Visa sees 35%+ surge in debit card spends; trend expected to continue in the upcoming Avurudu season

Out of the total domestic spends on debit cards, the share of in-store spending is 7 times that of ecommerce.

Last holiday season saw over 20% growth in Visa debit transactions vis-à-vis 2022

Visa (NYSE: V), the global leader in digital payments, today announced that Visa debit card spends saw a significant increase of over 35% in the past year, indicating healthy growth of digital payments in Sri Lanka. This increase is buoyed by a 30%+ increase in face-to-face spends and over 40% increase in ecommerce spends.

As the Tamil & Sinhala New Year celebrations commence in the country, retail transactions are picking up with more active shoppers during the festive period. Consumers are increasingly paying by debit card, opting for safer, simpler and more convenient transactions.

Avanthi Colombage, Country Manager – Sri Lanka and Maldives said, “We are excited to see the jump in debit card usage by consumers in Sri Lanka lately. While this is skewed towards in-store spends, ecommerce growth too has been heartening and we expect this momentum to continue during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. We also saw a robust over 35% growth in debit spends in 2023 over 2022, in the year-ending holiday season. This festive season too, we believe cardholders will gravitate towards secure and faster ways to pay like tapping or dipping their cards. We have also been working closely with our issuing and acquiring partners to boost card usage and its acceptance, so that consumers can use their Visa cards anytime anywhere – conveniently, easily and safely.”

Recent data by Visa Consulting & Analytics shows that Visa debit cards have largely been used at face-to-face or ‘in-store’ channels like merchant outlets and shops. Proportion of instore spend of the overall domestic debit card usage is 7 times of what is spent on ecommerce. The top in-store categories where consumers shopped have been Food and Grocery, Apparel, Fuel and Restaurants. Ecommerce spending was mostly for telecom and utility services, education, government payments and insurance.

Avanthi Colombage points out, “This indicates the rising usage of debit cards, one of the most familiar, simple and quick ways to pay digitally. Geographically, we saw urban centres such as Colombo and Gampaha recording over 50% of in-store transactions. We are working with partners to create regional roadshows beyond the western province to increase awareness of debit cards among consumers and merchants.”

This increase in debit card usage among Sri Lankans is seen in many developing countries as more consumers are opting for a seamless and secure payment experience with cards vis-à-vis using cash.

With the promising growth in tourism as well, digital transactions by tourists also played an important role in increased spends. Compared to 2022, Visa data shows that the share of tourism in total cross-border spends during the holiday season grew by 15 percentage points. In terms of volume and value both, tourism-related spends have increased by over 100% on Visa credentials”, confirms Avanthi Colombage.

Visa further shared that over 50% of tourism-related spends in Sri Lanka came from the USA, India, UK, UAE and Australia. Tourists have spent largely on lodging and retail goods, which contributed to over 60% of tourism spends during the holiday season.

“We are committed towards raising awareness of the benefits of using debit cards for safety and ease of use” says Avanthi Colombage. Visa has tied up with its clients and conducted awareness initiatives for merchants on debit cards, as well as promotional activities, cash back offers and discounts for Visa cardholders. It is also focusing on increasing the acceptance of Visa cards and digital transactions across Sri Lanka.

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The primary objective of education must be the continual renewal of knowledge – President

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that in this rapidly evolving world, the renewal of knowledge stands as a pivotal task within the realm of education, underscoring the trajectory towards a knowledge-based society for the nation’s advancement over the next 75 years. Acknowledging the burgeoning role of modern technology and knowledge as the new pillars of education, he warned that irrespective of economic prowess, failure to synchronize with global transformations would impede progress.

The President voiced these sentiments when he attended the annual prize-giving ceremony at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya, Colombo, on Friday (05)

(PMD)

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Splintering SLFP; ship of waste material; spot of good news

Is the Sri Lanka Freedom party writhing in its death throes? Is the blame for that to be laid at Maithripala Sirisena’s feet? He wrested the chairmanship of the Blue Party; Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga should be SLFP Head if custom, tradition and courtesy are observed.

