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Krishani
Krishani
Sep 25 2026
35Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has called for stronger regional economic and financial partnerships to convert Sri Lanka’s recent macroeconomic stability into sustainable investment, higher productivity and long-term growth.
Addressing the 49th Annual General Meeting of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) in Colombo on Wednesday (23), Dr. Weerasinghe said deeper economic integration, stronger investment links and better-connected supply chains were essential for countries to withstand global economic shocks and unlock new opportunities. He said Asia-Pacific economies were facing challenges from geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation, climate-related risks and energy and food security concerns. At the same time, digital payments, e-commerce, renewable energy, logistics and regional value chains were creating opportunities that increasingly crossed national borders.The Governor stressed that Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) have an important role in supporting this transformation by addressing financing and risk gaps through guarantees, blended finance, risk-sharing and project development.
He said DFIs could also help small and medium enterprises access finance and regional markets, contributing to job creation and broader economic growth.
Referring to Sri Lanka’s recovery from its severe economic crisis, Dr. Weerasinghe said restoration of macroeconomic stability had created a stronger foundation for the country’s next phase of development.
He noted that Fitch Ratings had upgraded Sri Lanka’s sovereign rating to ‘B-’ from ‘CCC+’, with a Stable Outlook, reflecting progress in macroeconomic stabilisation and reforms. He said Sri Lanka’s National Climate Finance Strategy 2025–2030 and the CBSL Sustainable Finance Roadmap 2.0 were designed to channel financing CBSLtowards climate-resilient infrastructure, renewable energy and other sustainable economic activities.
Dr. Weerasinghe also highlighted the expansion of digital payments through LANKAQR and GovPay, as well as LANKAQR’s integration with regional platforms including India’s UPI, UnionPay, Alipay+, WeChat Pay and NepalPay.
He said stronger partnerships among policymakers, DFIs, financial institutions and the private sector would be crucial to mobilising investment, strengthening competitiveness and enabling Sri Lanka to engage more deeply with regional markets
