Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has said he is confident Sri Lanka will avoid being placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list for a third time.
He was speaking at an anti-money laundering and anti-corruption event in Thailand, held on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Annual Meetings. An on-site evaluation by international assessors began in Sri Lanka this week and is due to last two weeks.
Sri Lanka was grey-listed in 2014-2015 and again in 2017, and left the list by 2019. A grey-listing can make it harder and costlier for banks and businesses to deal with foreign partners.
Weerasinghe said recent reforms include a new Anti-Corruption Act, a National Audit Act and changes to the Companies Act on beneficial ownership. Laws on financial transactions reporting, money laundering and terrorist financing were also amended in 2026.
He said passing laws would not be enough. “The challenge now is to show that these laws work and that the framework is effective,” he said.
The assessors are due to complete their on-site work in about two weeks.
