Cabinet approves $100 million ADB loan for economic recovery programme

Daily Mirror, Newswire and Ada Derana report that Sri Lanka’s Cabinet approved proceeding with a US$100 million arrangement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the Macroeconomic Recovery Sector Development Programme. The initiative is intended to foster resilience and broaden access to economic opportunities. Newsfirst (සිංහල) also included the programme in its account of Cabinet decisions dated October 27, 2026.

Newswire reports that half of the financing will support policy measures and the other half will fund investment, with both portions coming through the ADB’s Ordinary Capital Resources. It says the Department of External Resources concluded formal discussions with the bank, and that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake submitted the proposal in his role as Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

Newswire reports that the financing is intended to aid recovery and reforms and to complement Sri Lanka’s ongoing work under the International Monetary Fund’s Extended Fund Facility. It says Cabinet had previously approved US$100 million for the recovery programme on September 7, 2026. Newswire also reports an earlier Cabinet decision, on March 16, 2026, to seek US$620 million in ADB policy-based financing through five subprogrammes for Sri Lanka’s reform agenda.