a new insurance policy within minutes minus the tedious paperwork. 

As the pioneer of innovation in the NBFI sector, PLC launched the Self-e-Cash service whereby a customer could obtain an ‘instant loan’ against a fixed deposit to be withdrawn from an ATM. Same service has been mirrored and offered via the PLC Touch app further incorporating QR and bill payment, fund transfer and a host of other options.

PLC is hopeful that this app will set a benchmark for the industry as well become popular among its highly diverse customer-base, given the simple user-friendly interface. PLC Touch can be downloaded for free from Google Play or App Store.

Youth and Sports, Development Co-ordination and Monitoring Minister and Digital Technology and Enterprise Development State Minister Namal Rajapaksa at the occasion of unveiling the new mobile application stated, “It’s encouraging to see more organisations both in the public and private sector utilising technology to simplify the existing processes, to create a better experience for consumers and clients. Digitalisation is definitely the way forward and if didn’t know it before we definitely know it now. The COVID pandemic has opened our eyes to the limitless possibilities of digitalisation. I encourage more and more organisations to rethink and reinvent their products and services based on digital technology.”