Sri Lanka digital ID launch by March 2026: President

Sri Lanka has set plans to launch the first digital ID by March next year, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated.

Despite some concerns from certain groups, the President at the budget reading held on Friday in parliament in Colombo reassured the public that their personal information will be kept safe and secure.

“Whichever obstacles come our way we will be launching this by March. This is a move that promises to revolutionize access to public services while ensuring strong data privacy and citizen protection,” he told parliament. Highlighting several important steps underway to foster a vibrant digital economy in Sri Lanka, he said that initiatives like the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI), a national data exchange, the enhancement of the Lanka Government Cloud infrastructure, and the development of specialized software for a streamlined digital interface are all part of this effort to improve government services.

The SL-UDI project, implemented under the Ministry of Digital Economy, is funded by a grant of approximately LKR 10.4 billion from the Government of India. The President added that the SL-UDI project will minimize the financial burden on the Sri Lankan government.

Sri Lanka’s Digital Economy Initiative envisions building an inclusive and robust digital economy by 2030, positioning Sri Lanka as a regional digital hub.

Mr. Dissanayake added that a key step toward achieving this goal is the implementation of a secure and reliable digital identity system.

He also added that an awareness campaign on the SL-UDI is set to kick off in early 2026, and that all state service personnel will be given training in this regard.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital economy  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  government services  |  SL-UDI  |  Sri Lanka