Labour Minister and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando stated that the Government is seeking to secure the release of both the sixth and seventh installments of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan facility at the same time.
The Minister explained that the fifth review, which relates to the sixth installment, was delayed due to the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. He noted that by conducting the fifth review and the sixth review—linked to the seventh installment—in close succession, Sri Lanka would likely be able to obtain both installments simultaneously.
The fifth review had originally been scheduled for December 15 last year, but was postponed to the early months of this year due to the cyclone. With the sixth review scheduled for mid-year, Minister Fernando expressed confidence that the Government could expedite both processes to secure the two pending installments together.
Sri Lanka entered into a four-year IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement worth US$ 2.9 billion on March 22, 2023, to support recovery from the severe economic crisis experienced in 2022.
Under the programme, the first installment of US$ 330 million was released on March 20, 2023. This was followed by a second installment of US$ 337 million on December 12, 2023, and a third installment of US$ 336 million on June 12, 2024. The fourth installment of US$ 334 million was disbursed on February 28, 2025, while the fifth installment of US$ 350 million was released on June 1, 2025.
Minister Fernando also revealed that IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka next Monday (16). During her visit, she is expected to hold high-level discussions with President and Minister of Finance and Economic Development Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
The post Govt Aims to Secure Sixth and Seventh IMF Installments Simultaneously appeared first on LNW Lanka News Web.
