This report discusses the role of postal networks in Sri Lanka and its current and potential role of providing access to financial services. The report reviews the postal sector development in the country and the role of the postal network in the development of the financial sector, with an emphasis on its accessibility to financial services. The report concludes with an evaluation of the Sri Lanka Post as a provider of financial services and highlights options that can be taken into consideration for further development of the postal financial services in Sri Lanka.
The case study has been prepared with desk research in 2004. The study benefited from information and an interview with the chief executive officer of Sri Lanka Posts during the World Post Congress in Bucharest in October 2004.
While Sri Lanka’s case can stand alone, it is an integral part of this large study of the potential of postal networks to coordinate with financial service providers in 7 countries (Egypt, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Romania, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Vietnam) and 5 regions (Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and Northern Africa).