Nations Direct (Nations Trust Bank)

Overview

Nations Direct is the mobile and online banking app of Nations Trust Bank PLC, a Sri Lankan licensed commercial bank. Its customers use it for transfers, bill and card payments and account opening [4](https://www.nationstrust.com/nations-direct/mobile-banking). Since 2025 it has also handled GovPay government payments [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf). The bank's QR wallet and digital account is a separate app, FriMi, with its own bio. Nations Trust says more than 96% of its customer transactions now start on digital channels [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).

History

• 1999: the bank. Nations Trust Bank PLC was incorporated on 21 January 1999 and quoted on the Colombo Stock Exchange in May 1999 (annual report p. 120) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).
• Early years: cards. The bank's own timeline lists the acquisitions of American Express's Colombo branch and Deutsche Bank's personal banking portfolio. It also lists the launch of an "exclusive Amex credit card franchise in Sri Lanka" (p. 23) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).
• February 2017: Nations Direct app. Apple lists the app's first iOS release on 15 February 2017 [8](https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1200369339&country=lk). The same timeline lists the launch of FriMi, "the First Digital Bank in Sri Lanka" (p. 23) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).
• 5 October 2020: LANKAQR. At the national LANKAQR launch, CBSL listed Nations Trust Bank PLC among the 16 institutions issuing LANKAQR codes [1](https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/en/news/Launch-of-the-National-LANKAQR-initiative).
• November 2022: rebuilt app. Nations Trust relaunched Nations Direct on mobile and online, based on customer feedback. It added one sign-on across all its digital products, logins on more than one device, scheduled payments, and two-factor checks with biometrics for high-risk actions [5](https://www.ft.lk/tech/digitalisation-in-Sri-Lanka/56-742518).
• February 2023: one platform. The bank presented its whole digital suite under the Nations Direct name: the mobile app, Nations Direct Enterprise, Nations Alpha, E-box, online banking, smart statements and ATM functions [6](https://ft.lk/Financial-Services/NTB-unveils-refreshed-suite-of-digital-banking/42-745229).
• 2025: GovPay. The bank added a GovPay feature to Nations Direct and ran a campaign to make the mobile app customers' "primary interface" for everyday banking (pp. 73, 97) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).
• 1 May 2026: HSBC customers. Nations Trust took over HSBC Sri Lanka's retail banking business. About 200,000 retail customer accounts moved across, and the network grew to 96 branches [7](https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/business-news/NTB-completes-transfer-of-HSBC-Sri-Lankas-retail-banking-business/273-339353).

Ownership & operator

Nations Direct belongs to Nations Trust Bank PLC, 46/58 Nawam Mawatha, Colombo 2. CBSL lists it as a licensed commercial bank [2](https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/en/authorized-financial-institutions/licensed-commercial-banks). John Keells Holdings is the largest shareholder, with less than a fifth of the votes. At 31 December 2025 its largest voting shareholders were:

• John Keells Holdings PLC, 19.72%;
• HWIC Asia Fund, 15.00%;
• Central Finance Company PLC, 9.84%;
• Mackinnons Keells Limited, 9.76%.

The bank lists John Keells Holdings, Mackinnon Keells, HWIC Asia Fund and the Central Finance group as "Significant Investors" (pp. 221, 275) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf). There is no John Keells wallet page, so parent_group is empty.

Technical integration

• Transfers and payments. Nations Direct pays bills, settles Nations Trust and other banks' credit cards, and moves money between own accounts and to other banks, instantly or on a schedule [4](https://www.nationstrust.com/nations-direct/mobile-banking). Payments to other banks' cards go over CEFTS [4](https://www.nationstrust.com/nations-direct/mobile-banking); see the CEFTS payments page.

• Limits per transaction, as the bank lists them (read 22 Oct 2026) [4](https://www.nationstrust.com/nations-direct/mobile-banking):

  Transaction	Limit (LKR)
  Own account transfers	Unlimited
  Third-party NTB account transfers	10,000,000
  Other bank transfers	5,000,000
  Own NTB credit card payments	Unlimited
  Third-party NTB credit card payments	10,000,000
  Other bank credit card payments	5,000,000
  Bill payments	5,000,000

• GovPay (full). The GovPay feature was added to Nations Direct in 2025 (p. 97) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).

