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Statement of the Monetary Board on Treasury Bond Auctions

This refers to the recent articles and discussions relating to the Treasury bond auctions that took place during the latter part of March 2016, where allegations of lack of transparency were made with regard to the process that was followed. Attention of the public is drawn to the fact that the process followed was similar to what has been in practice since February 2015 when a complete market based mechanism was introduced in auctioning of Treasury bills and bonds.

The Monetary Board noted the large resource needs of the Government. Further, in the context of Monetary Policy actions, mainly the upward adjustment of the Statutory Reserve Requirement (SRR) at the beginning of the year and the subsequent upward adjustment of the policy interest rates, had resulted in an increase in yield for Treasury bills and Treasury bonds.

Given the existing and emerging financial needs of the Government, the Monetary Board has recommended;

Inflation in April 2016

Inflation, as measured by the change in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) (2013=100), which is compiled by the Department of Census and Statistics, increased to 4.3 per cent in April 2016 from 2.2 per cent in March 2016, on year-on-year basis. Food and Non Alcoholic Beverages; Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco; Clothing and Footwear; Furnishings, Household Equipment and Routine Household Maintenance; Heath; Transport; Recreation and Culture; Education; Restaurants and Hotels and Miscellaneous Goods and Services sub categories contributed towards the year-on-year inflation in April.

The change in the NCPI measured on an annual average basis increased to 2.6 per cent in April 2016 from 2.4 per cent recorded in March 2016.

Opening of Bank Accounts for the Disaster Relief Fund of the Government of Sri Lanka

The Government of Sri Lanka has opened the following bank accounts at Sampath Bank PLC to facilitate collection of donations from both Sri Lankans and foreign philanthropists to provide relief to victims of floods and landslides which occurred in May 2016.

Monetary Policy Review - May 2016

The year-on-year growth of broad money (M2b) indicated some deceleration, recording 18.9 per cent in March 2016, compared to 19.8 per cent in February 2016. The expansion in domestic credit remained the key driver of broad money growth, within which credit extended to the private sector by commercial banks recorded a year-on-year growth of 27.7 per cent in March 2016, compared to 26.5 per cent in the previous month. With regard to sectoral distribution of credit, Industry and Services sectors attracted the highest levels of credit disbursements, while personal loans and advances also recorded a substantial increase.

External Sector Performance - January 2016

Sri Lanka’s external sector showed a modest performance during the month of January 2016. The trade deficit narrowed in January 2016 while foreign currency inflows in the form of tourist earnings recorded a relatively high growth and inflows from workers’ remittances also improved. The trade deficit narrowed on account of the higher decline in import expenditure mainly due to the drop in fuel, vehicle and rice imports, compared to the decline in earnings from exports during January 2016. However, the government securities market and the Colombo Stock Exchange recorded net outflows during the period.

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Appointment of New Assistant Governors

The Monetary Board, at its meeting held on 05th April 2016 has promoted Miss. K Saravanamuttu and Mr. E A Hettiarachchi; Mr. R A A Jayalath, Mr. K M M Siriwardana and Mr. S J A Handagama, five Staff Class Grade IV officers, to the post of Assistant Governor with effect from 05th April 2016, 16th April 2016, 12th June 2016, and 18th June 2016, respectively. These promotions have been made in line with the succession plan of the Bank and to address the new challenges of the Central Bank.

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