Friday Jan 09, 2026
Friday Jan 09, 2026
Thursday, 8 January 2026 00:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Sri Lankan rupee continued its depreciating trend against the US dollar yesterday, with the currency weakening to the Rs. 310 level against the greenback for the first time since February 2024, based on the indicative spot rate published by the Central Bank of
Sri Lanka (CBSL).
The CBSL reported the USD/LKR spot rate at Rs. 310.02. The buying rate of the US dollar was recorded at Rs. 306.28, while the selling rate stood at Rs. 313.81.
The rupee depreciated by 5.6% in 2025, reversing strong gains recorded over the previous two years. The currency appreciated by 12.1% in 2023 and 10.7% in 2024, a period when import controls were tights and a ban on vehicle imports was in force. The rupee began to depreciate in early 2025 after the vehicle import ban was lifted.
Vehicle imports recorded the second-highest monthly value for 2025 of $ 281 million in November, with highest being $ 286 million in September. Cumulative vehicle imports reached $ 1.7 billion in the first 11 months of 2025.
