Sri Lanka rupee weaker, bonds yields up

Wednesday November 26, 2025 4:59 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s rupee closed at 308.00/05 to the US dollar in the spot market Wednesday, from 307.90/308.00 the previous day, dealers said, while bond yields were up.

A bond maturing on 15.12.2026 was quoted at 8.20/30 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.09.2027 was quoted at 8.78/85 percent,

A bond maturing on 15.03.2028 was quoted at 9.02/10 percent, down from 9.05/10 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.09.2029 was quoted at 9.50/55 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.07.2030 was quoted at 9.59/64 percent, up from 9.58/65 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.12.2032 was quoted at 10.23/30 percent, up from 10.22/32 percent.

A bond maturing on 01.11.2033 was quoted at 10.45/50 percent.

A bond maturing on 15.06.2035 was quoted at 10.67/70 percent, from 10.65/70 percent.

An auction of 42,000 million rupees Treasury bonds is scheduled for Thursday (27). (Colombo/Nov26/2025)

Wednesday November 26, 2025 5:30 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s tourism revenue has been lower since August this year compared to arrival after the relevant authority revising down per day tourism spending, top Central Bank officials said.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) estimates that per day revenue based on a survey.

The revenue from tourism, which accounts for nearly 3 percent of the island nation’s economy, edged up 0.3 percent in October despite a 21.5 percent jump in arrivals, the official data showed.

Similarly the revenue rose 1 percent in September, despite 30 percent increase in the tourist arrivals in the same month. In July, the revenue fell 3 percent compared to the same month in the previous year, but arrivals gained 6.6 percent. In August, the revenue fell 8.2 percent from a year ago but the arrivals saw a jump of 20.4 percent.

“There were some weaknesses in estimating the per day spending. They have revised based based on new survey,” Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe told reporters on Wednesday at a media briefing after the announcement of monetary policy decision.

The SLTDA has revised the per day revenue to USD 148 in August from USD 171, Sujeetha Jeganathan, the head of Economic Research Department said.

“So that’s why even though we are seeing the tourist arrivals have almost gone to 2018 level, in terms of revenue we are not going to reach the 2018 level. So we will end up with the closer to last year’s earnings levels.”

The island nation witnessed 3.17 billion US dollars revenue in 2024, with a 53.2 percent jump compared to 2.07 billion dollars in the previous year, the data showed.

The arrivals in 2024 jumped 38.1 percent to 2.05 million compared to the previous year.

Sri Lanka’s new government has aimed at an ambitious 5 billion US dollar revenue and a 3 million arrival target this year. (Colombo/November 26/2025)

Wednesday November 26, 2025 4:57 pm

ECONOMYNEXT- Sri Lanka’s rupee can move both ways, Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said, as concerns rose over the depreciation of the rupee in 2025 amid record external current account surpluses and falling budget deficit.

“I want to emphasize that under the current exchange rate regime, the exchange rate can move both ways,” Governor Weerasinghe told reporters after the November monetary policy decision.

“It is not a one way movement. We have seen even in the last couple of weeks, some depreciation. It has turned around and is stable.”

“Gradual movement in both ways is good. We will ensure that there will be a movement in both ways, so that there is balance between demand and supply, that will reflect and act as a stabilizer in external demand.”

Sri Lanka’s motor vehicle demand is stabilizing, though it is a little higher than originally expected, In the next couple of months motor vehicle imports will come down as the pace at which new letters of credit are opened is falling.

Sri Lanka will register a current account surplus of around one percent of gross domestic product, which was higher than projected officials said.

Sri Lanka has also faced higher than planned outflows for government foreign currency debt repayments, amid a delay in inflows from multilateral lenders, reducing inflows through the financial account.

If debt is repaid from current inflows, curbing domestic consumption or investment – at an appropriate interest rate that makes it possible to do so – the current account shows a surplus.

When net financial account inflows are invested domestically, the extra imports from capital projects will boost imports, narrow the current account surplus or turn it into a deficit. (Colombo/Nov26/2027)

Wednesday November 26, 2025 4:04 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s forex reserves will hit a post-crisis high by the end of the year with strong flows from multilateral agencies in December, Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said.

Sri Lanka is expecting 370 million dollars from budget support loans given by the Asian Development Bank and more than 340 million dollars from the International Monetary Fund.

“Those will come in December,” Governor Weerasinghe told reporters Wednesday. “As a result there will be a significant increase in reserves in December.”

