Sri Lanka official reserves hit five months high of 6.9 billion dollars in August

Official reserve assets in Sri Lanka rose to 6.9 billion US dollars at the end of August 2026, marking a 4.6% increase from 6.6 billion US dollars recorded in July.

Latest figures from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka show this level represents a 5-month high and the 3rd-highest reserves position recorded this year.

Foreign currency reserves grew 5% to 6.69 billion US dollars, while gold reserves rose 9.4% to 210 million US dollars.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka reported that the short-term drain on reserves over the next 12 months amounts to nearly 6 billion US dollars, with principal and interest payments on foreign currency obligations accounting for 2.2 billion US dollars.

The monetary authority stepped up foreign currency purchases from the domestic market to rebuild reserves, buying a record 579 million US dollars in August alone and pushing net purchases for the first 8 months of 2026 above 1.48 billion US dollars.