The International Monetary Fund is currently assessing Sri Lanka’s request for rapid financing facility among 49 other countries while approving requests for emergency pandemic aid from 50 of its 189 members.
A total of about $18 billion has been allocated and the IMF is continuing to work quickly through the remaining more than 50 requests, an IMF spokesman said on Thursday.11
Replying to questions spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters in an online briefing.the Fund’s staff was considering requests from Sri Lanka, South Africa and Zambia. He did not provide the amounts they had requested.
Responding to a question on the status of IMF rapid credit facility requested by Sri Lanka and kind of engagement that the Fund will have with the island nation, he said that the IMF program with Sri Lanka is about to be over.
Rice said: “He can confirm, we have received a request from the Sri Lankan government for emergency financial support, under the rapid financing instrument.”
The Fund will be working in close coordination with the Sri Lankan government to assess all relevant factors related to that request,” Rice said adding that “he can also say that the Sri Lankan authorities also expressed interest in a range of options for future engagement with the Fund.
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