The Ministry of Digital Economy, together with GovTech Sri Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, has announced plans to host a landmark national technology summit and innovation festival titled ‘Disrupt Asia 2026’.

The two‑day event will feature a startup showcase, main sessions under multiple themes, an exhibition, a networking festival, and several other parallel programs. 

Organizers expect participation from a wide range of stakeholders, including ministries, government institutions, the private sector, industry leaders, academia, development partners, and international organizations.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sri Lanka office has confirmed its readiness to act as a strategic partner for the Ministry of Digital Economy in organizing the summit. With UNDP’s involvement, the festival is expected to gain significant international visibility and support.

The proposal to hold ‘Disrupt Asia 2026’, presented by the Minister of Digital Economy with the approval of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has been formally endorsed by the Cabinet of Ministers. (Newswire)

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The second day of Disrupt Asia 2025, Sri Lanka’s premier startup conference and innovation festival, unfolded today with the main conference, drawing international attention and underscoring the country’s ambition to position itself as South Asia’s emerging innovation hub. 

The event, running from September 17–20, has attracted more than 100 venture capitalists from 20 countries, alongside global startup delegations, reflecting unprecedented confidence in Sri Lanka’s digital future. 

The main conference was held today (18) at Cinnamon Life under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who underscored the government’s commitment to positioning innovation at the heart of national development. The president also toured the Startup Showcase. 

Opening the sessions, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eng. Eranga Weeraratne highlighted the government’s vision to use innovation as a national growth engine. “Disrupt Asia 2025 is a catalyst to empower our youth, attract global investment and accelerate our digital economy,” he said. “It creates the vital bridge between talented entrepreneurs and global opportunities, positioning Sri Lanka as the gateway for innovation across South Asia.” 

Building on this message, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya delivered a presentation on unlocking Sri Lanka as South Asia’s Innovation Hub, outlining Sri Lanka’s bold digital ambitions. He announced plans for a fivefold expansion of the digital economy worth $15 billion over the next four years, alongside targets to triple digital exports, double the digital talent pool, and improve by 25 points on global digital benchmarks. Stressing that Sri Lanka’s startup and IT ecosystems remain under-invested, he called on local and global partners to seize this rare growth opportunity. “The $15 billion opportunity will be captured,” he declared. “The question is, who will seize it? Those who invest now harness Sri Lanka’s talent and partner in this transformation will be the winners of tomorrow.” 

Dr. Wijayasuriya emphasized Sri Lanka’s investor-friendly climate, highlighting its proven record of safeguarding FDI, low churn rates and guaranteed profit repatriation. He unveiled new policies enabling up to 90% of FDI reinvestment into overseas subsidiaries of Sri Lankan startups, as well as the opening of government digital systems to private developers through APIs and marketplaces. Central to this strategy, he noted, is a “government-as-a-platform” model, where the state enables innovation, building 20% while leaving 80% of value creation to the private sector. 

Policymakers, investors and entrepreneurs joined a programme headlined by global leaders including Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO of Paytm, and Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy and Chairman of ICTA. 

Disrupt Asia 2025 opened with the Venture Engine competition, where 12 promising startups pitched to top investors and will conclude with the Innovation Festival at Trace Expert City, attracting over 5,000 participants. More than 50 startups will exhibit alongside workshops, interactive pavilions and networking sessions, making it one of the largest public tech events in Sri Lanka. 

With strong government backing, bold digital ambitions and growing international confidence, Disrupt Asia 2025 marks a decisive step in Sri Lanka’s journey to becoming South Asia’s leading innovation hub. (Newswire)

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High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in the UK, Nimal Senadheera, says with a dedicated Ministry for the Digital Economy under the direct leadership of the President, the Government aims to generate USD 5 billion in export revenue from IT and digital services by 2030. 

High Commissioner Senadheera said that until June this year, Sri Lanka has earned USD 418.5 million from IT and BPO exports, with a 6.1% growth compared to the first half of 2024. 

