Sri Lanka reports fund loss following cyber breach, says Finance Ministry

Ministry of Finance Sri Lanka has confirmed that hackers gained unauthorized access to a system within the External Resources Department, leading to the loss of funds tied to an international currency transaction.

The disclosure comes shortly after opposition figures alleged that approximately USD 2.5 million from state funds had been misdirected during a foreign debt repayment process.

In an official statement, the Ministry said the incident is connected to a foreign payment made in January 2026 and that immediate action had been taken to report the breach to relevant authorities.

Notifications were sent to the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team and the Computer Crime Investigation Division to initiate technical and criminal investigations.

Further complaints have also been filed with the Criminal Investigation Department and the Financial Intelligence Unit to examine potential financial irregularities linked to the breach.

The Ministry noted that an initial internal review has already been completed, with disciplinary action taken against several officials and formal proceedings underway.

Authorities stated they will continue to cooperate fully with ongoing investigations and release additional details at an appropriate stage, ensuring that current inquiries are not compromised.