Narrow Your Choices

Refine By Countries

Refine By Series

Refine By Language

Refine By Date

—

Refine By IMF Taxonomy

Refine By JEL Taxonomy

Refine by LOC Taxonomy

Refine By THEMA Taxonomy

  • Print
  • Save

Business and Economics > Banks and Banking

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 568 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Public Enterprises; Public-Private Enterprises x
Clear All Modify Search
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Nicaragua: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Nicaragua
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
The Nicaraguan economy is experiencing robust growth. Real GDP growth accelerated to around 4½ percent in 2023 and the first half of 2024, from about 3.8 percent in 2022, on the back of robust domestic demand, while inflation is moderating. Prudent macroeconomic policies and record-high remittances sustained this performance, a decrease in the estimated poverty ratio, and also led to twin surpluses, a steady decline in debt, and the accumulation of strong buffers. Gross international reserves reached US$5.7 billion, or 7.2 months of imports, by end-October 2024. The economy remains open and resilient, after confronting multiple large shocks, and on a backdrop of transfers of private property to the state, international sanctions, and reorientation of official financing. Going forward, domestic and international political developments may impact economic performance, by potentially increasing the cost of doing business and impacting other cross-border flows.
Keywords:
update safeguard assessment; transmission mechanism; Policy coordination; safeguards recommendation; tax audit procedure; exports threshold; authority of the BCN; headline inflation; Public sector; Financial sector stability; Global; Central America; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Bolivia: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Bolivia
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
Economic activity has slowed reflecting falling natural gas production, lower public investment execution, financial volatility, and disruptions due to socio-political tensions. Bolivia’s inflation rate remains one of the lowest in the region, sustained by price controls and costly subsidies. The combination of sizable fiscal imbalances, declining natural gas exports, a loss of access to international markets, and the ongoing monetization of the deficit in the context of an exchange rate peg have eroded competitiveness, depleted reserves, and left Bolivia in a precarious position.
Keywords:
market exchange rate volatility; authorities' action; U.S. dollar; Bolivian authorities; government's measure; Public sector; International reserves; Inflation; Global; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Costa Rica: Sixth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, Third Review Under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility Arrangement, and Monetary Policy Consultation Clause
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This paper presents Costa Rica’s Sixth Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility, Third Review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility Arrangement, and Monetary Policy Consultation Clause. The authorities continue to make important progress on Costa Rica’s economic reform agenda. Going forward, the authorities should focus on institutionalizing the impressive progress over the past three years and sustaining reform momentum. The supervisory authorities should continue to enhance their toolkits to strengthen financial sector resilience. A recently submitted bill to amend the bank resolution and deposit insurance law would help strengthen the crisis management framework and the financial safety net and should be approved quickly. Keeping the momentum of structural reforms is critical to achieving greener and more inclusive growth. The new social assistance single window is increasing the quality of social spending. It is critical for the public employment bill to be fully implemented by all affected institutions.
Keywords:
RSF arrangement; IMF Resilience and Sustainability Facility arrangement; RSF reform measure; Costa Rican authority; headline inflation; economic reform program; Credit; International reserves; Public sector; Global; Central America
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Paraguay: First Review Under the Policy Coordination Instrument and Request for Modification of Targets-Press Release; Staff Report
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This paper presents Paraguay’s First Review Under the Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) and Request for Modification of Targets. The PCI supports Paraguay’s macroeconomic policies and structural reforms, aiming at ensuring macroeconomic and fiscal stability, fostering economic growth, and enhancing social protection and inclusion. Paraguay’s economy has demonstrated remarkable resilience during a four-year period of multiple adverse shocks. As it was recovering from the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, a severe drought hit the economy in early 2022. Economic growth is now rebounding, mainly on behalf of the recovering agricultural sector. The medium-term outlook remains favorable. Paraguay is exposed to various external risks, but their potential impact appears moderate in the near-to-medium term. Economic growth is projected at 4.5 percent for 2023, the external current account is projected to improve notably, and the rate of inflation is expected to converge back to the central bank’s target of four percent in the first half of 2024 at the latest. Continued sound and credible fiscal policies will be critical to safeguard the favorable scenario.
Keywords:
policy buffer; inflation target band; macroeconomic policy; Policy recommendation; Policy discussion; policy meeting; IMF's transparency policy; Government debt management; Inflation; Public sector; Structural reforms; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Peru: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Peru
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This 2023 Article IV Consultation highlights that against the background of a strong economic performance over the last quarter of a century, Peru has been hit by multiple shocks in the last several years. Adequate policies and very strong policy frameworks have made the economy resilient. Growth is expected to slow to 2.4 percent in 2023 and converge to its potential of 3 percent over the medium term. Inflation is expected to decline gradually into the target range by end-2023-early 2024. Risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside, with key risks including escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine, an abrupt global slowdown and commodity price volatility, monetary policy miscalibration by major central banks with a possible de-anchoring of inflation expectations and systemic financial instability, an intensification of political uncertainties at home, social unrest over political developments, and natural disasters. Financial sector policies should continue to maintain a tightening bias to cement financial stability in a deteriorating financial environment. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development accession process should be used to define a well-articulated structural reform agenda to deal with the scarring effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and support green and inclusive growth.
