Sri Lankan shares snapped seven straight sessions of losses on Thursday, supported by gains in financial and industrial stocks.

The CSE All-Share index settled 0.43% higher at 8,099.51. It rose 6.35% last month.

Ceylinco Insurance Plc and conglomerate Expolanka Holdings Plc were top boosts to the index, closing 22.4% and 1.5% higher, respectively.

Sri Lanka, an island nation of 22 million people, is currently reeling under its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.

The South Asian country defaulted on some overseas debt earlier this year and with a severe shortage of foreign exchange, it is struggling to pay for imports of basics such as fuel and medicine.

The country is in talks with the International Monetary Fund to borrow at least $3 billion via the lender's extended fund facility, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)