The paper discusses the economic developments and policies in Sri Lanka in recent years. Substantial adjustments in energy prices and operational and financial reforms have helped to improve the performance of state owned enterprises (SOEs) and have reduced the burden on the budget and the...

This paper focuses on Sri Lanka's Third Post-Program Monitoring Discussion. Sri Lanka's recent macroeconomic performance has generally been strong but risks appear to be on the rise. Real GDP growth registered 7.4 percent in 2014. Growth was broad-based, with the exception of agriculture, which...

This paper focuses on Sri Lanka's First Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility, Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criterion, Modification of Performance Criteria, Rephasing of Access, and Financing Assurances Review. Sri Lanka's performance...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Context. Sri Lanka’s economy has navigated recent market turbulence relatively well. Growth has remained solid, inflation is in mid-single digits, and the current account deficit has narrowed. From mid-May, the exchange rate came under pressure as market expectations of U.S....

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sri Lanka’s 2009 Stand-By Arrangement was initiated at the onset of the global financial crisis. It also coincided with the ending of the country’s decades-old civil conflict. This unusual combination of circumstances made the program subject to very high economic...

KEY ISSUES Context. Macroeconomic performance has generally exceeded expectations. Real GDP grew 7.3 percent for 2013, up from 6.3 percent in 2012. Inflation declined to below 5 percent, and the external current account balance has improved. Private credit growth has been slow, however, a number...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The first chapter on monetary policy transmission examines the channels through which innovations to policy variables-policy rate or monetary aggregates-affect such macroeconomic variables as output and inflation in Sri Lanka. The effectiveness of monetary policy instruments is...

This paper discusses Sri Lanka's Sixth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility and Request for Waiver of Nonobservance and Modification of Performance Criterion. The Sri Lankan economy is gradually recovering from the impact of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks....

This paper presents Sri Lanka's Request for an Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The objectives of the EFF-supported program are to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability, safeguarding financial stability, and stepping up structural reforms to unlock...