Central Bank Archives

February 27, 2024

The purpose of this press release is to clarify the facts as a professional union representing the Executive Officers of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, as it was evident that the discourse on the recent salary revision of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka is extremely partial and raised without proper knowledge of the facts and / or based on mere personal agendas.

Central Bank of Sri Lanka was established as an independent institution since its inception. Accordingly, the previous Monetary Boards as well as the current Governing Board have been assigned the decision-making independence related to administration on a logical basis and that administrative independence remains the same for other central banks around the world.

Accordingly, since the inception, the Monetary Board decided the recruitment procedures, professional training and salaries related to the Central Bank service. It should also be mentioned that neither the previous Monetary Boards or the present Governing Board include the employees of the Central Bank, and that the members of the Governing Board are scholars and professionals in a variety of fields of the country. Considering the corporate governance practices, salary revisions have been done in every three years in the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for several decades as similar to certain state sector establishments.

The 2024-2026 collective agreement is an agreement reached by all parties after several rounds of bargaining between all the unions and the Governing Board of the Bank. Accordingly, all parties are bound to work under the terms of the collective agreement for the next three years.

It is no secret to society that salaries in the Central Bank of Sri Lanka are at an elevated level compared to other government services. Also, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, which is the apex financial institution in the financial system that supervises licensed banks and registered non-bank financial institutions, must be compensated competitively in line with the institutions they supervise, in order to discharge their duties without influence. Due to this situation, the educated youth community of this country is eager to leave jobs in the government as well as private sector to join the Central Bank service. Students with a First or Second Upper-Class degree in a limited range of subjects are recruited to the Central Bank staff class after passing a highly competitive examination and interview(s). It is also a known fact that the passing percentage is exceptionally low for this entry examination.

Furthermore, unlike other government employees, there are many other limiting factors including legal barriers that make it impossible for the Central Bank professionals to use their professional qualifications to set up private practice. Since, the Central Bank is not a commercial institution and is a closed service, the promotion opportunities available to Central Bank employees are rather limited.

It is a generally accepted opinion that if there are limiting factors related to a service, a specific payment (compensation) should also be made related to that service. Further, the salary of a particular job is determined based on the responsibilities pertaining to its delivery, the qualifications to be met and the demand/supply for the job in the labor market. Based on the knowledge and practice of central bankers, their potential job market will be the financial sector or monetary policy making within or outside the country. In the past year alone, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has lost nearly a hundred officers of its wealth of human capital, and the fact that some have joined international organizations including the World Bank and its affiliates, Bank of England, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, etc. is a confirmation of such movements.

If this salary revision did not take place, a considerable number of the remaining officers would have left the Central Bank of Sri Lanka as well as the country and the Bank’s activities could have been severely disrupted. It is such a pity that the ongoing criticisms utterly disregard this reality. It is not clear why those who raised their voice over the possible brain drain in the past are raising their voice against the measures taken to prevent it from happening.

Moreover, in a backdrop of no revision of pensions, the fact that the pensions of Central Bank pensioners have been increased by about 70% is a complete fallacy, and it is apparent that such news was purposely planted in the society to tarnish the image of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in the face of personal agendas of certain parties.

For the progression of a society, existence of rational discourse is beneficial, but we can clearly observe the political and personal agendas operating under the guise of the one-sided dialogue in the society at present. In view of the inflation and existing tax burden in the country, private institutions including some private banks have taken various measures to avoid the inconvenience caused to their employees, and it is the opinion of our union that salaries should be revised in other sectors including government institutions.

Even though it has been proclaimed through a Supreme Court decision as to who holds responsibility for the country’s economic crisis, basis for accusing the Central Bank officials as “economic hit men”, should be explained by the so-called politicians before the society. Similarly, if there are (or were) such officers, there is no impediment in taking appropriate disciplinary actions against such individuals through an independent investigation and such an independent investigation process will definitely receive the fullest support of our professional Union.

