Category: Economy
‘s headline inflation increased to 5.1-pct in March
Headline inflation as measured by the year-on-year (Y-o-Y) change in the National Consumer Price Index has been increased to 5.1 percent in March 2021 from 4.2 percent in February 2021 due to the statistical effect of the low base prevailed in March 2020. Food inflation (Y-o-Y) increased to 8.8 percent in March 2021 from 6.9 […]
CBSL introduces priority sector lending target on credit granted by banks to MSME sector
Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has introduced a priority sector lending target on credit granted by banks to individuals and businesses in the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. Accordingly, banks shall grant credit to the MSME sector and ensure a growth rate of not less than 20 percent per annum on a Y-o-Y basis, […]
Sri Lanka rupee strengthened against the US dollar
The Sri Lanka rupee further strengthened against the US dollar yesterday, on positive outlook for inflows. The selling rate was quoted at 191.97 rupees for a US dollar, as against 201.28 rupees on Friday and a peak of 204.62 rupees last week. The indicative dollar spot exchange rate was 194.44 rupees yesterday as against 199.93 rupees […]
Sri Lanka Investment Forum to feature over 50 projects & corporate investment opportunities
Themed “Sri Lanka – Asia’s Next Growth Haven”, the Sri Lanka Investment Forum (SLIF) 2021 jointly organized by the Board of Investments (BOI), The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Colombo Stock Exchange will kick off on the 7th of June 2021 on a virtual platform. SLIF 2021 will showcase to the world, Sri Lanka’s […]
Central Bank reduces exporter proceeds conversion rule to 10-pct
The Central Bank, having considered the requests made by exporters has amended Rule No. 2 of 2021 by reducing the percentage of mandatory conversion requirement of export proceeds of goods into Sri Lankan Rupees from twenty-five (25) percent to ten (10) percent. The Bank has also extended the number of days given to exporters to […]
ADB should ramp up efforts to mitigate COVID-19 impact on SDGs: independent evaluation
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in partnership with other development organizations, must give high priority to efforts to assess and address the implications of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the 2021 Annual Evaluation Review (AER) conducted by ADB’s Independent Evaluation Department (IED). The report […]
China Development Bank signs USD 500Mn Financing Facility Agreement with Sri Lanka
China Development Bank (CDB) and Sri Lankan Finance Ministry on Monday signed USD 500 Million Foreign Currency Term Financing Facility (FTFF), which is the second tranche of the total RMB 2 billion plus USD 1 billion FTFF supported by the Chinese side to Sri Lanka after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in March, the […]
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 […]
Advocata Institute launches tool to track everyday food price changes
Advocata’s latest policy product tracks the average retail prices of a basket of goods and provides an indication of how much prices have changed over time. With the use of such tools, anyone including policymakers and politicians alike has access to track price fluctuations. This could enable anyone to see if policies have direct or […]
‘s gross official reserves estimated at USD 4.1bn at end March 2021
Sri Lanka’s gross official reserves were estimated at US dollars 4.1 billion (excluding the swap facility with the PBOC), with an import cover of 3 months, at the end-March 2021, the Central Bank said. Recently, the Central Bank entered into a bilateral currency swap arrangement with the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) amounting to CNY […]
‘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 […]
Validity period to open Special Deposit Accounts extended; USD 360mn deposited so far
The Cabinet has approved a proposal tabled by the Prime Minister as the Minister of Finance to extend the validity period and to issue orders in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Act to encourage the parties who wish to deposit money in Special Deposit Accounts. The validity period for openings of the […]