SLFP

We remember the founding of the SLFP as was said to be a protest by SWRD Bandaranaike when he was overlooked and the premiership, which was passed on to Dudley following the death of his father DS Senanayake. While browsing the Internet, Cass found the following piece of info, which was new to her. “Though he did not encourage Mrs Bandaranaike to engage in political topics and was dismissive of her in front of colleagues, SWRD came to respect her judgement. In 1951, she persuaded him to resign from the United National Party and establish the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.” He did just that, but perhaps went beyond her advice by stating the basis of the party would be the Pancha Maha Balavegaya (Five Great Forces) which consisted of ayurveda doctors, Buddhist clergy, teachers, farmers and workers.

His test of them was a farce: taken to the then sacrosanct premises of the Parliament some ran amok and occupied the Speaker’s seat. Even in the general political field, ‘unleashing’ them was found to be premature, though SWRD won popularity, seats in parliament and power. “After winning 9 seats in the 1952 parliamentary elections, SWRDB contested the 1956 election on a platform of giving true meaning to Independence achieved in 1948. This involved a nationalist, democratic and socialist programme, which saw the SLFP achieve a huge victory at the elections and was seen as an equal rival to the UNP.

Then comes Sirisena not overtly ordering so but having MPs Mahinda Amaraweera, Duminda Dissanayake and Lasantha Alagiyawanne unseated from the high posts they held in the Party – Senior VP, National Organiser and Treasurer respectively. Reason: accepting ministerial posts in the government. Things get curiouser and curiouser. Minister of the SLPP and UNP government, Dr Wijayadasa Rajapakshe, was invited to deliver a lecture to the SLFPers gathered at their headquarters in Darley Road. Only Sirisena could plan and execute such a devious arrangement, very probably strategically beneficial to himself.

There’s more to come in this tragicomedy since the demoted three are resorting to legal action. One truth given out by Prez Ranil W is that Parliament and its members should have been awarded Raigam Awards for excellent teledrama comedy and cunning.

Dangerous garbage ahoy!

Cassandra received a video clip with a picture of the freight ship colliding with the Baltimore Bridge and a write-up that it was the Singapore cargo ship named Dali chartered by Maersk carrying 764 tons of hazardous waste material to Sri Lanka from the US. She thought she was being hoodwinked, nay caught in a social media hype or trick as she had been the previous week. But asking around she found it was a true story. My God, she exclaimed, is the government of SL still allowing the importing and unloading of poisonous garbage in our land? Who gets rich on this most hazardous one-way trade? Cannot such evils be stopped?

Cass said she was tricked. Why? Remember in her previous Friday’s Cry she mentioned the poem read at the February 2024 Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood. It was a hoax. No such poem had been read at the ceremony. In fact, she noted a discrepancy but thought not much of it and believed the video clip she viewed. While journalist Chris Hedges was supposedly reciting the plaintive poem on the Gaza disaster, the camera panning on faces in the audience showed smiles; no face showing the slightest sorrow, shock or shame.

She sent it to a niece and this more discerning woman remarked on this fact vehemently. A New York resident who watched the entire awards ceremony was surprised at Cass’ comment on the poetry reading. What poem? Chris Hedges reading a poem? And then it dawned on easily taken in, naïve Cass that she had been successfully deceived by a tech savvy Palestinian sympathiser, probably.

Kudos to SL through dance

One bright spot in our sights of wasteful use of now scarce treated water to daily bathe cars, gardens and roads; eternal repetitions of news on “When’s the elections?” and tales of corruption: a dollop of bright praise came Sri Lanka’s way. Much needed when the name of our lovely island is being immediately and inexorably coupled with the mass murder of a Sri Lankan mother and four children, including a two-month infant by a compatriot.

The praise Cass refers to was for our three Chitrasena Company dancers who performed in New York and Atlanta for sure, and most probably in Washington DC too, with Odissi dancers in ‘Ahuti.’ I was told about this by a woman in New York, who seemed to prefer the Odissi style to the Kandyan. But a man from Atlanta who watched the show with two Americans raved over our dancers: Theja Dias, Amanda Gomesz and Kishan Dharmaratne. He said the Kandyan style of more restraint and yes, dignity, was better than the Indian style. His American friends were amazed at the beauty, agility and sheer excellence of all the dancers. I agree with both opinions on seeing a video sent of short takes of the various dances where the two styles were combined.

The two participating and cooperating groups are the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble of classical Indian dance from Odissi and Chitrasena Dance Company, which is the foremost Sri Lankan dance ensemble specialising in the style of the Kandyan tradition of dance.

