LONDON, June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Earthport plc
("Earthport", the "Company" or the "Group")

The cross-border payments service provider expands its reach into Asia for fast, secure and cost effective international money transfers 

Earthport (AIM: EPO.L), the leading payment network for cross-border transactions, is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Commercial Bank of Ceylon Plc, to provide local payment capability into Sri Lanka.

This new partnership enables Earthport to support efficient, secure and cost effective payment services into the region and further strengthen payment capability into South Asia; this builds on partnerships already established in India and Pakistan.

Earthport enables clients to access fast, secure and cost effective payments to over 60 countries globally, through a single contract, technical integration and service relationship.

Sajeev Viswanathan, President Global Strategy at Earthport said: "We are delighted to be partnering with Commercial Bank of Ceylon to extend our payment network into Sri Lanka. This marks a significant milestone in the continued expansion of Earthport's Asia footprint and the fulfilment of our vision to become a global payment utility."

Pradeep Banduwansa, Chief Manager - Remittances, Commercial Bank of Ceylon Plc also commented: "Commercial Bank has over 45 years of unparalleled growth and achievement in Sri Lanka. We are always looking for ways to improve services to our customers around the world, and today's partnership with Earthport Plc is just one example of the work we are doing."

About Commercial Bank of Ceylon 

The only Sri Lankan bank to be ranked among the Top 1000 banks of the world for 05 consecutive years (2011-2015), Commercial Bank operates a network of 246 branches and 621 ATMs in Sri Lanka. The Bank has won multiple awards as Sri Lanka's best bank over several years, and was adjudged one of the country's 10 best corporate citizens by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in 2013 and 2014. The bank has been rated Most Respected Bank in Sri Lanka by LMD, the leading Sri Lankan business magazine, for the past 10 years, has been the second Most Respected Corporate entity in the country overall for the past four years, and has been rated number one in Sri Lanka for honesty in 2013 and 2014 by LMD.

For more please visit http://www.combank.net/newweb/

About Earthport  

One of the FinTech50 2015 - judged to be the game-changers transforming the future of finance - Earthport is also the winner of the Grant Thornton Quoted Company Awards 2015 Technology Company of the Year award and FStech/Retail Systems' B2B Payments Innovation of the Year (2014).

Earthport provides the industry with access to a global payment network through a single contract, a single technical integration, and a single service relationship. Worldwide, over 50 banks are connected into Earthport's network for the efficient clearing of low value payments. Through a single relationship, clients benefit from sophisticated validation, message transformation and compliance services, efficiently serving their customers with more innovative payment products.

Earthport is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) on the London Stock Exchange. Earthport plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Service Regulations 2009 for the provision of payment services.

Find out more at http://www.earthport.com and on Twitter @Earthport, LinkedIn, Youtube, Slideshare and Google+.

For further information, please contact:
 
Earthport plc, +44(0)20-7220-9700
Hank Uberoi, Chief Executive Officer
Simon Adamiyatt, Chief Financial Officer            
 
Panmure Gordon (Nomad and Joint Broker), +44(0)20-7886-2500
Fred Walsh / Charles Leigh-Pemberton / Duncan Monteith
 
Newgate Communications , +44(0)20-7653-9848
Bob Huxford / Helena Bogle      

SOURCE Earthport plc