FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – An International Monetary Fund staff team will be in Colombo from next Monday to hold discussions on the island nation’s fifth and sixth reviews of Sri Lanka’s reform programme, the global lender said in a statement.
“An IMF staff team will visit Sri Lanka from March 23 to April 9, 2026, to hold discussions with the authorities on the combined fifth and sixth reviews of Sri Lanka’s reform program supported by the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF),” Evan Papageorgiou, the IMF Mission Chief for Sri Lanka, said in a statement.
In January, an IMF team led by Papageorgiou was in Sri Lanka on a six-day visit and held discussions on the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. The discussions focused on the fiscal response to the natural disaster and its implications on monetary policy and financial sector stability.
The IMF is yet to complete the fifth review of the US$3 billion extended fund facility. The fifth review was originally expected to be completed in December last year. However, the Cyclone Ditwah disaster has led to further assessment by the IMF due to additional expenses on reconstruction and rebuilding.
As a result, Sri Lanka has yet to receive the sixth tranche of the programme. If the combined fifth and sixth reviews are completed, the island nation will receive around US$700 million from both the sixth and seventh tranches.
(Colombo/March 19/2026)