Cass read a review by Brian Seibert of May 10, 2023, on ‘Ahuti’ where he notes the two ensembles ‘shared roots and contrasting movements.” “Main Odissi style of sensuous S curves and Kandyan – freer, loops and jumpier; friendlier, playful and less stylized.” The show was choreographed by Surupa Sen, assisted by our Heshma Wignarajah.

A fine tribute to this island of ours from our foremost school of dance.

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Udaya: Govt. planning to hold presidential and general elections simultaneously

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday (03) claimed that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government was exploring the possibility of conducting presidential and parliamentary polls simultaneously.

Attorney-of-Law Gammanpila alleged that the government was doing so as President Ranil Wickremesinghe had rejected the SLPP’s call to hold the parliamentary polls before the presidential election scheduled for Sept/Oct this year.

The Colombo District MP said that the law provided for holding the two national polls on the same day. Asked to explain, MP Gammanpila said that the Election Commission was constitutionally bound to call nominations for the presidential polls between July 17 and September 04. The PHU leader said that President Wickremesinghe could pave the way for both elections on the same day by dissolving Parliament on the day EC announces the calling of nominations for the Presidential poll. (SF)

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Easter Sunday carnage: Sajith promises fresh probe under an SJB govt.

By Saman Indrajith

Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament yesterday that if he was elected President, he would launch a fresh Presidential Commission probe into the Easter Sunday terror attacks.

Premadasa said that he along with the rest of the people had been demanding justice over the Easter Sunday terror attacks for the past five years. “I have raised many questions on this floor, but the government has failed to respond to them.”

Premadasa outlined the measures that would be taken to serve justice to the victims and to find out the masterminds behind the carnage.

“If am elected President, within two months, a seven-member Commission, consisting of local and international experts, will be set up under the Commissions of Inquiry Act No. 17 of 1948. The Commission will be tasked with studying the entire security programme in the past and present, without limitations. It will also be vested with powers to obtain statements from any person in any institution without any restriction,” the Opposition Leader said.

“Within six weeks of the establishment of the Commission, I will set up a permanent investigation office, consisting of foreign intelligence and security services, including the Scotland Yard, and FBI, as well as local intelligence and security agencies to work together. It will be made mandatory for the Attorney General to file indictments or take necessary action subject to the laws of the land subject to the recommendations and orders of the Commission,” Premadasa said.

Premadasa added that he would also set up a permanent High Court to hear cases against the persons charged with offences related to the Easter attacks.

He said that new laws would be brought in to establish a Public Prosecutor’s Office independent of the Attorney General. For this purpose, the Commissions of Inquiry Act No. 17 of 1948 and the Judicature Act No. 2 of 1978 would have to be amended.

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Statement by SBSL and GTF on recent events in Sri Lanka

The Sangha for Better Sri Lanka (SBSL) and the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) are saddened by the untoward incidents that took place during the Maha Shivaratri Event (March 8, 2024) at Vedukkunari Aathi Sivan Temple in the North of Sri Lanka.

On the Maha Shiva Rathri night (the most auspicious night in the Hindu calendar), in an alarming escalation of force, the security forces resorted to actions which included depriving the devotees of food, water and other basic necessities, and the forceful and humiliating manner in which the devotees including the temple priests were removed from the site and detained.

We are aware of the history of the conflict in this and other contentious areas which are often fuelled by the suspicions and fears among the minority communities about the broader state agenda of imposing majoritarian character, symbols and practices at the expense of their centuries old cultural traditions and practices. The Archaeology Department is often viewed as a tool to achieve this end. The courts, too, are subjected to unhealthy pressure and in the present crisis there are conflicting interpretations as to whether the night pooja was permitted or not – this in itself is an affront to those who have been following such religious practices over many years.

What was striking the most during the recent escalation was the excessive force and the humiliating treatment inflicted upon the devotees of a particular faith.

As the police couldn’t produce any evidence of damage at the site, and the fact that there was an existing legal determination that worshipping must be permitted and the release of all detainees by the judge is of great relief.

The oral statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, presented earlier this month highlighted continuing abductions, unlawful detention and torture by the Security establishment and the present crisis appears to validate his strong concerns. Further, such occurrences go against the reconciliation agenda the government purported to promote, including by setting up a new Office for this purpose.

