Assistant High Commission of India, Kandy(Sri Lanka)

Roundtable on ‘INR-LKR Trade Settlement: Strengthening Bilateral Economic Ties’

High Commission of India
Colombo

PRESS RELEASE

Roundtable on ‘INR-LKR Trade Settlement:
Strengthening Bilateral Economic Ties’

The High Commission of India organized a Roundtable titled ‘INR-LKR Trade Settlement: Strengthening Bilateral Economic Ties’ on 25 February 2025 in Colombo. The event brought together key stakeholders, including representatives from the Government of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan and Indian banks, as well as members of various trade Chambers, media, and think tanks. H.E. Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka and Dr P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka graced the occasion.

2. The event commenced with welcome remarks delivered by the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, H.E. Santosh Jha and was followed by a detailed presentation by Dr. Aditya Gaiha, Chief General Manager, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on INR internationalization and the INR-LKR trade settlement. He also highlighted key policies of RBI which permit investments in INR in Sri Lanka. He further elaborated on RBI's recent amendments to the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), aimed at enhancing the use of INR-LKR in cross-border transactions.

3. Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe provided valuable insights on the INR-LKR trade settlement framework. He underscored the importance of the mechanism and encouraged banks to engage with policy makers and central banks in both countries on streamlining the mechanism.

4. This initiative aligns with the commitment reaffirmed at the highest levels of leadership during the recent visit of President of Sri Lanka H.E. Anura Kumara Disanayaka to India, where he met with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Among the key outcomes of their discussions was a renewed focus on enhancing INR-LKR trade settlements to deepen trade and investment ties between the two nations.

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Colombo
26 February 2025

Sinhala PR - Roundtable on 'INR-LKR Trade Settlement - Strengthening Bilateral Economic Ties’