Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe met International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva on 17 February during her official visit to Sri Lanka, where she described the country’s IMF-supported programme as a “success story”.

The meeting, held at the Central Bank’s premises in Colombo, coincided with the 75th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s membership in the IMF and the 75th anniversary of the Central Bank. Dr. Georgieva met with Dr. Weerasinghe and senior Central Bank officials to review progress under the ongoing Extended Fund Facility programme.

During discussions, the Governor expressed gratitude to the IMF Managing Director and her team for their support under the current EFF arrangement and for facilitating the completion of Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring process. He noted that the assistance had helped the country recover from what he described as unprecedented economic hardship.

Dr. Weerasinghe also acknowledged the IMF’s technical assistance across several areas, including monetary policy formulation and modelling, macroprudential analysis, and financial sector policies.

Dr. Georgieva recognised Sri Lanka’s performance under the current IMF programme as a “success story” and acknowledged the Central Bank’s role in restoring macroeconomic stability following the economic crisis. While noting that the country had faced repeated setbacks in recent years, she expressed confidence that Sri Lanka is positioned to achieve stronger growth if structural reforms are initiated and sustained.

Her remarks follow Sri Lanka’s recent stabilisation efforts under the IMF-backed programme, which has focused on restoring fiscal discipline, strengthening monetary policy frameworks, and rebuilding financial sector resilience after the severe economic crisis that led to debt restructuring and a contraction in growth.