June 23, 2023

June 21, 2023

Cautions that preserving the status quo of failed borrowers at the expense of depositors is not sustainable
Stresses need for development of an effective insolvency regime
Discloses that moratoriums, restructurings and other forms of payment relief offered over the last three years exceeds Rs 2 trillion

The Sri Lanka Banks Association (SLBA) has urged policymakers to engage with commercial banks via the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to ensure a comprehensive and well-coordinated approach to alleviating the stress felt by the industrialists in loan default, following the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis.

The Association, which represents all Licensed Banks in Sri Lanka, said in a statement that the unusually high number of debt recovery (parate execution) actions within the first four months of 2023 is due to an accumulation of legal actions that were suspended as per the general moratorium granted by CBSL since COVID in 1Q 2020 (3 years) and to the tourism industry since the April 2019 attacks, where banks had to desist from debt recovery action/‘parate execution.’

In this context, the SLBA said a worthy initiative for parliamentary attention would be to improve management of troubled debt / borrowers (SMEs in particular) to develop an effective insolvency regime, to save distressed firms, when possible, through robust restructuring frameworks or alternatively, to facilitate the exit of non-viable firms as efficiently as possible in order to reallocate productive assets.

“Of approximately Rs 10.8 trillion in gross loans extended by the banking sector as at March 31, 2023, relief by way of moratoriums, restructurings and other forms of payment relief offered over the last three years amounts to well over Rs 2 trillion,” the Association noted. “As per estimates, this has benefitted well over one million customers across both the retail and corporate segments in one form or another. This also includes approximately Rs 1.3 trillion in facilities with deemed elevated levels of risk, and we have not hit the bottom yet.”

“SLBA’s main aim is to help develop and maintain stability of the banking system within the Central Bank (CBSL) regulatory framework. Protecting the safety of customer deposits and investor/shareholder capital, is crucial to achieving this goal,” the statement said.

“Certain businesses and individuals who have borrowed from banks are unable to repay their debts. Debt repayment default has many origins, including disruption of the economy due to internal and external causes such as the global COVId-19 pandemic.”

“A segment of the borrowers in default have engaged lobbyists in the hope of initiating legislative intervention on a preferential basis without evaluation of the macro-economic impacts on the nation,” the SLBA noted, cautioning that “preserving the status quo of the failed borrowers at the expense of depositors who lent them the money is not sustainable. This approach threatens the stability of the banking sector and the entire economy that banks support.”

“It is therefore hoped that the lobbyists who appear to have been engaged by the troubled borrowers / businessmen will encourage a Central Bank led engagement with the commercial banks to ensure that the decision-making process is comprehensive and well-coordinated in alleviating the stress felt by the industrialists in default,” the Association statement said.

The SLBA noted that to ease the impacts of the April 2019 terror attacks, March 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, and the 2021 economic crisis that continues to stress the people who live in Sri Lanka, several debt repayment moratoriums (postponements) have been granted and renewed by banks and funded (mainly) from their own resources. “This has raised the level of non-performing debts and has subdued capital formation and ability to provide credit to the economy. Complacency that capital and liquidity measures currently exceed regulatory minimum criteria is a false comfort,” the statement cautioned.

“When credit quality continues to deteriorate year on year and deposits continue to provide the main source of funding, the banking sector has no space to manage a suspension or delay of debt recovery.”

The SLBA pointed out that “Parate execution has been available to the state banks under their respective instruments of incorporation. This option to mitigate loan default losses by facilitating efficient debt recovery and reducing cost of financial intermediation was thereafter extended to all of the Licensed Commercial Banks by the ‘Recovery of Loans by Banks (Special Provisions) Act No 04 of 1990.

