Sri Lanka · Methodology
What each rate means, which one we compare on, and the choices we make so banks line up fairly.
We read each bank's own published exchange-rate board — the same rates it shows customers — and record every quote as a dated observation. Rates re-fetch through the business day (FX moves intraday, unlike most other rates we track), and a currency only gets a new data point when the bank's rate actually moves, so a flat sparkline honestly means "unchanged". Every row shows how fresh the figure is, with a Sourcelink straight to the bank's page so you can verify it.
Every currency has two rates, and which one applies depends on the direction of your transaction:
The board has a toggle for the two directions and highlights the best bank for whichever one you pick.
Banks publish several rate types — telegraphic transfer (TT), cash/currency notes, demand drafts, traveller's cheques. We compare on the TT rate: it carries the narrowest spread and is the most widely relevant (electronic transfers, card settlement, remittances). We capture the other variants at ingest too; the board surfaces TT because mixing rate types would compare unlike things.
On our deposit and T-bill boards a rising rate is good for you. FX is the opposite for a buyer: when the LKR rate per unit of foreign currency rises, your rupees buy less, so foreign currency is getting more expensive. We colour the trend from the buyer's perspective — a rising selling rate shows as a negative move — so the colour always means "better or worse for you", not just "up or down".
We also show the Central Bank of Sri Lanka's indicative rate as a pinned reference line. It's a benchmark — the market midpoint — not a rate you can transact at; it's there so you can see how far a bank's buy/sell sits from the middle, and how wide the day's spread is across banks.
We don't rank or score banks here — exchange rates are factual and move all day, so this is a live board, not a league table. The rate you actually get can also depend on amount, channel and fees, so always confirm with the bank before transacting. We hold no paid placements; ordering is by the rate alone. See our independence statement.