Category: Policy
CBSL continues accommodative monetary policy to support sustained recovery of economy
The Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, at its meeting held on 19 May 2021, decided to maintain the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) of the Central Bank at their current levels of 4.50 percent and 5.50 percent, respectively. The Board said they arrived at […]
Sri Lanka secures USD 500Mn concessional financing from Republic of Korea
In order to further strengthen the economic cooperation between two countries, the Government of Republic of Korea has agreed to provide concessional loans from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) of the Export Import Bank of Korea (KEximbank). Accordingly, the Government of Republic of Korea and Government of Sri Lanka have agreed to sign a […]
ADB projects Sri Lanka’s economic growth to rise to 4.1-pct in 2021
The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) flagship annual economic publication, the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2021, forecasts a significant rebound in Sri Lanka’s economy as domestic and global economic activity strengthens and vaccination campaigns gather momentum domestically and abroad. ADB projects Sri Lanka’s economic growth to rise to 4.1% in 2021 and moderate to 3.6% in […]
WB says as SL should focus on competitiveness and debt sustainability to ensure resilient rebound
Despite the heavy toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sri Lanka’s economy and the lives of its people, the economy will recover in 2021, though challenges remain, says the latest World Bank Sri Lanka Development Update: Economic and Poverty Impact of COVID-19 released today. The Sri Lanka Development Update (SLDU) notes that the country, hit with an unprecedented economic […]
Central Bank continues its accommodative monetary policy stance
The Monetary Board of the Central Bank has decided to maintain the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) at their current levels of 4.50 percent and 5.50 percent, respectively. The Board has arrived at this decision after carefully considering the macroeconomic conditions and expected developments on the domestic and […]
‘Bath Curry Indicator’ by Advocata Institute will be launched tomorrow
Food inflation has risen over the last year, although the overall inflation is low. According to the National Consumer Price Index, overall prices rose by 3.7% between January 2020 and January 2021, but food inflation rose by 5.9%. While this is a matter of concern to the public, items like turmeric and green gram, which […]
Governors and District Sec are responsible for regional development process: President
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa emphasizes that the Governors and District Secretaries should take the lead in the regional development process. It is the objective of the Government to see that the people from the villages reap the benefits of development expeditiously. He says that this process could not be delayed under any circumstance and that the […]
Recent volatility on yields of government securities is unwarranted: CBSL
Certain market interest rates, such as yields on government securities, have shown unwarranted volatility recently, which is not in line with monetary policy expectations, the Monetary Board of the Central Bank said announcing its commitment to continue the current accommodative monetary policy stance. The Central Bank reiterates that the high level of excess liquidity in […]
Veemansa Initiatives’ discussion on ‘external debt situation in Sri Lanka
Delivering the keynote address on the topic, External Debt Situation in Sri Lanka: Our Route to Resolution, the Governor of the Central Bank, Deshamanya Professor W D Lakshman said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact Sri Lanka will maintain its unblemished records of debt service. The Governor made these comments at the […]
70-pct probability to hold policy rates: First Capital Research
First Capital Research believes that there is a 70 percent probability to hold policy rates due to the considerable improvement in high-frequency indicators and with fiscal and monetary measures implemented so far. As per their view, the Central Bank either can choose to hold policy rates steady or cut by 25 bps or 50 bps […]
Sri Lanka January inflation at 3.7-pct
The overall rate of inflation as measured by NCPI on Year-on-Year basis is 3.7 percent in January 2021 and inflation calculated for December 2020 was 4.6 percent. Year-on-Year inflation of both food group and non food group have decreased from 7.5 percent in December 2020 to 5.9 percent in January 2021 and from 2.2 percent […]
Economy at a glance for 2020:Double whammy blow
Highlights ICRA Lanka estimates Sri Lanka’s GDP growth rate in 2020 to be -4%. In addition, our estimates indicate industry, services, and agricultural sectors to have contracted by 7.3%, 1.7% and 1.3% respectively. By mid-March the COVID crisis took center stage and the CBSL implemented a series of policy rate cuts further bringing the short-term […]