We are also concerned about the negative fallout such incidents can cause to the initiatives undertaken by SBSL and GTF for promoting religious harmony and understanding among all communities in Sri Lanka.

With the possibility of elections later in the year and the potential for interested parties to stir unrest for electoral benefits, we call upon all citizens of the country – including politicians, government officials, and the legal and security establishments – to take utmost precaution to avoid repeat of such incidents in the future.

In other progressive steps three of the SBSL Buddhist monks, Ven. Madampagama Assaji Tissa Thero, Ven. Kithalagama Hemasara Nayake Thero and Ven. Prof. Pallekande Rathnasara Thero met with the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs Vidura Wickremanayake on 14 March. Apart from formally handing over the Himalaya Declaration, they also discussed some of the issues highlighted at the meeting with the Most Ven Nallai Atheenam Kurukkal in December 2023.

It is noteworthy to acknowledge that the SBSL monks visited the sites in January to see it for themselves where issues were identified, including the Thirukoneswarar Temple in Tricomalee, Kurunthoor Malai and in Kankesanthurai within the presidential palace compound which comprises two Hindu temples, namely Lingeswarar Kovil and Krishnar Kovil and a Samadhi (tomb or mausoleum) of Sadayamma Sadhu. The Minister assured the monks that he will assist in finding resolutions to these issues in the near future. On 10 January, at Kurunthoor Malai, with the assistance of the Governor for Northern Province, the monks were able to resolve the issue of water supply to a large part of agricultural land to which water supply was temporarily suspended.

On 12 March, Ven. Kalupahana Piyaratana Thero from the SBSL and Prakash Rajasunderam from GTF – Australia met with the United Nations Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche in Colombo and formally handed over the Himalaya Declaration. Following the meeting, the UN Resident Coordinator tweeted “Today, I received representatives from Sangha for Better Sri Lanka & Global Tamil Forum who shared their ‘Himalayan Declaration’ & plans for ‘National Conversation’. Look forward to further updates of their social & religious dialogue on reconciliation and respect for human rights”.

The third of the five proposed workshops as preparatory district level workshops to upskill coordinators for the National Conversation based on the Himalaya Declaration took place in Batticaloa, on Friday, March, 1 and Saturday, March, 2. Participants from four surrounding districts, namely, Polonnaruwa, Monaragala, Ampere and Trinocmalee also participated.

At the workshop in Batticaloa, thirty religious leaders of all faiths and some civil society members participated. Ven. Kalupahana Piyarathana Thero, Ven. Prof. Pallekande Rathnasara Thero, and Ven. Kithalagama Hemasara Nayake Thero were present and led the discussions on behalf of Sangha for Better Sri Lanka (SBSL). Global Tamil Forum (GTF) was represented by Velupillai Kuhanendran from the United Kingdom.

Visaka Dharmadasa’s Association for War Affected Women (AWAW) facilitated the gathering. Six statements in the Declaration found widespread acknowledgement among the participants. Professional facilitators Indika Perera, Nagaratnam Vijayskanthan and Jinadari Parameshwaram, who also provided translations.

The inaugural workshop was held in Kurunegala on February 9 and 10. At the Kurunegala workshop, participants included Gampaha, Anuradhapura and Puttalam as well. The second workshop was held at Kandy, where participants were from areas such as Mattale, Badulla, Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya and Kegalle.

These planned workshops are aimed at training the proposed 150 interfaith clergy and civil society members, as coordinators. They will be the key resource persons who will facilitate the planned 25 districts conversations, in the coming months. These proposed five workshops will all be two days workshops, spread around the country.

Next workshop will be on 19 and 20 April in Galle which will have participants from Colombo, Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Hambantota. The final one will be on 26 and 27 April in Vavuniya, where participants from Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Mannar and Vavuniya will participate.

Each district will be represented by five inter-religious persons and a civil society member in total six per district. Therefore, from the 25 districts will be 150 coordinators. Once all five workshops are over, the national conversation will begin.