January 9, 2023

The liquidity deficit in the domestic money market, which remained significantly high during the first half of 2022, declined in the latter part of 2022. However, in spite of the improvements in money market liquidity conditions, market interest rates continued to remain high, partly due to subdued activity in the domestic money markets. At the same time, it has been observed that several Licensed Commercial Banks (LCBs) have continued to depend excessively on the overnight Standing Facilities under Open Market Operations (OMOs) of the Central Bank without considering market based funding options to address their structural liquidity needs. Such LCBs have not indicated any signs of taking remedial actions to reduce the over dependence on overnight facilities offered by the Central Bank, which are available to be used as fall back options after utilizing all other funding options. Such behaviour of LCBs affects the efforts of the Central Bank to reactivate the money markets, primarily the interbank call money market and the repo market, while posing a threat to smooth channeling of funds in the economy with a possibility of clogging the payment and settlement systems.

Accordingly, as a part of unprecedented policy measures taken since April 2022 aiming at restoring overall macroeconomic balance, including preserving the stability of the monetary and financial sector and to address the above mentioned risks, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has decided to impose restrictions on the availability of the Standing Facilities to LCBs under the OMOs. Hence, with effect from 16 January 2023, the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF), the overnight deposit facility that allows LCBs to park excess liquidity and earn interest, will be limited to a maximum of five (05) times per calendar month. At the same time, the Standing Lending facility (SLF), which is the collateralized facility provided for LCBs to fulfill any further shortage of the liquidity requirements from the Central Bank at the end of the day, would also be limited to 90% of the Statutory Reserve Requirement (SRR) of each LCB at any given day.

These measures have been implemented after carefully considering the current and expected developments in the domestic money market as well as the behaviour of LCBs in terms of the utilization of the Standing Facilities. The imposition of the limitations on the Standing Facilities is expected to reduce over dependence of LCBs on the overnight facilities offered by the Central Bank and support the reactivation of the domestic money market, which remained nearly inactive for the last few months, while encouraging LCBs to transact among themselves. These measures would also eliminate unhealthy competition for deposits among financial institutions and would be instrumental in inducing a moderation in the market interest rate structure (of both deposit and lending interest rates) in the period ahead along with improving market liquidity conditions, which will help to restore stability of the Sri Lankan economy, while preserving stability of the financial system

December 29, 2022

The Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka decided to cancel the Finance Business Licence issued to Swarnamahal Financial Services PLC (SFSP), in terms of Section 37(3) of the Finance Business Act, No. 42 of 2011 (FBA) with effect from 28th December 2022. Accordingly, SFSP is not permitted to engage in Finance Business under the FBA with effect from 28th December 2022. Further, the Director of the Department of Supervision of Non- Bank Financial Institutions of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has decided to cancel the Certificate of Registration of SFSP as a Registered Finance Leasing Establishment under the provisions of the Finance Leasing Act, No. 56 of 2000.

In view of the contribution made by SMB Finance PLC (SMBF) (then SMB Leasing PLC) to repay the remaining deposits of SFSP, as per the directions of the “Masterplan for Consolidation of NonBank Financial Institutions Sector”, unclaimed deposit liability of SFSP will be transferred to SMBF along with the corresponding assets value and relevant depositor information.

Further, Sri Lanka Deposit Insurance and Liquidity Support Scheme (SLDILSS) will take necessary actions to pay compensation to the outstanding insured depositors of SFSP up to a maximum of Rs. 1,100,000/- per depositor as per the regulations of the SLDILSS in due course. Upon the transfer of unclaimed deposit to SMBF and payment of compensation through SLDILSS, the entirety of the deposit liability of SFSP will be settled.

October 4, 2022

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04 October 2022, Colombo: Representing yet another key stride taken to ensure that Sri Lanka will be able to reap the benefits of a digital tomorrow, LANKAQR, a project initiative from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), recently launched its inaugural webinar series to educate the public on how LANKAQR intends to transform Sri Lanka into a less-cash society.

Moderated by Deputy Chairman of the Working Group of LANKAQR Implementation Mr. Randil Boteju, the first webinar was held in September, enlightened the general public on how LANKAQR will soon transform the digital payment ecosystem in the country.

