The indicative rate, day by day

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka publishes an indicative USD/LKR spot rate each business day. The live table above this text shows the last two weeks of business days, with the indicative rate and the banks' average buy and sell beside it. Weekends and public holidays are missing because the bank publishes on business days only. The rate is the previous business day's transaction average, so the table is a record, not a forecast.

The rate, business day by business day

Each business day's indicative rate, how far it moved from the day before, and the banks' average buy and sell.

Rate of: 02.11.2026

The table's columns

The table above this text has a column for the date, the indicative rate, the banks' average buy, and the banks' average sell. The indicative rate is the Central Bank's weighted average of the previous business day's interbank spot deals, including the bank's own interventions. The banks' average buy and sell are the mean of the licensed banks' 9.30 a.m. telegraphic-transfer quotes.

The table is a record of the last two weeks of business days. Weekends and public holidays are missing because the Central Bank publishes on business days only. The rate is the previous business day's transaction average, so each row is the rate as of the end of that business day.

A slow drift in a floating rate is normal

The rupee floats, and the indicative rate moves on export earnings, remittances, import demand, central bank intervention and world markets. A slow drift from one business day to the next is normal; the rate does not move in large jumps unless there is a shock. The table shows the drift, and a reader can see the pattern over two weeks.

The rate is not a forecast. The next business day's rate is not knowable from the last two weeks. The table is a record, not a prediction. A reader who wants to know the rate before a transaction should look at a bank's board, not at the table, because the bank's board is the price the bank will actually deal at.

Why weekends and holidays are missing

The Central Bank publishes the indicative rate on business days only. Weekends and public holidays are not business days, so there is no rate for those days. The table shows only the business days, so a reader comparing the rate over time should not expect a continuous line.

The missing days do not mean the rate did not move; the interbank market is closed on those days, and no deals are done. The next business day's rate reflects the deals done on that day, not the gap. The table's dates are the business days, and the rate is the previous business day's transaction average.

The banks' average buy and sell beside the indicative rate

The banks' average buy and sell are the mean of the licensed banks' 9.30 a.m. telegraphic-transfer quotes. They are opening quotes, and the market can move after them. The average buy is below the indicative rate, and the average sell is above it; the spread is the bank's charge.

The table shows the average buy and sell for each business day, so a reader can see the spread and how it changes. The spread can widen or narrow from day to day, depending on market conditions and banks' positions. The indicative rate is the reference; the banks' average is the transaction price.

What the table cannot show

The table shows the indicative rate and the banks' average buy and sell for the last two weeks of business days. It does not show the rate at any other time of day, and it does not show any bank's board after 9.30 a.m. The market moves after the quotes are taken, and a bank's board can change during the day.

The table does not forecast. It is a record of the past, not a prediction of the future. The next business day's rate will be set by the interbank market, and no one can know it in advance. The table is useful for seeing the trend, but it is not a trading signal.

Using the two-week history

A reader can use the two-week history to see whether the rate has been rising, falling or stable. The indicative rate is a weighted average of interbank deals, so it is a reliable record of where the market traded. The banks' average buy and sell show the spread, which is the cost of changing money.

The history is not a forecast, and a reader should not make a decision based on the expectation that the rate will continue in the same direction. The rupee floats, and the rate can change direction at any time. The table is a record, and the best use of it is to understand the past, not to predict the future.