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Boult, Chahal and Parag make it 3-0 for Royals and 0-3 for Mumbai Indians

Hardik Pandya’s return to the Wankhede Stadium as Mumbai Indians captain was far from a fairy tale, as the five-time champions lost their third game in a row, this time with 27 balls to spare. Rajasthan Royals – led by superb performances from Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and Riyan Parag  gave them a thorough hammering to move to No. 1 on the points table with a hat-trick of victories.

Boult left Mumbai gasping within minutes of the start of the match when he dismissed Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir and Dewald Brevis for first-ball ducks in his first eight balls. His 3 for 22 was only matched by the 3 for 11 taken by Chahal, who controlled the middle overs to ensure Mumbai did not stage a batting comeback.

Chasing 126 for victory, Parag dragged Royals out of some early trouble and shepherded the chase. He finished the game with six, six, and four to stay unbeaten on 54 to take the No. 1 spot on the orange cap leaderboard – tied on runs with Virat Kohli but ahead of strike rate.

Rohit had all the support from the crowd, which chanted his name even as they booed Hardik, but his time with the bat lasted only one ball when Boult got one to swing away from him and get him to edge it behind. Next ball, Boult swung it the other way, getting a full ball to nip into Dhir.

With two wickets gone inside the game’s first six balls, Mumbai brought in impact sub Brevis in the second over itself, but he too fell prey to the ball angling across, edging it to Nandre Burger at short third.

With three wickets in his first eight deliveries of the game, Boult gave Royals an advantage that they never let go. He finished with 3 for 22.

After Boult’s searing opening spell, Burger got in on the action. Playing as a replacement for the injured Sandeep Sharma, Burger came around the wicket to pick off Ishan Kishan with a length ball that angled away and took his edge.

With Mumbai Indians 20 for 4 in three-and-a-half overs, Tilak Varma and Hardik looked to build a recovery, almost succeeding with a 56-run fifth-wicket stand, but Chahal dismissed both batters to snuff out any chance of a comeback.

After hitting six boundaries early in his innings, Hardik fell on 34 when he holed out at mid-on trying to hit Chahal. Tilak was sent packing on 32 soon after when Chahal’s googly was edged to R Ashwin at short third.

Chahal finished his spell with the wicket of Gerald Coetzee late in the innings. In all, 16 of Chahal’s 24 deliveries were dots, and his four-over spell ended with an economy of only 2.75.

A late wicket for Avesh Khan and a second for Burger ensured Mumbai finished on 125 for 9, a score too low on a surface that is traditionally batting-friendly.

Only wickets could save Mumbai after that batting effort, and they played their trump card early when Jasprit Bumrah shared the new ball, with Kwena Maphaka, for the first time this season.

But even though Bumrah bowled three of the six powerplay overs, the Royals batters did not give a wicket away to him. Yashasvi Jaiswal fell to Maphaka in the first over itself, while the other three wickets went to Akash Madhwal, playing his first game of IPL 2024.

Madhwal struck with the second ball of his spell when he got Sanju Samson to chop on to his stumps, and added a second when Jos Buttler pulled him to fine leg. He added a third later, in the 13th over, when Ashwin sent a leading edge off a short delivery to point. Madhwal was the standout bowler for Mumbai Indians with 3 for 20.

Riyan Parag scored another half-century, and claimed the orange cap (BCCI)

Parag walked in ranked No. 5 on the orange cap list and finished the day with the cap on his head. With no real scoreboard pressure on this occasion, No. 4 Parag played risk-free cricket early on, but tore into Coetzee with four fours and two sixes.

It all started with back-to-back boundaries off Coetzee in the eighth over, followed by another lofted four over the covers in the 11th. He then smoked Bumrah through mid-off in the 14th over before depositing Piyush Chawla over long-on in the 15th.

Parag then put the finishing touches on the result by hammering Coetzee for 16 runs off the first three balls of the 16th over. The first ball went for a clubbed six over the covers, and he reached his fifty next ball with a slog over midwicket. The winning runs came over wicketkeeper Kishan’s head and sent Royals and Mumbai Indians to opposite ends of the points table.

Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indians 125/9 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 34; Trent Boult 3-22, Yuzvendra Chahal 3-11, Nandre Burger 2-43, Avesh Khan 1-30) lost to  Rajasthan Royals 127/4 in 15.3 overs (Riyan Parag 54*; Akash Madhwal 3-20, Kwena Maphaka 1-23, ) by 6 wickets 

(Cricinfo)

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