Sri Lanka has defaulted on its debt for the first time in its history as the country struggles with its worst financial crisis in more than 70 years.
It comes after a 30 day grace period to repay $78m (£63m) of unpaid debt interest payments expired on Wednesday.
The governor of Sri Lanka’s central bank said the country was now in a “pre-emptive default”.
Defaults happen when governments are unable to meet some or all of their debt payments to creditors.
It can damage a country’s reputation, making it harder to borrow the money it needs on international markets, which can further harm confidence in its currency and economy.
Asked whether the country was now in default, central bank governor P Nandalal Weerasinghe said: “Our position is very clear, we said that until they come to the restructure, we will not be able to pay. So that’s what you call pre-emptive default.
Credit: bbc.com