In this context, he stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a significant frontier for innovation and investment. 

Sri Lanka has a distinct opportunity to position itself as a competitive player in the global AI landscape. The country is home to a skilled, tech-savvy workforce with strong foundations in mathematics, engineering, and computer science. Our software development industry is known for its agility, technical sophistication, and English language proficiency, making Sri Lanka a reliable partner for delivering complex digital solutions to clients worldwide, he added. 

“Now is the time to leverage this talent and reputation, which is needed to attract forward-looking investments and build collaborative networks that enable Sri Lanka to become a regional hub for AI-powered innovations. The panel discussion will help to identify viable pathways for the transformation,” he said.  

He made the remarks during a panel discussion to promote investment opportunities in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Sri Lanka, jointly organised by the Sri Lanka–UK Chamber of Commerce – London (SLUKCC) and the High Commission of Sri Lanka, which was held at the High Commission in July. 

The panel featured a distinguished group of professional and academic including Dean Faculty of Computing, Law and Psychology, University of Buckingham, Professor Harin Sellahewa, Chief Financial Officer, Gravitee and the Co-founder, VBG Brands Ltd – UK, Sanjay Bowry, Sustainability Champion Author and the Co-founder Mitra & Experienz – UK, Ashok Suppiah, Chief Commercial Officer of My Voice AI and the Chairman, Neural Voice AI, Independent Angel Investor (UK, Sri Lanka), Kumi Thiruchelvam, and President of the SLUKCC and the Chief People Officer, Kaya Global Inc – UK, Eranga Pathirage. The session was attended by approximately 45 participants, including industry leaders and professionals from various sectors. 

Addressing the panel discussion, High Commissioner Senadheera also extended a welcome to the senior representatives from the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka who joined virtually and spoke about the next edition of “Disrupt Asia” to be held in Sri Lanka in September 2025, a major national innovation summit of Sri Lanka. The High Commissioner strongly encouraged participants to attend “Disrupt Asia 2025”. 

The interactive panel discussion was moderated by Eranga Pathirage, highlighting the relevance for Sri Lanka, particularly attracting investments and making opportunities available for our talent pool. Discussion focused on a range of topics such as AI and digital innovations, strengths that Sri Lanka has in the field, global experience working with Sri Lankan tech talent, AI product companies and related FDIs. 

Associate Chief Digital Economy Officer from the ICTA, Sachindra Samararatne, presented details on the forthcoming “Disrupt Asia 2025” and engaged in an in-depth Q&A session with participants. Minister (Commercial) of the High Commission, Somasena Mahadiulwewa, represented at the Q&A Session. General Secretary of the SLUKCC, Charles Rohan de Alwis, delivered the vote of thanks.

In his opening remarks at the event, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in the UK further appreciated the SLUKCC for their sustained efforts in supporting joint promotional initiatives organised with the High Commission. He highlighted the evolving new political, economic and social landscape in Sri Lanka led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government, prioritising transparency, accountability and inclusivity. This has inspired renewed investor confidence both domestically and internationally. The country is moving forward with bold institutional reforms, the restoration of the rule of law and policy consistency. 

Outlining Sri Lanka-UK trade relations, the High Commissioner outlined that the UK remains as the second-largest export destination for Sri Lanka with a market share of 7.5% and exports valued at over USD 900 million in 2024. Apparel exports to the UK have grown by nearly 6.5% in the first half of 2025. This positive trend will be further supported by the introduction of more flexible Rules of Origin for apparel by the UK Government under its Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which will come into effect in early 2026. 

He pointed out that the UK is also Sri Lanka’s second-largest source of FDI, with total investments of approximately USD 1.7 billion from 2005 to 2024, spanning over 75 projects, especially in ICT, BPO/KPOs. Also, the UK is the second biggest source of tourists to Sri Lanka with over 120,000 arrivals by mid-July this year, with the expectation to reach 225,000 by year-end, returning to the pre-pandemic level, he added. (Newswire)

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