The Central Bank’s Policy Agenda for 2026 and Beyond has been presented by the Governor of the CBSL, Nandalal Weerasinghe.
The document outlines the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s strategic priorities to maintain price stability, safeguard financial system stability, and support sustainable economic growth in the period ahead.
Key points from the Central Bank’s Policy Agenda for 2026 and Beyond;
- Continuing the growth momentum reported during the last two years, the economy is expected to grow by around 4 – 5 per cent in 2026.
- While appreciating the ongoing efforts to restore normalcy with the support of the national and international stakeholders, the Central Bank reiterates the urgent need for prioritising the country’s disaster preparedness and long-term resilience building.
- The external current account is estimated to have registered a surplus for the third consecutive year, and as a result, the market-determined exchange rate remained less volatile and reported a gradual depreciation during the year.
- Despite facing challenging conditions, such as meeting obligations for servicing external debt of the government without corresponding inflows and increased demand for vehicle imports, Gross Official Reserves (GOR), which hovered around US dollars 6.0 – 6.3 billion during most of the year, surpassed US dollars 6.8 billion by the end of 2025. This represents the highest level of reserves recorded since the crisis.
- The Central Bank intends to implement several policies in 2026, focusing on enhancing the formulation and execution of monetary policy, along with ongoing efforts to improve the transparency and predictability of the policy actions.
Full document: