Total debt for 2019 is US$ 5.9 billion - CBSL Governor

The total debt expected to be repaid by this year amounts upto US$ 5.9 billion, Central Bank governor Indrajith Coomaraswamy said yesterday (Jan 02).

He added that US$ 2.9 billion should be regenerated out of the total debt that is expected to be repaid.

A policy guideline of the Central Bank and its financial departments titled 'Road Map 2019 - Monetary and Financial Sector Policies for 2019 and Beyond' was also launched during yesterday's press briefing.

Mr. Coomaraswamy added that the total loss incurred during the political upheaval could not be calculated. He said it was difficult to evaluate the situation before and after the political turmoil and also the situation that would have existed if the political crisis had not taken place.

Commenting on the annual budget, the Governor opined that he was neither optimistic nor pessimisitc about it. He also noted that he had informed the same opinion to the government as well.

Further, he also said that the Central Bank will hold talks with financial insitutions after having faced a drop in financial ratings. On the same lines, he said that talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will also be held in near future.