The Sri Lankan Rupee recorded an overall depreciation of 1.6% against the US Dollar as of March end 2026, due to the emergence of external pressures, following the ongoing Middle East conflict in late February 2026, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) External Sector Performance report.

According to the report, the buying rate of the US dollar was Rs. 311.76 while the selling rate stood at Rs. 319.31 at the end of trading Tuesday (31 March).

However, the Gross official reserves (GOR), which included the swap facility with the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), showed an increase around $ 7.3 billion at the end February 2026, mainly driven by higher foreign exchange purchases by the Central Bank, despite continued external debt service payments.

Meanwhile, the external current account recorded a surplus in February 2026, extending the trend observed since November 2025, and recorded a cumulative surplus of $ 487 million during January-February 2026, the CBSL stated in the report.