According to data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the country’s official reserve assets experienced a slight decline of 0.2% in January 2026. The value of these assets decreased from USD 6,838 million at the end of December 2025 to USD 6,824 million by the end of January 2026.
The largest component of official reserves, foreign exchange reserves, saw a 1% drop over the month, falling from USD 6,747 million to USD 6,680 million. In contrast, the Central Bank’s gold holdings experienced a significant increase, rising by 26.8% from USD 86 million to USD 109 million in January 2026.
The Central Bank highlighted that the official reserve assets include foreign exchange swap proceeds of approximately USD 1.4 billion obtained from the People’s Bank of China, which are subject to specific conditions regarding their usability.
