Sri Lanka seeking up to US$4 billion as IMF talks set to start

SRI Lanka needs between US$3 billion and US$4 billion this year to pull itself out of an unprecedented economic crisis and plans to start talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help, Finance Minister Ali Sabry said.

The nation is looking at making a "decent case" before the IMF to help preserve the economy, he said in a Bloomberg interview. Sabry said talks are scheduled to begin in Washington on Apr 18 and he expects emergency relief funds a week later, if things go well.

"Our appeal to them is to release it as soon as possible," Sabry said. He indicated that some funds the nation is seeking will come from other lenders and governments besides the IMF, but didn't provide a breakdown.

Sabry, along with newly appointed central bank governor Nandalal Weerasinghe, is a key member of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's team for bailout talks with the IMF.

The funds are crucial to the success of a debt restructuring process initiated by the island nation this week after suspending some outstanding loan and interest payments.

Sabry also sought to reassure investors of the nation's intent to repay loans. "What we have very categorically stated, across the board, is that we will honour our debt," he said. "The commitment is there, the desire is there, but we don't immediately have the funds to disburse."

The IMF's involvement should help negotiations with bond holders, Citigroup Global Markets analysts Donato Guarino and Johanna Chua wrote in a note to clients. They see Sri Lanka asking investors to take a haircut of 50 per cent on interest payments, and 20 per cent on the principal, with an exit yield of 11 per cent.

Sri Lanka is looking at bridge financing options, and is confident that it can secure aid from countries including China and India, Sabry said. That effort would be accompanied by fiscal reforms to curtail expenditure and boost revenues, he said.

Citizens exasperated by double-digit inflation amid a shortage of everything from fuel to food and power cuts of as long as 13 hours have taken to the streets, seeking President Rajapaksa's ouster as well as that of his brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sabry said the "one good thing" about Sri Lanka is that lawmakers across the political spectrum are in favour of going to the IMF. "So in the case of the current government, or in the extreme case of another government by the opposition that is unlikely, no one is saying not to go the the IMF. In that sense, there's policy certainty," he added. BLOOMBERG