The Central Bank of Sri Lanka hosted the 24th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators’ Meeting at the Central Bank premises, Colombo, on 1st September 2016. The 24th SAARCFINANCE Coordinators’ Meeting was attended by SAARCFINANCE Coordinators and Focal Points from the Central Banks and Ministries of Finance in the SAARC region.

The broad objective of SAARCFINANCE is to promote cooperation among Central Banks and Ministries of Finance in SAARC Member States to forge closer cooperation on macroeconomic policies of Member States and to share experiences and expertise within the region. 

Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, the Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the current Chairman of SAARCFINANCE, delivered the opening address. In his opening address, Dr. Coomaraswamy appreciated the recent initiatives undertaken by the SAARCFINANCE Network, such as the SAARCFINANCE Regional Database, SAARCFINANCE Collaborative Research Studies, the Staff Exchange Programme, and the SAARCFINANCE Swap Arrangement. He also stressed that cooperation among the Central Banks and Ministries of Finance of the region is needed to uplift the living standards of the people in the region, particularly through increased regional integration.