The IMF said the global economy has shown resilience, but the recovery is slow and uneven
Many poor countries in Africa face the harshest effects of climate change: severe droughts, vicious heat and dry land, but also unpredictable rain and devastating flooding. The shocks worsen conflict and upend livelihoods because many people are farmers work that is increasingly vulnerable in a warming world. Climate challenges are at the root of vulnerabilities faced by conflict-ridden countries in Africa's Sahel region, such as Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and northern Nigeria, experts say. Adapting to these challenges could cost up to USD 50 billion per year, according to the Global Commission on Adaptation, while the International Energy Agency estimates the clean energy transition could cost as much as USD 190 billion a year overwhelming costs for Africa. Countries have limited space in their budgets, and borrowing more to fund climate goals will worsen their considerable debt burdens, argue African leaders, who are seeking a rapid boost in financing. Some leaders suggest
It's a bit early to know the full implications of the conflict, and much will depend on whether it draws in other countries, Gita Gopinath said
The IMF's present estimates mark a notable deviation from its April projections
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday expressed India's keenness to engage with IMF to work with developing countries in facilitating domestic resource mobilisation as endorsed by G20 leaders. Last month, G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration urged IMF and the World Bank, in coordination with other relevant international institutions, to support efforts at enhancing domestic resource mobilisation in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs). During the meeting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of IMF-WB, in Marrakech, Morocco, Sitharaman thanked IMF for support during the G20 India Presidency, including Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) related work and promotion for tech-driven economic growth and productivity gains. She also appreciated IMF's role with regard to policy work for crypto assets and the related G20 roadmap for global coordination within and beyond G20 countries, the .
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday participated in a roundtable discussion on 'IMF policy priorities and how the institution should support its membership' and underlined the need for the institution to remain well-capitalised to meet future challenges. The roundtable was hosted by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakech, Morocco. Sitharaman spoke about IMF's mandate and lending policies, a strong, quota-based, and adequately resourced IMF, Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) Financing and IMF governance reforms, the finance ministry said in a statement. Sitharaman drew attention to India's G20 Presidency's focus on the importance of multilateralism to move towards coordinated and consensus-based solutions to global challenges. She highlighted that in line with the evolving needs of the membership, the IMF's primary focus needs to be macroeconomic surveillance and policy guidance, it said. She ...
India has a high debt like that of China but the risks associated with it are not as great as that of its northern neighbour, a senior official from the International Monetary Fund has said, advising India in the medium term to have an ambitious fiscal consolidation plan that brings down deficits. "The current debt in India is also high. It stands at 81.9 per cent of GDP. Compared to China, which is 83 per cent, it is very similar. Also, when we compare India's debt to the pre-pandemic level in 2019, it was 75 per cent. So it is still quite a bit higher," Ruud de Mooij, Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department at International Monetary Fund, told PTI in an interview. "What we also see in India is a deficit that is 8.8 per cent projected for 2023. In India, a large portion of this is because of expenditures on interest. They pay a lot of interest on their debt: 5.4 per cent of GDP is spent on that, and the primary deficit is 3.4 per cent. So together they add up to 8.8 per cent," he
India is expected to become a USD 30-trillion economy by 2050 pushed by robust consumption and exports, HDFC Bank chairman and former economic affairs secretary Atanu Chakraborty said on Wednesday. International financial institutions have projected India's growth to be around 6.3 per cent this year and inflation at about 6 per cent, so nominal GDP would be around 10-12 per cent, he said. "If this kind of pace continues for some year, it will make India a USD 30-trillion economy by 2045-50 with per capita income of USD 21,000," he said at an event organised by KPMG here. International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday raised India's GDP projection marginally by 0.2 per cent to 6.3 per cent even as it slashed the global growth forecast to 3 per cent. IMF in July had estimated India's GDP forecast at 6.1 per cent for 2023-24. However, this is lower than the RBI's latest estimate of 6.5 per cent for the current financial year. Last week, the World Bank retained India's growth forecast a
Agency keeps global growth forecast unchanged at 3% for 2023, says economic activity still 'short of pre-pandemic path'
