Tuesday Sep 08, 2026
Tuesday Sep 08, 2026
Monday, 10 August 2026 00:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s (CBSL) net US dollar purchases from the domestic market to build reserves topped $ 905 million during the first seven months of 2026
According to data released by the CBSL on Friday, it was a net purchaser of foreign exchange in July 2026 amounting to $ 348.6 million, a sharp increase from $ 70.5 million in June and reversing May’s net sale of more than $ 211 million, when it became a net seller of foreign exchange for the first time in 22 months.
The July purchases lifted the CBSL’s cumulative net foreign exchange purchases to $ 905 million in the first seven months of 2026, following record net purchases of $ 2 billion in 2025.
The CBSL on Friday said gross official reserves were provisionally estimated at $ 6,881 million as at end-May 2026 and includes proceeds from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) swap arrangement.
The CBSL said gross official reserves increased by $ 133 million as of end-July to $ 6.59 billion, up 2.1% from the previous month, with gold reserves increasing by $ 1 million to $ 192 million.
The estimated short-term drain from reserves over the next 12-month period, including foreign currency loans, securities, deposits, and aggregate short and long positions in forwards and futures and swaps amounted, is $ 4.32 billion.