Sri Lanka’s forex reserves did not grow much so far this year due to some delays in loan approvals, and higher than normal foreign exchange loan settlements in the first 11 months of the year.

In addition to external debt, the government also settled loans of state enterprises like Ceylon Petroleum Corporation to state banks, Governor Weerasinghe said.

Sri Lanka forex reserves have been below 6.5 billion US dollars since around October 2024, after rate cuts, but the central bank has still collected dollars and boosted its net reserves by settling reserve-related debt to India and the IMF. (Colombo/Nov26/2025)

Wednesday November 26, 2025 4:00 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) closed up on Wednesday, data on its site showed, while turnover remained low.

Investor interest was seen in selected shares from retail, capital goods and financial sector.

The broader All Share Price Index (ASPI) rose 24.32 points to close at 22,844.23. The index hiked after the opening bell and gradually fell, but remained in the positive territory.

Meanwhile, the more liquid S&P SL20 index closed 0.20 percent, or 12.55 points higher, at 6,311.30.

Top contributors to the ASPI were HNB (up 5 rupees at 407.25), Colombo Dockyard (up 19.50 rupees at 424.75 rupees), Diesel & Motor Engineering (up 105.75 rupees at 2,285.50 rupees), Access Engineering (up 1.30 rupees at 70.60 rupees), and Digital Mobility Solutions Lanka (PickMe) (up 3.50 rupees at 151.50).

Market turnover continued to fall from 4.06 billion rupees to 3.44 billion rupees, while the share volume was 157,309,169.

Kerner Haus Global Solutions PLC said it had signed a property management agreement with VKM Services (Pvt) Ltd for a commercial property located at Nawam Mawatha.

On Wednesday, the company secured the most gains. The stock traded 124.50 rupees higher at 780.50.

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Elsewhere in Asia, equity markets were a mixed bag.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 1.85 percent to 49,559.07 as investors expect the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates further next month to support its economy, Japan’s Mainichi newspaper said.

Pakistan’s KSE 100 index was trading climbed 0.93 percent higher to close at 163,188.53.

India’s Nifty 50 index moved 1.24 percent up to close at 26,205.30, while the BSE Sensex traded 1.21 percent stronger at 85,609.51. (Colombo/Nov26/2025)

Wednesday November 26, 2025 3:46 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has sold 55,63 billion rupees of Treasury bills, of an offered 86.5 billion, with yields flat across maturities, data from the state debt office showed.

The 3-month yield was unchanged at 7.52 percent, with 16 billion rupees of bills offered and 6.03 billion sold.

The 6-month yield was unchanged at 7.91 percent, with all offered 40 billion rupees offered 42.66 sold.

The 12-month yield was unchanged at 8.03 percent with 30.5 billion rupees offered and 6.94 billion bills sold.

124,166 billion bids were received.

All three bills are available on tap at the weighted average yield.

Settlement date is November 28. (Colombo/Nov26/2025)

Wednesday November 26, 2025 2:06 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – A team of Sri Lankan healthcare businesses, organized by AHK Sri Lanka, has visited MEDICA 2025, an international trade fair for the global medical industry, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The delegation included representatives from Dimo Lifelines, Hayleys Lifesciences, Technomedics, AJ Medichem International, and Hemas Hospitals.

They met Messe Düsseldorf to explore global trade fair trends and business opportunities, AHK Sri Lanka said in a statement.

The team also engaged with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on regulatory standards and medical innovation and the German Health Alliance (GHA) and Medicare Asia.

A site visit was made to a state-of-the-art hospital in Germany, offering first-hand exposure to advanced healthcare infrastructure and hospital operations.

“This initiative is expected to enhance Sri Lanka’s capabilities in medical technologies, hospital management, and healthcare services,” AHK Sri Lanka said.

“It is vital for Sri Lankan medical industry stakeholders to participate in international exhibitions like MEDICA, not only to gain valuable insights into global industry trends but also to build strong, lasting relationships with international partners,” Malintha Gajanayake, Head of Corporate Affairs & Export Promotion at AHK Sri Lanka, said.

“Such exposure is key to driving growth and innovation in Sri Lanka’s healthcare sector.”

“It was excellent learning on how healthcare and digital health are evolving,” Dr. Lakith Peiris (PhD), Managing Director of Hemas Hospitals, said.

The visit highlights the growing potential for collaboration between Sri Lankan and German healthcare stakeholders, AHK Sri Lanka said. (Colombo/Nov26/2025)