Category: Policy
No urgent need to adjust Sri Lanka interest rates: CB Governor
July 06, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Central Bank Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy says the monetary authority is closely watching interest rates, and the transmission impact of previous tightening takes 12 to 18 months. “We still haven’t seen the full effects of what has already been done,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “The slight […]
New Central Bank Governor says upholding institution his primary duty
July 04, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy says upholding the reputation and credibility of the institution will be his primary responsibility. He said this giving an inaugural address to the staff of the Central Bank. “The Central Bank of Sri Lanka is one of the great institutions […]
Sri Lanka faces huge debt service requirements by July & Sept
July 01, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s external debt service requirements are expected to be relatively larger in July and September of this year as per the estimates for the remaining period, the Finance Ministry said. Releasing the mid-year fiscal position report, the ministry said the total estimated debt service payment for 2016 is 1638.7 […]
Central Bank Union calls for immediate action
Jun 29, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Executive Officers Union says that immediate legitimate action needs to be taken to prevent probable anarchic state that would arise at the institution from July 01, 2016. “We write to record our discontent on the current state of depletion of public confidence in and heightened criticism […]
Sri Lanka President to appoint new Governor
June 29, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena will appoint a new governor to the Central Bank soon, he said on Wednesday. “I will appoint a new Governor to the Central Bank in the coming hours,” his twitter account said. Governor Arjuna Mahendran has said he won’t seek re-appointment due at the end […]
COPE to consider Auditor General’s report on bond issue Wednesday
June 28, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Parliament appointed Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) will meet Wednesday to consider the Auditor General’s report on the bond investigation. Parliamentarian and COPE member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa told LBO, the committee will most probably arrive at a decision on the alleged bond scam based on the findings of the […]
Gap between male, female life expectancy narrows in Sri Lanka
June 27, 2016 (LBO) – The difference between female and male life expectancy at birth reduced in 2012 to 6.6 years compared with 8.4 years in 2001, latest data from the statistics office showed. For the years 2011 to 2013, life expectancy is 72.0 years for males and 78.6 for females, while the life expectancies […]
Sri Lanka Parliament passes Right to Information Bill
June 25, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Parliament has passed the Right to Information (RTI) bill with amendments on Friday. The main purpose of the Bill is to provide for the Right of Access to Information, to specify grounds on which access may be denied, to establish the Right to Information commission, to appoint Information […]
Sri Lanka’s Central Bank keeps policy rates steady
June 24, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has decided to keep its key interest rates steady for a fourth straight month on Friday, despite rising inflation and high private sector credit growth. The full text of the statement is reproduced below. Monetary Policy Review – June 2016 According to provisional estimates of the […]
Sri Lanka promises to reform Airline, public sector, fuel pricing to IMF
June 15, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has committed to reforming government finances and the public sector, in its letter of intent to the International Monetary Fund. Structural benchmarks include a “resolution strategy” for SriLankan Airlines by September 2016, in which it will take the loss-making airline off its books. Other reforms include enhancing oversight […]
IMF approves 36-month EFF facility of USD1.5 Bln to Sri Lanka
June 04, 2016 (LBO) – The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a 36-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to Sri Lanka for 1.5 billion dollars, to support the country’s economic reform agenda, the IMF said. The arrangement aims to meet balance of payments needs arising from a deteriorating external environment and […]
Sri Lanka holds rates unchanged after policy meeting
May 20, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s monetary board held interest rates unchanged after a monthly policy meeting taking into account among other things the Extended Fund Facility expected from the IMF and the others, that would enhance the country’s resilience to external shocks and improve investor confidence in the economy. The full statement is below: The […]