The economy of Sri Lanka: Is there a way out? By by Prof. Arusha Cooray Source:island.lk Sri Lanka is currently facing an unprecedented set of economic challenges: a large and increasing public debt, rising fiscal and current account deficits, foreign exchange shortages and declining investor confidence. The collapse of tourist revenues and remittances due to the pandemic, have compounded the situation. Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves are at an all-time low, currently sufficient to cover two months of imports. As a rule of thumb, a country’s foreign exchange reserves should be sufficient for at least three months of imports. The fall in foreign exchange reserves has led to a depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar, making it more difficult to service the debt denominated in foreign currency. Sri Lanka’s debt to GDP ratio currently stands at 101%. Businesses relying on imports are struggling to meet foreign currency payables. ...

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