Sri Lanka to raise $1.5 billion through bonds in new year

The move comes after IMF warned the country over its below comfortable level foreign reserves

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka announced on Wednesday that it would raise $1.5 billion through a domestic bond sale this year as it moves to rebuild its foreign exchange reserves.

The cabinet approved the borrowing through dollar-denominated bonds to be offered to banks and investors in the country, said government spokesman Gayantha Karunatileka.

The move to borrow locally came weeks after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the country's foreign reserves were "below comfortable levels".

Last June the government, which came to power in January 2015, received a $1.5 billion bailout from the IMF after facing a balance of payments crisis.



The IMF, in a November review before releasing the second tranche of the funds, said Sri Lanka's performance was "broadly satisfactory" however it needed to build its dwindling foreign reserves.
Foreign reserves at the end of December were $6.06 billion, an increase from $5.64 billion a month earlier, according to government data.

Sri Lanka also secured in December a three year $1.34 billion loan from the World Bank to fund a range of projects.
It is also selling part of a loss-making $1.4 billion harbour to a Chinese company to help repay crippling debts.