Mr. D Kumaratunge, Assistant Governor of the CBSL, was one of the change-makers who participated in the session to deliver a general overview on LANKAQR and how it functions along with the benefits of LANKAQR, such as reduction of the cost of cash, convenience and the transparency of transactions, and many more. Kumaratunge also made comparisons with other countries in the Asian region that have implemented such technology.

Speaking of the technology behind LANKAQR and how it will pave the way for the digitalisation journey of Sri Lanka, panellist Mr. Channa De Silva, CEO of LankaClear, explained that LANKAQR’s main objective is to facilitate contactless and cashless payments within the payment ecosystem using QR in Sri Lanka and ensuring that the technology behind QR is built with global standards along with the best security and interoperability.

Given that LANKAQR functions as a new way to make payments without the exchange of physical cash, Mr. K. V. K. Alwis, Director, Payments and Settlements Department of the CBSL provided insight on the importance of LANKAQR adaptation from a regulatory point of view. Alwis stated that mobile applications by financial institutions and telecommunication companies, have been certified with LankaClear (Pvt) Ltd as the network service provider in order to facilitate LANKAQR transactions.

If LANKAQR is to become a success in Sri Lanka, part of the responsibility rests with the role of partners in popularising QR and Digital Payments in the country. Mr. Thimal Perera, Chairman of the Working Group on LANKAQR elaborated further on this subject during the webinar. Perera highlighted that enthusiasm must exist on both sides by inviting consumers to download any LANKAQR-enabled app as well as merchants to enable LANKAQR payment acceptance for Sri Lanka to move towards a less-cash society and a digital economy.

It is expected that this webinar series will continue with discussions on multiple topics so that the public will be well informed about this technology and the many benefits that come with it. LANKAQR plans to engage with expert panels from other banks and non-banking financial institutions for each session.

LANKAQR is a digital payment solution that allows customers to make contactless payments directly to accounts of merchants or service providers, using any LANKAQR enabled payment app by any bank, financial institution, mobile service provider or any other partner. This contactless payment solution has elevated the user convenience and aims to drive the nation towards a less-cash society. LANKAQR is an initiative by the CBSL to increase financial inclusion and support the Digital Banking Roadmap in Sri Lanka.

September 28, 2022

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka co-hosted the CBSL-ADBI-APAEA Online Macroeconomics Conference for the third consecutive year, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) and the Asia-Pacific Applied Economics Association (APAEA), on 23 September 2022. This year’s theme remained same as the previous year; ‘Emerging Issues for Macroeconomic Stability’.

Inaugurating the Conference, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, the Governor of the Central Bank, elaborated on some key challenges faced by many countries over the world, mainly driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and geo-political tensions, driving most central banks to prioritise on stabilising their corresponding economies. He highlighted the increasing concern faced by both advanced and emerging market economies alike, in the balancing act between supporting economic growth on the one hand, and maintaining overall macroeconomic stability on the other, amidst varying levels of macroeconomic buffers. He also noted the importance of research collaborations between the academia and policymakers to address various issues faced by the economies amidst the prevailing high volatility in the global economic landscape. The Governor highlighted that although the applicability and validity of findings of certain models and theories presented in theoretical academic research could be somewhat limited amidst crisis situations like the one Sri Lanka is facing at present, ongoing effort to study the dynamics of emerging market economies is an essential element in the recovery process. Professor Tetsushi Sonobe, Dean and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ADBI delivered opening remarks and noted the heterogeneity among different regions in terms of the exposure to inflation pressures, available policy space and the soundness of macro-fundamentals. He emphasized that workshops of this Economic Research Department 27 September 2022 2 nature would help stimulating a dialogue among academia and policymakers and support further development of policy research.

The Conference comprised two sessions of research paper presentations by authors from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, ADBI and APAEA. The sessions were chaired by Dr. John Beirne, Vice-Chair of Research at ADBI, and Mrs. Yvette Fernando, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank.

