The Central Bank of Sri Lanka says it has not introduced any new restrictions on the use of Electronic Fund Transfer Cards, such as credit cards, debit cards and other stored value cards.
The CBSL issuing a statement said holders of such cards are permitted to use them to make payments to persons resident outside Sri Lanka in respect of current transactions of personal nature.
However, the Central Bank said it is observed that some banks have introduced certain limits on the use of EFTCs for transactions in foreign exchange to avoid misuse of such cards and to prioritise transactions in line with foreign exchange positions of such banks.
Accordingly, the Central Bank requested the public to contact respective banks if they encounter any difficulty in making payments using EFTCs, while using foreign exchange sparingly at present.
The CBSL issued the clarification following messages that were circulated stating credit card, debit card and other stored value card holders are restricted/prohibited from making certain payments in foreign exchange, to persons resident outside Sri Lanka using such cards.
