Here’s a concise summary of customer experiences with digital/mobile banking apps in Sri Lanka (based on recent studies, news and public user posts). I’ve grouped the main positives, common complaints, and which banks are frequently praised or criticized — with sources and dates so you can judge recency.

Main positives

• Convenience and higher adoption since COVID-19 — many customers report digital banking made transactions faster and saved time. (academic surveys, 2022–2024). (sljbf.sljol.info)
• Banks report rising digital transaction volumes and ongoing digital investments (e.g., Bank of Ceylon reporting nearly half of transactions via digital channels in 2022). (annualreports.lk)

Common complaints / friction points (reported repeatedly by users and studies)

• Performance and reliability: slow load times, server/unavailable errors, and intermittent log‑in failures are commonly reported. (Reddit threads and user reports from mid‑late 2024). (reddit.com)
• Usability / UI problems: several bank apps are described as confusing, cluttered, or non‑intuitive, making simple tasks harder for non‑technical users. (academic work and user posts). (sljbf.sljol.info)
• Complicated or inconsistent authentication flows: users complain about confusing combinations of PINs, biometrics and OTPs, or being locked out and forced to visit branches. (reddit.com)
• Poor support and error feedback: generic customer support answers and lack of clear in‑app error messages frustrate users (multiple user reports). (reddit.com)
• Accessibility / device support: some apps drop support for older Android devices, which many users say is a problem in Sri Lanka. (reddit.com)

Banks commonly praised in user conversations

• HNB (Hatton National Bank): frequently noted as having a good app and smooth onboarding (user forums, 2024). (reddit.com)
• Nations Trust Bank and NTB: often recommended for a smooth app experience. (reddit.com)
• NDB and some private banks receive positive mentions for app experience in forums. (reddit.com)

Banks commonly criticized in user conversations

• Sampath Bank (Vishwa / Vishwa app): mixed reviews — historically praised but many recent posts (late 2024) complain about a slow/new app, confusing updates, and regressions. (reddit.com)
• Bank of Ceylon (BOC): repeated complaints about poor UI and login reliability in public forums. (reddit.com)
• Commercial Bank and People’s Bank: users report login inconsistencies, poor customer service or clunky app experience in some threads. (reddit.com)

Academic / formal findings

• Peer‑reviewed studies (2022–2025) find overall increased satisfaction and willingness to continue using digital banking, but they also highlight technology problems, usability issues for novice users, and language/usability barriers. These studies support the pattern seen in user posts (i.e., convenience + technical/usability pain points). (sljbf.sljol.info)

Notes on the evidence and limitations

• Much of the public sentiment comes from forum posts (Reddit, user comments) and academic surveys — useful for trends but not a representative nationwide poll. Dates of the cited user posts are mainly mid‑late 2024; academic papers cover 2022–2025. (reddit.com)
• Banks’ own reports (e.g., BOC’s 2022 report) show institutional digital adoption but won’t capture real‑time usability problems experienced by customers. (annualreports.lk)

If you want, I can:

• Pull the latest App Store / Google Play store ratings + top recent reviews for specific bank apps (Sampath Vishwa, HNB, Commercial Bank, NTB, BOC, People’s Bank) and summarize the most recent complaints/praises with dates.
• Prepare a short checklist for what to look for when choosing a bank by app quality (reliability, authentication UX, error messages, device support, customer support channels).

Which of those would you like next?