The proceedings of the conference can be accessed via the Central Bank Website in the ‘Conferences, Seminars and Workshops’ section (https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/sites/default/files/cbslweb_documents/research/CBSL_ADBI_APAEA_Workshop_Sep202 2_Agenda.pdf).

August 15, 2022

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), with a view to broadening its engagement with key stakeholders of the economy, established the Stakeholder Engagement Committee (SEC) by replacing the Monetary Policy Consultative Committee (MPCC) and the Financial System Stability Consultative Committee (FSSCC) of the CBSL that were in operation previously. The SEC is chaired by Prof. Sirimal Abeyratne, Professor in Economics, Department of Economics, University of Colombo and comprises the following 17 eminent personalities from the private sector and academia as members.

• Mr. Ashique M Ali, Chairman, Sri Lanka Association for Software Services Companies

• Mr. Kapila P Ariyaratne, Chairman, Sri Lanka Banks’ Association

• Mr. Sanjaya Bandara, President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka

• Mrs. Dhamitha Cooke, Chief Financial Officer, Stassen Group of Companies

• Dr. Priyanga Dunusinghe, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Colombo

• Mr. Priantha Fernando, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority

• Mr. Murtaza Jafferjee, Chairman, Advocata Institute

• Mr. Christopher Joshua, Managing Director, Access Engineering PLC

• Mr. Rohan Masakorala, Founder, Shippers’ Academy Colombo (Pvt) Ltd

• Mr. Reyaz Mihular, Non-Executive Chairman, Bairaha Farms PLC

• Mr. Ashroff Omar, Chief Executive Officer, Brandix Lanka Limited

• Mr. Lakshman Silva, Former Chief Executive Officer, DFCC Bank PLC

• Mr. Rohan Tennakoon, Chairman, Finance Houses Association of Sri Lanka

• Mr. Rajendra Theagarajah, Past Chairman, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

• Prof. Lakshman R Watawala, President, Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka

• Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja, Senior Research Associate

• Mr. Anushka Wijesinha, Economist and Co-Founder, Centre for a Smart Future.

The primary role of this high-level consultative Committee is to represent the views and sentiments of the private sector and academia on economic conditions and the outlook, considering the overall economic development, particularly in the monetary and financial sectors of the economy. Further, the SEC is expected to provide feedback from the viewpoint of the stakeholders of the economy on the policy measures adopted by the CBSL, thus enabling the CBSL to make informed policy decisions in a more consultative manner. The inaugural meeting of the SEC was held on 10 August 2022 at the CBSL premises with the participation of the Governor of the CBSL, Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, and senior CBSL officers.

August 1, 2022

The Government and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) have been implementing several measures to ease the burden of the current economic hardships on the people. One major factor that is contributing to the current crisis and the resultant hardships is the lack of foreign exchange liquidity in the banking system. Such shortage of forex liquidity has affected the provision of essential imports, including fuel. To ensure adequate foreign exchange liquidity in the banking system, the CBSL had to impose surrender requirements on export earnings. Further, measures were taken by the Government and the CBSL to discourage foreign exchange outflows, such as imposing restrictions on certain imports and payment terms and introducing margin requirements, while encouraging foreign inflows through the banking system, rather than those being channelled through the grey market. The success of these regulatory measures and the ability to achieve the intended outcomes depend on the support and cooperation from the trading community and the banking system. However, it has been brought to the notice of the CBSL that certain market players are not being fully compliant with these regulations. Such practice, if continued, would deprive the people of the support expected from the Government in difficult times, while undermining the moral obligation of ‘equal burden sharing’ that is expected of all stakeholders under difficult and extraordinary circumstances.

Against this backdrop, and in the best interest of the nation, the CBSL wishes to reiterate to all stakeholders of the economy, that, going forward, all efforts would be taken to strictly monitor and ensure compliance with all regulations on foreign exchange transactions, including repatriation requirements of export proceeds, conversions, and mandatory sales to the CBSL etc. Any instances of non-compliance will be dealt with stern action within the provisions of all applicable laws.