The world economy has lost momentum from the impact of higher interest rates, the invasion of Ukraine and widening geopolitical rifts, and it now faces new uncertainty from the war between Israel and Hamas militants, International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday. The IMF said it expects global economic growth to slow to 2.9 per cent in 2024 from an expected 3 per cent this year. The forecast for next year is down a notch from the 3per cent it predicted back in July. The deceleration comes at a time when the world has yet to fully mend from a devastating but short-lived COVID-19 recession in 2020 and now could see fallout from the Middle East conflict particularly to oil prices. A series of previous shocks, including the pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine, has slashed worldwide economic output by about USD 3.7 trillion over the past three years compared with pre-COVID trends. The global economy is limping along, not sprinting," IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said at a
In most countries, the IMF, an institution charged with monitoring the health of the global economy, foresees inflation remaining above central bank targets until 2025
In the shadow of a deadly earthquake in Morocco that caused nearly $12 billion in damage, the world's most powerful economic policymakers said they would focus on Africa as they work to grow and stabilising the global economy during times of war, inequality and climate change. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank are holding their annual meetings in Africa for the first time in 50 years as they face a growing chorus of criticism that poorer nations are underrepresented at the two institutions. Both have recently said they plan to give Africa additional seats on their executive boards. The conference theme was clear Monday during the gathering in Marrakech, although definitive details had yet to be discussed. We're here, Africa, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on a panel with African entrepreneurs. Often lenders of last resort, the IMF and the World Bank use billions in loans and assistance to buoy struggling economies and encourage countries operating in ..
The IMF on Sunday said it was closely monitoring developments in Israel and Gaza, and it was too early to assess any economic impact
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will embark on a six-day official visit on Tuesday to Marrakech, Morocco, to attend the World Bank-International Monetary Fund annual meet, along with the G20 FMCBG meeting. Besides, bilateral meetings with Indonesia, Morocco, Brazil, Switzerland, Germany and France are scheduled to take place on October 11-15, 2023, in Marrakech. The Indian delegation for the annual meetings will be led by the Finance Minister, and comprise officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India, an official statement said on Monday. During the visit, it said, Sitharaman and RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das will co-chair the fourth G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting. The G20 FMCBG meeting under India's presidency will witness the participation of 65 delegations from G20 countries, invitee countries, and international organisations in multilateral discussions centred around a broad spectrum of important global issues, it ...
Less than a two-hour drive from where families sleep in tents and earthquake rubble remain in piles, the world's most powerful financial institutions are gathering for a week of discussions on economic challenges during times of war, inequality and climate change. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank decided in 2018 to host their annual meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, bringing the affair to the African continent for the first time in 50 years. Their original timeline was delayed by the pandemic, but the meeting beginning Monday arrives at an apropos time. After a devastating earthquake last month killed nearly 3,000 and wreaked USD 11.7 billion in damages, both officials and civil society groups are eagerly anticipating discussions about how to promote economic resiliency in light of natural disaster. In no other area is the need for international cooperation as evident as in addressing the existential threat of climate change. The world has a responsibility to stand with
In June, the IMF announced that the Pakistan and IMF reached a long-awaited staff-level agreement (SLA) on a USD 3 billion "stand-by arrangement" (SBA)
Restructuring efforts for defaulted countries could reach a breakthrough before year-end as talks continue, while the finances of nations like Pakistan and Egypt will also be under scrutiny
Restructuring efforts for defaulted countries could reach a breakthrough before year-end as talks continue, while the finances of nations like Pakistan and Egypt will also be under scrutiny
Officials from the International Monetary Fund say they expect the United States will continue playing its key role in amassing multinational support that has helped keep Ukraine's economy afloat during Russia's invasion. That's despite Congress recently passing a short-term funding package that averted a US government shutdown but dropped USD 6 billion in aid to Ukraine. It's not clear if, when, or how that aid instalment might be restored. The US has already sent or committed USD 69.5 billion in military, financial, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, according to the Institute for the World Economy in Kiel, Germany. President Biden has made an announcement ... that he is fully committed to supporting Ukraine," Uma Ramakrishnan, IMF European department deputy director, said at a news conference Wednesday in Kyiv. And so from our standpoint, the baseline assumption remains that the US remains committed." She added that it is premature for us to comment on what will materialize or no
The IMF said phasing out coal is necessary to reach climate goals, though it is challenging as many EMDEs highly depend on coal