The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) successfully hosted its inaugural Reserve Management Conference on 10 -11 September 2026 at The Kingsbury, Colombo. This distinguished gathering brought together leading central bankers, sovereign asset managers, policymakers, economists and investment professionals to exchange perspectives on the evolving global challenges and opportunities shaping official reserve management. Approximately 50 speakers and participants joined the conference, representing institutions including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Asian Development Bank, Banque de France, Bank for International Settlements, Bank Indonesia, Bank Negara Malaysia, Bank of Korea, Bank of Thailand, Inter-American Development Bank, Reserve Bank of India, Swiss National Bank, World Bank and World Gold Council.

The conference addressed a broad range of issues shaping the future of reserve management. Key areas of discussion included strategies for building and strengthening foreign reserve buffers; the implications of geopolitical fragmentation for Asia and the global economy; the evolving role of digital and tokenised assets in official reserves; currency power and the continued prominence of the US dollar in international reserve portfolios; and the role of gold and other alternative assets. Participants also explored how technological innovation and artificial intelligence could support reserve management through enhanced investment decision-making, market intelligence, portfolio optimisation and risk management.