Home Economics, Policy & Regulation Nandalal Weerasinghe: Sri Lanka’s Steady Hands
Author: Jonathan Rogers | Photos: Shutterstock
Sri Lanka’s central bank governor discusses reforms supporting the country’s recovery and resilience to shocks.
Nandalal Weerasinghe has served as governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka since April 2022, delivering his trademark steady post-crisis stewardship amid new external supply shocks. In Global Finance’s October Central Banker Report Cards, he received a B+.
He achieved macroeconomic stabilization after Sri Lanka’s 2022 financial crisis, and perhaps most tellingly, headline inflation—which had been negative or near zero through much of 2025—turned positive. It rose to 8% as of August, driven by energy price pressures linked to the Middle East conflict. Gross official reserves held firm at around $6.5 billion to $6.8 billion, their highest level since the crisis, burnishing Weerasinghe’s credentials as a safe pair of hands, supported by net FX purchases and IMF program inflows.
Global Finance: Four years after the 2022 default, what would you tell a global investor is durable about Sri Lanka’s recovery now?
Nandalal Weerasinghe: A key improvement since the crisis has been the restoration of a more stable and predictable macroeconomic environment, supported by a comprehensive governance framework and reform agenda, including the new Public Financial Management Act, the new Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, a strengthened anti-corruption framework, and progress on debt restructuring. Unlike the pre-crisis period, Sri Lanka now operates within stronger policy and institutional frameworks, with predictable policies and improved policy buffers, making the economy more resilient to shocks.
This resilience has been evident in the country’s ability to absorb recent shocks, including Cyclone Ditwah and the ongoing Middle East conflict, while maintaining macroeconomic stability. With continued policy discipline and effective coordination, Sri Lanka is better positioned to manage external shocks, preserve stability, and sustain the economic recovery.
GF: With inflation targeting 5% and the Overnight Policy Rate held at 8.75%, how do you weigh the risk of easing too soon to support growth against the risk of letting prices drift and having to tighten again?
Weerasinghe : After nearly three years of an accommodative monetary policy stance, the Central Bank proactively tightened policy in May 2026 by raising the Overnight Policy Rate by 100 basis points to 8.75% to anchor inflation expectations and dampen second-round effects of the energy shock. While inflation initially stemmed from higher global energy prices, domestic demand has also strengthened, as reflected in robust private-sector credit growth and rising import demand.
Monetary policy will remain focused on maintaining inflation at the target rate and will remain data-driven. Policy decisions are also taken in a more forward-looking manner. In this context, we will closely monitor global developments, particularly in the Middle East and their implications for Sri Lanka and calibrate the policy stance as warranted by the evolving outlook.
Meanwhile, economic growth has been robust, with real GDP growing by 5.1% and 4.2% in Q1 and Q2 2026, respectively, following two consecutive years of over 5% annual growth. We expect growth to be driven by growth-supportive reforms rather than short-term policy stimulus.
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