International Monetary Fund Annual Report 2019

by International Monetary Fund. Secretary's Department

2019 · International Monetary Fund

This issue of Annual Report discusses that the global economy is at a delicate moment. The expansion of early 2018 has lost momentum, in large part in response to rising trade tensions. There are threats from rising financial vulnerabilities and geopolitical uncertainties. These challenges call for policymakers to avoid missteps and to take the right policy steps: at home, across borders, and globally. In addition to several major reviews looking at IMF conditionality, economic and financial surveillance, and lending facilities, the management has deepened its analysis on trade spillovers and financial stability and are revamping frameworks for debt sustainability assessment in low-income and market access countries. Building on earlier research that showed how trade can boost incomes and living standards by enabling the flow of technology across countries, the October 2018 World Economic Outlook provided illustrative scenarios of the potential impact of escalating trade tensions between the United States and China.

Implementing Macroprudential Policy - Selected Legal Issues

by International Monetary Fund. Legal Dept., International Monetary Fund. Statistics Dept., International Monetary Fund. Policy Development and Review Dept., International Monetary Fund. Research Dept., International Monetary Fund. Strategy, Policy, & Review Department, International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department

2013 · International Monetary Fund

As countries design and implement macroprudential policies, they face the challenge of determining what—if any—changes need to be made to their legal and institutional framework to ensure that these policies are effective. Based on a review of experience, it is clear that there are a variety of approaches that can be taken by members, in light of the legal constraints and institutional preferences of each country. Whichever approach is followed, a number of issues need to be addressed when designing legislation in this area, both with respect to the substantive legal provisions and the allocation of institutional responsibilities. As background to ”Key Aspects of Macroprudential Policy“, this paper provides an overview of these legal and institutional issues, while recognizing that macroprudential policy is an area that is still evolving.

Sovereign Debt Restructuring - Recent Developments and Implications for the Fund's Legal and Policy Framework

by International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept, International Monetary Fund. Strategy, Policy, & Review Department, International Monetary Fund. Legal Dept., International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department

2013 · International Monetary Fund

his paper reviews the recent application of the Fund’s policies and practices on sovereign debt restructuring. Specifically, the paper: • recaps in a holistic manner the various policies and practices that underpin the Fund's legal and policy framework for sovereign debt restructuring, including on debt sustainability, market access, financing assurances, arrears, private sector involvement (PSI), official sector involvement (OSI), and the use of legal instruments; • reviews how this framework has been applied in the context of Fund-supported programs and highlights the issues that have emerged in light of recent experience with debt restructuring; and • describes recent initiatives in various fora aimed at promoting orderly sovereign debt restructuring, highlighting differences with the Fund’s existing framework. Based on this stocktaking, the paper identifies issues that could be considered in further depth in follow-up work by staff to assess whether the Fund’s framework for debt restructuring should be adapted: • first, debt restructurings have often been too little and too late, thus failing to re-establish debt sustainability and market access in a durable way. Overcoming these problems likely requires action on several fronts, including (i) increased rigor and transparency of debt sustainability and market access assessments, (ii) exploring ways to prevent the use of Fund resources to simply bail out private creditors, and (iii) measures to alleviate the costs associated with restructurings; • second, while creditor participation has been adequate in recent restructurings, the current contractual, market-based approach to debt restructuring is becoming less potent in overcoming collective action problems, especially in pre-default cases. In response, consideration could be given to making the contractual framework more effective, including through the introduction of more robust aggregation clauses into international sovereign bonds bearing in mind the inter-creditor equity issues that such an approach may raise. The Fund may also consider ways to condition use of its financing more tightly to the resolution of collective action problems; • third, the growing role and changing composition of official lending call for a clearer framework for official sector involvement, especially with regard to non-Paris Club creditors, for which the modality for securing program financing commitments could be tightened; and • fourth, although the collaborative, good-faith approach to resolving external private arrears embedded in the lending into arrears (LIA) policy remains the most promising way to regain market access post-default, a review of the effectiveness of the LIA policy is in order in light of recent experience and the increased complexity of the creditor base. Consideration could also be given to extending the LIA policy to official arrears.

International Monetary Fund Annual Report 1996

by International Monetary Fund

1996 · International Monetary Fund

The Annual Report to the Board of Governors reviews the IMF's activities, policies, and organization, as well as the world economy, with emphasis on balance of payments problems, international and emerging capital markets, fiscal considerations in policymaking, data issues, and the debt situation. As part of the IMF's ongoing efforts to improve transparency in its operations, the 1996 Report continues the expanded coverage of economic developments in selected countries and gives details about policy objectives in member countries using Fund resources. The 1996 Report also provides information on the IMF's new data dissemination standard. Appendices include a report on international reserves, details of the IMF's financial operations, major decisions taken by the Executive Board during the year, communiques of the Interim and Development Committees, a list of Executive Directors and their voting power, capital and administrative budgets and information on staffing, and audited financial statements of all IMF accounts and facilites. Published in September.