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Snapshot29 Sep 2026 · Money and the central bank

Bank lending has grown by more than a quarter in a year, fastest to finance and pawning

By Kasun Herath · 29 Sep 2026

The data (11)

Data updated since publication: 11 series have newer readings than the text quotes.

Loans for finance and pawning grew fastest, and for apparel slowest

Commercial banks' loans to the private sector, the ten largest kinds of lending in July 2026: % change on July 2025.

Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Data: the 11 series listed belowMacro Lab

Commercial banks' loans to the private sector were 27.3% higher in July 2026 than a year earlier, according to the Central Bank's monthly survey of lending by sector. In July alone they grew 1.6%.

Of the ten largest kinds of lending, loans to financial and business services grew fastest, by 73.3%, followed by pawning, borrowing against gold jewellery, up 51.2%. Construction, the largest category, which includes loans for people's homes, rose 15.4%, slower than lending as a whole. Loans to tourism rose 11.8%, and to textiles and apparel only 4.7%.

The data behind this snapshot

11 series · 11 with newer readings

Every figure above is read from these 11 series (Sectoral private sector credit) when the site is built. The latest readings:

SeriesLatestPeriod
Services - Financial and Business ServicesRupees million, monthly 980,487.105Aug 2026Aug 2026 New
Personal Loans and Advances - PawningRupees million, monthly 1,161,782.054Aug 2026Aug 2026 New
Personal Loans and Advances - OtherRupees million, monthly 1,145,958.804Aug 2026Aug 2026 New
Industry - Chemical, Petroleum, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare, and Rubber and Plastic ProductsRupees million, monthly 272,663Aug 2026Aug 2026 New
Industry - Fabricated Metal Products, Machinery and Transport EquipmentRupees million, monthly 327,429Aug 2026Aug 2026 New
Services - Wholesale and Retail TradeRupees million, monthly 1,198,861.931Aug 2026Aug 2026 New
Industry - Food and BeveragesRupees million, monthly 292,377Aug 2026Aug 2026 New
Industry - ConstructionRupees million, monthly 1,959,328.226Aug 2026Aug 2026 New
Services - TourismRupees million, monthly 311,820Aug 2026Aug 2026 New
Industry - Textiles and ApparelRupees million, monthly 405,699Aug 2026Aug 2026 New
Sectoral private sector credit: totalRupees million, monthly 11,509,637.45Aug 2026Aug 2026 New

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