<span style="color: #222222;">In Srilanka, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has coordinated with Keells Supermarkets and Hatton National Bank (HNB) on a supply chain financing facility that supports micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the food sector to access capital.<br />''<br />''Our Colombo correspondent reports that the facility reduces the supply chain disruptions like those that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic or recent economic crisis. The facility provides MSMEs with competitive fixed-interest rate financing.  The facility lent a total of USD 430,000 to eight suppliers in its first weeks of operations.  The partnership plans to support approximately 100 MSMEs to obtain USD 4 million worth of credit over six months.<br />''<br />''HNB's Deputy General Manager for SME & Retail Banking Sanjay Wijemanne said that this partnership will enable MSMEs to meet their working capital needs, such as purchasing raw materials, paying salaries, and covering other short-term expenses, so businesses continue running smoothly.  He exuded confidence that this will further empower MSMEs to achieve their business objectives.<br />''<br />''Mission Director of USAID in Sri Lanka and Maldives Gabriel Grau said Sri Lankan enterprises face increasing pressures due to recent global supply chain disruptions, high energy costs, volatile inflation rates, and economic instability. This supply chain financing facility alleviates some of the pressures and enables MSMEs to optimize their working capital, he said.</span><br />