It is noteworthy that the CBSL has strengthened its capacity in relation to monitoring of foreign exchange transactions through the implementation of the Export Proceeds Monitoring System (EPMS) and the International Transactions Reporting System (ITRS), which is a comprehensive monitoring system of cross-border transactions and domestic foreign currency transactions. These systems facilitate regular monitoring of foreign exchange inflows and outflows. Further, assistance from independent professional bodies, including audit firms, is also being sought for the timely identification of any malpractices.

Hence, Licensed Banks and the trading community are urged to comply with the existing regulations and complement the efforts of the Government and the CBSL to provide much-needed assistance to all stakeholders of the economy under these extremely challenging circumstances. The export trading community is urged to continue to repatriate all export proceeds within the stipulated timeframe and surrender the residual earnings in accordance with the regulations. The banking community is requested to ensure strict adherence to all regulations in relation to foreign exchange transactions.

The Government and the CBSL are relentlessly pursuing efforts to secure bridging finance to reduce and alleviate economic stresses in the near term. A notable progress has been made in the ongoing negotiations for an economic adjustment programme with the International Monetary Fund. The debt restructuring process is also underway, capably assisted with the Legal and Financial Advisers. The Government and the CBSL remain committed to implementing muchneeded reforms to overcome long-standing structural issues in the economy.

The Central Bank wishes to reiterate that overcoming current economic woes and distresses requires substantial and concerted efforts from all stakeholders of the economy. Foul play on the part of any group of stakeholders would inevitably result in the worsening of the crisis, thereby having widespread detrimental effects. It is the duty of everybody to act conscientiously and responsibly, and extend their unhindered support during this hour of need, for the nation to recover rapidly and emerge stronger from this crisis.

August 1, 2022

Mr. Anthony Nihal Fonseka has been reappointed as a member of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) with effect from 27 July 2022 for a period of six years. Previously, he served on the Monetary Board from July, 2016 to May 2020 and from May 2022 to July 2022.

He obtained his BSc Degree from the University of Ceylon, Colombo and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, UK and a Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, UK. He is a Senior Independent Director and Chairman of the Group Audit Committee of John Keells Holdings PLC, Chairman of Phoenix Industries Ltd., Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Brandix Lanka Ltd., Non-Executive Director and Chairman of Investment Committee of Phoenix Ventures Ltd..

A Banker by profession, Mr. Fonseka has held several key positions in the local and international banking and financial sector. He was the Chief Executive Officer of the DFCC Bank for over 13 years and prior to that was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Sri Lanka for 10 years. He has also served as the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange and the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and Pacific, Manila and as a director of Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, and DFCC Vardhana Bank PLC. He was the President of the Sri Lanka National Advisory Council of the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investments, UK for over 10 years and is a Member of the US-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission.

Mr Fonseka has held many positions in the public sector as well. He was a member of the 2009 Presidential Commission on Taxation and a member of the National Procurement Commission established under the Constitution. He has served as a Director of the Credit Information Bureau and the Employees’ Trust Fund and has been the Co-Chairman of the national Council for Economic Development (NCED) – Capital Market Cluster.

Mr. Fonseka has authored many articles and made many presentations at seminars and conferences locally and internationally.

Older Posts

Press Release by Central Bank Executive Officers’ Union

Participating in Pyramid Schemes

SLBA calls for government engagement to facilitate debt recovery process

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka introduces measures to reduce the overdependence on the Standing Facilities

Swarnamahal Financial Services PLC – Cancellation of the Licence

LANKAQR launches its inaugural webinar series to educate citizenry on QR payments

Central Bank of Sri Lanka Co-hosted the 3rd CBSL-ADBI-APAEA Online Macroeconomics Conference

Establishment of the Stakeholder Engagement Committee

Importance of ‘fair play’ by all stakeholders of the economy in countering the current unprecedented economic crisis

Reappointment of Mr. Anthony Nihal Fonseka as a member of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for a period of six years