A delegation steered by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Cell of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, visited Sri Lanka from 22–24 September 2025 to conduct capacity-building and training programmes for senior officials of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and other relevant Ministries of the Government of Sri Lanka. The Indian delegation comprised experts from the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Central Bureau of Investigation, Financial Intelligence Unit, and the FATF Cell.
The programme focused on strengthening the anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terror financing (CFT) framework, sharing of best practices, and exploring avenues for deeper collaboration between the two countries in this domain.
The inaugural session witnessed participation of Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Treasury, and Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor, CBSL, Attorney General, Defence Secretary, Inspector General of Police, and other senior officials from concerned Ministries.
The visit follows a series of virtual interactions held earlier this year covering issues such as compliance with AML/CFT obligations, regulations for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), and compliance frameworksfor financial institutions, among other areas. Building on this momentum, there will be continued engagements through additional virtual sessions and follow-up visits from both sides, with the objective of furthering bilateral collaboration, enhancing regulatory preparedness, and ensuring alignment with global standards.
The initiative reaffirms India’s commitment to work closely with Sri Lanka in capacity-building and technical assistance, thereby contributing to the broader effort of strengthening regional financial integrity and resilience against emerging challenges.
