60th Anniversary of Central Bank of Sri Lanka

60th Anniversary of Central Bank of Sri Lanka

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka was established in 1950, two years after independence. The founder governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka was John Exter, while the minister of finance at the time was J. R. Jayewardene. Under the former name of Central Bank of Ceylon it replaced the Currency Board that until then had been responsible for issuing the country’s money. It is a member of the Asian Clearing Union.

The bank’s main tasks are the conduct of monetary policy in Sri Lanka and also has wide supervisory powers over the financial system. The bank is engaged in developing policies to promote financial inclusion and is a member of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI).

With a view to encouraging and promoting the development of the productive resources of Sri Lanka, the CBSL is responsible for securing price stability and financial system stability. The CBSL is also responsible for currency issue and management. In addition, the CBSL is the advisor on economic affairs as well as the banker to the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL). On behalf of GOSL, the CBSL, as its agent, is responsible for four agency functions of: management of the Employees Provident Fund; management of the public debt of Sri Lanka; administration of the provisions of the Exchange Control Act; and administration of foreign and government funded credit schemes for regional development.