Dollar rates at 5 banks on 21 October: rupee weakens, Sampath pays the most per dollar

The Sri Lankan rupee weakened slightly against the US dollar at commercial banks on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. All five banks in Newswire's morning roundup raised both their buying and selling rates from Tuesday, by between 5 and 50 cents. Selling rates ranged from Rs 335.75 to Rs 336.65.

Update, 22 October: today's Central Bank rates

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka's indicative rate for the US dollar was Rs 331.91 on Thursday, 22 October, up 37 cents from Rs 331.54 on Tuesday, 20 October. The rupee was weaker against 15 of the 16 currencies on our exchange rates page.

Rupees per unit of each currency on 22 October, with the change since 20 October:

• US dollar: 331.91 (+0.37)
• Euro: 372.90 (+0.78)
• British pound: 444.40 (+2.73)
• Australian dollar: 232.90 (+1.42)
• Canadian dollar: 236.37 (+1.10)
• UAE dirham: 90.37 (+0.11)
• Saudi riyal: 88.48 (+0.12)
• Qatari riyal: 91.05 (+0.10)
• Kuwaiti dinar: 1,069.75 (+3.51)
• Singapore dollar: 259.83 (+0.61)

The indicative rate is a reference, not a rate you can deal at. Banks buy currency from customers below it and sell above it, as the bank rates below show.

Rates at each bank

Rupees per US dollar on Wednesday morning, with Tuesday's rate in brackets. Bank names link to each bank's own rates page.

• Sampath Bank: buying 328.00 (327.50), selling 336.00 (335.50). Up 50 cents, the biggest move of the five.
• People's Bank: buying 327.66 (327.61), selling 335.79 (335.73). Up 5 to 6 cents.
• Seylan Bank: buying 327.40 (327.30), selling 336.65 (336.55). Up 10 cents.
• NDB Bank: buying 327.30 (327.10), selling 336.30 (336.10). Up 20 cents.
• Commercial Bank: buying 325.83 (325.58), selling 335.75 (335.50). Up 25 cents.

Which bank gave the best rate

The buying rate is what a bank pays you when you sell it dollars, for example when you convert a remittance from abroad. The selling rate is what you pay the bank for dollars, for example for overseas tuition, travel or an import payment.

• Selling dollars: Sampath Bank paid the most, at Rs 328.00. On US$1,000 that is Rs 328,000, or Rs 2,170 more than Commercial Bank's Rs 325,830, the lowest of the five.
• Buying dollars: Commercial Bank charged the least, at Rs 335.75, with People's Bank close behind at Rs 335.79. US$1,000 cost Rs 335,750 at Commercial Bank against Rs 336,650 at Seylan Bank, a difference of Rs 900.
• Narrowest gap: Sampath Bank had the smallest difference between its buying and selling rates, Rs 8.00, followed by People's Bank at Rs 8.13. Commercial Bank's was the widest at Rs 9.92. A narrower gap means you lose less if you buy dollars and later sell them back.

No single bank was best both ways, so the right choice depends on whether you are buying or selling. On larger amounts, ask your bank whether it will offer a better rate than its board rate.

How this compares with the interbank rate

Later that afternoon the rupee closed at 331.90/332.05 to the dollar in the interbank spot market, where banks trade with each other (read our market close report). Banks buy from customers below that rate and sell above it; the gap is their margin. Wednesday's counter rates were about Rs 4 to Rs 6 below it for buying and about Rs 4 to Rs 5 above it for selling, though the bank rates were set in the morning and the spot rate is the close.

Before you exchange

• Rates change during the day, so check the bank's latest rate on the day you transact.
• Banks publish different rates for telegraphic transfers, cash notes and drafts. The report does not say which type these are, so confirm the rate for your kind of transaction.
• See the Central Bank's indicative rates and links to each bank's own published rates on our exchange rates page.

Sources: rates published by Seylan Bank, NDB Bank, People's Bank, Commercial Bank of Ceylon and Sampath Bank on 21 October 2026, as reported by Newswire; Central Bank of Sri Lanka indicative rates for 20 and 22 October 2026, as shown on AnyBanq's exchange rates page. Rupee differences on US$1,000 are AnyBanq's calculations. AnyBanq is not affiliated with Newswire. This article is for information only and is not financial advice.