<p>International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials are to visit Sri Lanka on February 15 to discuss granting the fifth tranche of the US$ 1.5 billion loan. </p>
<p>The granting of the tranche was postponed last year following weeks of political crisis after the president sacked the prime minister and dissolved parliament. </p>
<p>The IMD disbursed US $1 billion of the $ 1.5 billion three year EFF loan that was agreed in 2016. </p>
<p>In the wake of Sri Lanka’s political turmoil, several major international agencies downgraded the government’s credit rating, in what was seen as a blow to the island’s economy. </p>
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