Central Bank of Sri Lanka

News

Relief Measures to Assist the affected Small and Medium Enterprises

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), with a view to facilitating sustainable revival of businesses that were adversely affected during the recent past has advised the licensed commercial banks and licensed specialised banks (hereinafter referred to as licensed banks) to provide further concessions to those SME borrowers who commenced discussions for business revival with the respective banks by 31.03.2025. These relief measures are in line with Circular No. 04 of 2024 dated 19.12.2024 on Relief Measures to Assist the affected SMEs and the Addendum Circular No. 01 of 2025 dated 01.01.2025.

The First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund to Visit Sri Lanka

Dr. Gita Gopinath, the First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka from 15-16 June 2025.

CCPI in May 2025 indicates a continued easing of deflationary conditions

The easing of deflationary conditions continued in May 2025, in line with the Central Bank’s near-term projections. Accordingly, the year-on-year (Y-o-Y) change in the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI, 2021=100) reflected a slower pace of headline deflation at 0.7% in May 2025 compared to the deflation of 2.0% recorded in April 2025

External Sector Performance – April 2025

Reflecting the resilience of the external sector, the monthly current account has remained in surplus since January 2025.

The merchandise trade deficit widened in April 2025 compared to both April 2024 and March 2025. This was as a result of merchandise imports growing at a higher pace (17.5 %, y-o-y), mainly driven by imports of motor vehicles (US dollars 134 million), compared to the growth in merchandise exports (10.4 %, y-o-y).

Sri Lanka PMI - Construction indicates a seasonal contraction in April 2025

Reflecting the seasonal slowdown in construction activities during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period, Sri Lanka Purchasing Managers’ Index for Construction (PMI - Construction), as indicated by the Total Activity Index, declined to 41.4 in April 2025. However, the seasonal dip in April 2025 was less pronounced than in the corresponding month in the previous year. Survey respondents mentioned that most of their construction sites were temporarily closed for an extended period during the month due to the New Year celebrations.