The CBSL launched the country’s first ever NFIS in March 2021 with the prime objective of improving the financial inclusiveness of the country by facilitating more accessible, effective, efficient and affordable financial services for every individual and enterprise in Sri Lanka. The NFIS is currently in the implementation phase with the collaboration of more than 20 key implementing entities.

A clear governance structure has been established to oversee implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the NFIS, where NFIS Secretariat has been set up to ensure coordination across the different implementing entities and to monitor and evaluate the overall progress supporting the governance entities to carry out the relevant responsibilities at different levels. The Action Plan has developed towards achieving the objectives of NFIS in a timely manner, where all stakeholders assigned with time bound actions that fall under their purview. Accordingly, the Action Plan of NFIS encompasses about 80 broad actions spread over the four key pillars of the strategy (Digital Finance and Payments, MSME Finance, Consumer Protection, and Financial Literacy and Capacity Building) and cross-cutting enablers (Data, Infrastructure, and Policy Tools and Enabling Regulatory Environment).