Sampath Bank became the first bank in Sri Lanka to present a Man of the Match award digitally at a cricket match, giving away a prize purse of Rs.300, 000 through its widely popular digital wallet, Sampath WePay,at the recently held first ODI of South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s Avishka Fernando, who was adjudged the Man of the Match, received this sum through an electronic fund transfer made in realtime, using Sampath WePay during the presentation ceremony.

This is quite possibly the first instance of a digital transfer such as this being done by a bank for a Man of the Match award, anywhere in the world.

Sampath Bank is the co-sponsor of South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka. As part of the partnership, the bank is sponsoring the Man of the Match award prize money anddigitally transferring the sum to the award winners through Sampath WePay.

Furthermore, the bank has also invited all Sri Lankans to predict the Man of the Match in each of the games in the series and stand a chance to win exciting cricket memorabilia.

This initiative is part of Sampath Bank’s continued efforts to raise greater awareness about digital payment solutions like Sampath WePay and drive the adoption of the same in line with the Government and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s vision for digital payments.

“At Sampath Bank, we share the nation’s passion for the game of cricket. As a bank that has been committed to offering innovative digital payment solutions such as Sampath WePay, we view the sport as a great vehicle to engage and educate all Sri Lankans about digital payments and their added significance during this global pandemic. Hence, it is our privilege to be the first bank in Sri Lanka, and possibly the world, to present the Man of the Match award prize money digitally, through Sampath WePay,” said Tharaka Ranwala, Senior DGM – Operations / Group Chief Marketing Officer, Sampath Bank PLC.

“Going beyond digitizing the Man of the Match purse, we are also inviting cricket fans around the island to predict the Man of the Match winners for each game and stand a chance to win cricket memorabilia. 

As part of our efforts to add greater value to the nation and present its future, we will continue to transform the nation’s financial services landscape with more such innovative solutions,” he added.