Keywords:
inflation expectation; CPI National; inflation in Peru; BCRP estimation; Peruvian authorities; macroeconomic performance; Policy advice; Inflation; Public sector; Currencies; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Public versus Private Cost of Capital with State-Contingent Terminal Value
Luciano Greco
and
Mariano Moszoro
The economic debate underlines the reasons why discount rates of infrastructure projects should be similar, regardless the public or private source of financing, during the forecast period when flows are risky but predictable. In contrast, we show that the incompleteness of contracts between governments and private firms beyond the forecast period (i.e., when flows of net social benefits are state-contingent) entails expected terminal values that are systematically larger under government rather than private financing. This effect provides a new rationale for applying a lower discount rate in the assessment of projects under public financing as compared to private financing.
Keywords:
Social discount rate; public utilities; private financing of infrastructures; public-private partnerships; discount rates of infrastructure project; A. public financing; financing of infrastructure; private firm; cost of capital; Discount rates; Infrastructure; Public sector; Public investment spending
Cover Analytical Notes
Exploring Multilateral Platforms for Cross-Border Payments
Bank of International Settlements
,
International Monetary Fund
, and
World Bank
This report provides an assessment of whether and how multilateral platforms could bring meaningful improvements to the cross-border payments ecosystem. It was written by the Bank for International Settlements’ Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) in collaboration with the BIS Innovation Hub, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.1 The report analyses the potential costs and benefits of these platforms and how they might alleviate some of the cross-border payment frictions. It also evaluates the risks, barriers and challenges to establishing multilateral platforms and explores two paths for their evolution. The analysis is based on a stocktake, conducted by the CPMI, of existing and potential multilateral platforms as well as bilateral discussions with existing platform operators.
Keywords:
multilateral platform; payment message standard; cross-border payment friction; platform operator; payments programme; Payment systems; Currencies; Public sector; Correspondent banking; Global; Southern Africa; West Africa; Central America
Cover IMF Working Papers
Central Bank Balance Sheet Expansion in a Dollarized Economy: The Case of Ecuador
Juan-Pablo Erraez
and
Julien Reynaud
A textbook argument in favor of adopting another country’s legal tender is that it imposes strong constraints on money creation and therefore fiscal dominance. In Ecuador, an officially dollarized economy since January 2000, a series of accounting practices and subsequent changes in legislations approved over the period 2009-2014 allowed an expansion of the Central Bank of Ecuador’s (CBE) balance sheet to finance the central government. At its peak, central bank financing of the government represented 10 percent of GDP. This resulted in large liabilities to the CBE that translated into low reserve coverage, putting the public and private financial systems and ultimately the dollarization regime at risk. In this paper, we first present the legal and accounting processes behind the expansion of the CBE's balance sheet and some stylized facts. In the second section, we establish a stress test-like methodology to show how the expansion of the CBE’s balance sheet induced strong pressures on CBE’s liquidity. Ultimately, such liquidity stress at the CBE translated into high cash inflows needs, i.e. external debt, for the central government.
Keywords:
Central bank; balance sheet expansion; fiscal dominance; central bank financing; financing of the government; accounting practice; liquidity ration; CBE balance sheet; CBE liability; International reserves; State-owned banks; Financial statements; Bank deposits; Public sector
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
St. Kitts and Nevis: 2018 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for St. Kitts and Nevis
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
Growth decelerated marginally in 2017, as the continued decline in CBI inflows slowed growth in construction. Consumer inflation was low, partly due to a small contraction in food prices. The overall fiscal balance remained in surplus but has deteriorated markedly since its 2013- peak, and the debt-to-GDP ratio increased marginally from the previous year. The current account deficit remains high and only marginally declined in 2017, as the decline in CBI receipts was more than offset by growing tourism receipts and a significant decrease in imports. Foreign reserves at the ECCB remained at comfortable levels, well above the various reserve-adequacy metrics. The banking sector has reported capital and liquidity ratios that are well above the regulatory minimum but has elevated NPLs and risks, including delays in completing the debt-land swap arrangement and loss of Corresponding Banking Relationships (CBRs).
Keywords:
SKN government; SKN economy; CBI program; NPL resolution strategy; due diligence; Commercial banks; Public sector; Government finance statistics; Credit; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Bolivia: 2022 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Bolivian Authorities
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
Supported by favorable terms-of-trade, the economy has recovered more rapidly than expected and output is now nearing pre-COVID levels, although it is expected to remain below the pre-COVID trend during the next five years. The windfall from higher prices for Bolivia’s exports of food, minerals, and natural gas has bolstered private savings, some of which has been channeled to finance the budget deficit. Despite this, ongoing monetary financing, in the context of the fixed exchange regime, continues to drain international reserves. The inflation rate has been one of the lowest in the region, in large part a result of price controls and increased subsidies for food and energy.
Keywords:
U.S. dollar; market exchange rate volatility; staff state; fund staff; Bolivian government; liability positions vis-à-vis nonresident; Public investment spending; Pension spending; International reserves; Public sector; Global; Caribbean; South America