President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Monday that Sri Lanka is considering another International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme after the current arrangement ends, but no final decision has been taken.
Speaking at the opening of the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2026, organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in Colombo, he said senior economic officials, the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka are examining what such a programme should look like.
He said the existing programme has largely focused on stabilising the economy. Any new agreement would need to support faster growth without putting the restored stability at risk, and the government would enter one if it could reach an understanding with the IMF on that basis.
Dissanayake said foreign exchange reserves have yet to reach the desired level and the country’s credit standing needs further improvement.
Earlier this month, Sri Lanka and the IMF reached a staff-level agreement on the seventh review of the current programme, which would release a further US$ 345 million. The agreement still needs approval from the IMF Executive Board, a 2027 Budget consistent with the programme and a financing assurances review.