• LankaQR (partial). Nations Trust issues LANKAQR codes to merchants [1](https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/en/news/Launch-of-the-National-LANKAQR-initiative). Paying by QR is done in FriMi, not in the Nations Direct feature list [4](https://www.nationstrust.com/nations-direct/mobile-banking).

• Registration needs a Nations Trust account, debit card, or American Express or Mastercard credit card, verified by a code sent to the registered mobile number. Login is by password, Face ID, fingerprint or PIN. The app works in English, Sinhala and Tamil [4](https://www.nationstrust.com/nations-direct/mobile-banking).

Users & growth

Nations Trust publishes no user count for Nations Direct. The figures available are:

Figure	Value	Source
Share of customer transactions on digital channels, 2025	more than 96%	NTB AR 2025, p. 21 [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf)
Branches / ATMs / CRMs, end-2025	90 / 55 / 102	AR p. 24
Branches after the HSBC transfer, May 2026	96	[7](https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/business-news/NTB-completes-transfer-of-HSBC-Sri-Lankas-retail-banking-business/273-339353)
Google Play, Oct 2026	100K+ installs, 7.75K reviews	[9](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nationstrust.mobilebanking&hl=en)
App Store (Sri Lanka), Oct 2026	4.0 stars from 389 ratings	[8](https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1200369339&country=lk)

The 2025 annual report describes "the notable increase in digital engagement and transaction activity through the mobile app" but gives no number (p. 73) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).

Use cases

• Bills. Billers include Dialog, Hutch, Mobitel, SLT, CEB, LECO, the Water Board, insurers, Nations Leasing and PickMe [4](https://www.nationstrust.com/nations-direct/mobile-banking).
• Credit card settlement, for Nations Trust cards and other banks' cards, plus cash advances from the customer's own credit cards [4](https://www.nationstrust.com/nations-direct/mobile-banking) [9](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nationstrust.mobilebanking&hl=en).
• Savings and deposits opened instantly in the app [4](https://www.nationstrust.com/nations-direct/mobile-banking).
• Government payments through GovPay (p. 97) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).

Implementations & partners

• Card networks. Credit cards are American Express (the bank's franchise) and Mastercard [4](https://www.nationstrust.com/nations-direct/mobile-banking). The Nations Trust Private Banking Mastercard was launched in 2025 (pp. 23, 73) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).
• Business customers use Nations Direct Enterprise, rolled out in a new version in 2025 (p. 21) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).
• Acquisitions. The HSBC retail transfer followed a sale agreement signed in September 2025 [7](https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/business-news/NTB-completes-transfer-of-HSBC-Sri-Lankas-retail-banking-business/273-339353).

Comparison

	Nations Direct	HNB SOLO + HNB App	DFCC One
Active app users, 2025	not published	1,296,000 (both apps) [10](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/373_1773025115363.pdf)	102,258 [11](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/371_1772789554981.pdf)
QR paying	in the separate FriMi app	in the separate SOLO app	inside the banking app
GovPay	yes, 2025 [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf)	yes, 2025 [10](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/373_1773025115363.pdf)	not stated

Nations Trust and HNB both keep a banking app beside a separate payment app. DFCC put everything into one. For card customers the difference is the network: Nations Trust holds the American Express franchise (p. 23) [3](https://cdn.cse.lk/cmt/upload_report_file/387_1772183192728.pdf).

Status

Active. Apple shows Nations Direct updated on 18 September 2026 (version 4.01.70) [8](https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1200369339&country=lk). Google Play shows an update on 10 August 2026 [9](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nationstrust.mobilebanking&hl=en). The bank is on CBSL's licensed commercial bank list [2](https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/en/authorized-financial-institutions/licensed-commercial-banks). It is absorbing HSBC Sri Lanka's former retail customers [7](https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/business-news/NTB-completes-transfer-of-HSBC-Sri-Lankas-retail-banking-business/273-339353). Country context: (LK report).

Sources

Source

Biography extracted from nations-trust-bank.md. See matrix.md for standards-support matrix if present.