The Central Bank of Sri Lanka hosted Dr. Alfred Hannig, CEO of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), during his visit to Sri Lanka on 19 February 2026.

During discussions with Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and senior officials, Dr. Hannig commended the progress achieved under Sri Lanka’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) and the Central Bank’s active engagement within the AFI network.

Key discussions focused on advancing the In-Country Implementation (ICI) project, including the End-of-Term Evaluation of NFIS Phase I, a nationally representative Financial Inclusion Survey, and the formulation of NFIS Phase II. Technical exchanges also covered digital payments, SME financing, consumer protection, sustainable finance, and financial literacy, reinforcing the shared commitment to translating policy into measurable impact.

A high-level policy dialogue themed “𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕: 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒆𝒔” further highlighted the critical role of financial inclusion in strengthening economic resilience, safeguarding macroeconomic stability, and supporting sustainable growth.

As a member of AFI since 2010, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka remains committed to deepening strategic collaboration and accelerating inclusive finance initiatives to reinforce financial system resilience and long-term stability.