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Business and Economics > Public Finance

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 387 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Pension Funds; Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors x
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Cover Selected Issues Papers
Estimating Fiscal Multiplier for Qatar: Qatar
Ken Miyajima
Econometric results suggest that Qatar’s strong capital spending multiplier became less impactful as the stock of capital rose to a high level, likely as the marginal impact declined. This supports Qatar’s strategy to shifts the State’s role to an enabler of private sector-led growth, focusing on expenditure to support build human capital and implementation of broader reform guided by the Third National Development Strategy.
Keywords:
Capital spending; fiscal multiplier; GCC; Qatar; strategy to shift; Qatar's strategy; copyright page; Qatar country dummy; allocation decision; Fiscal multipliers; Current spending; Stocks; Global
Cover Global Financial Stability Notes
Pension Funds and Financial Stability
This Global Financial Stability Note examines the growth of the pension fund sector and the potential financial stability implications. Historically, pension funds have been seen as a contributor to financial stability because of their long-term and well-diversified liabilities. However, the sector has undergone significant structural shifts accelerated by a prolonged period of low interest rates, increasing its exposure to traditional risks while introducing emerging risks; this is reflected in growing intra-financial sector interconnectedness and exposure to long-term sovereign bonds. The recent transition to higher interest rates should be positive for the pension sector, albeit its pace and abruptness has been associated with liquidity stress and contagion risks in some countries.
Keywords:
Pension Funds; Financial Stability; Assets; Risks; Pension Plans; major pension fund sector; IMF Library; major pension savings market; structural liquidity; asset-liability duration mismatch; risk analysis; Pension spending; Pensions; Financial sector stability; Liquidity risk; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Pension Reform and Stock Market Development
Shujaat Khan
,
Bo Li
, and
Yunhui Zhao
We highlight the strong connection between developing fully-funded, individually-owned, collectively-managed, mandatory/incentivized (FICMI) pension schemes and the development of domestic stock markets. We do so by building a stylized model and complementing the analysis with cross-country empirical analysis and case studies. We also highlight the challenges of individual impatience, network externalities, and coordination failure in long-term equity investments, which are crucial for stock market development and technological innovation. We find that FICMI pension schemes—when sufficiently wide in coverage and large in size—can serve as coordination devices to support long-term equity investments. Such investments will not only promote domestic stock market development and make it easier for firms to raise long-term equity capital, therefore supporting long-term economic growth, but also enhance financial inclusion and enable more households to benefit from the overall economic development, therefore contributing to inclusive growth. Moreover, we find that the introduction of FICMI pension schemes can impact household savings in two ways: first, FICMI pension can increase household savings through “forced/incentivized” savings channel, where households save too little without FICMI pension (such as in many EMDEs); and second, FICMI pension can decrease household savings and increase household consumption by reducing non-pension savings and decreasing precautionary savings, where households save too much without FICMI pension (such as in China). In both cases, FICMI pension schemes can help move the economy closer to the optimal level of household savings, and may also help improve the structure of such savings. Finally, we discuss the enabling conditions (such as a strong political commitment to the reform and a well-designed fiscal strategy for financing the transition) and policy design for FICMI pension schemes.
Keywords:
Pension Reforms; Stock Market Development; Equity Financing; Innovation' Financial Inclusion; Intertemporal Optimization; Public Pensions; Funded and Private Pensions; FICMI pension schemes; household saving; savings channel; IMF working paper No. 25/49; Pension spending; Pensions; Stock markets; Pension reform; Capital markets; East Asia
Cover Selected Issues Papers
Post-Pandemic Changes to Chile’s Financial Markets: Chile
Tatsushi Okuda
Pension fund withdrawals, rising public debt, and the Central Bank of Chile’s pandemic liquidity injections have reshaped Chile’s financial landscape. In the context of the diminished demand for local bonds, large non-financial corporations and the government relied more on foreign investors. Overall, Chile’s financial depth has diminished, and markets have become more volatile and sensitive to shocks. Restoring pension funds as well as continuing to strengthen market resilience and crisis response capabilities are essential for ensuring future financial stability.
Keywords:
Financial sector stability; Financial depth; Pension fund withdrawal; market resilience; pandemic liquidity injection; Chile's financial markets; I. Chilean pension funds; Pension spending; Sovereign bonds; Bonds; Corporate bonds; COVID-19; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Spain: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Regulation, Supervision, Oversight, and Crisis Management of Financial Market Infrastructures
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper presents a technical note on regulation, supervision, oversight, and crisis management of financial market infrastructures in Spain. The Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV) lacks, and should be provided, full autonomy over its recruitment of staff, including in key specialist areas. The CNMV’s effective cooperation with the Banco de España (BdE) and authorities from other jurisdictions to ensure adequate supervision of Bolsas y Mercados Españoles Clearing (BMEC) and Iberclear (IC) could be further strengthened by formalizing current arrangements with the BdE. The Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) identified some enhancements to the supervision of margin practices that would make it even more robust. The CNMV should ensure that its recommendations to BMEC are implemented in timely fashion and, to the extent possible, that improvements made in one segment also benefit the others. The FSAP recommends strengthening of some aspects of IC’s recovery plan.
Keywords:
commission Delegated Regulation; infrastructure regulation; markets authority; financial instruments regulation; resolution regulation; Central counterparty clearing house; Central securities depositories; Stress testing; PFM information systems; Securities; Europe
Cover IMF Working Papers
Stepping Up Venture Capital to Finance Innovation in Europe
Nathaniel G Arnold
,
Guillaume Claveres
, and
Jan Frie
Relative to the US, productivity growth and investment in R&D in lagging in the EU, where it is more difficult to finance and scale up promising, innovative startups. Many of the most successful EU startups move elsewhere for financing, causing the EU to lose out on both the direct growth benefits and positive spillovers from these innovative firms. The EU could nurture innovative startups by accelerating the development of its venture capital (VC) ecosystem. Reducing regulatory frictions, especially ones that deter pensions funds and insurers from investing in VC, combined with well-designed tax incentives for R&D investments could help accelerate the development of the VC sector. These and other key CMU initiatives, such as the consolidation of stock markets and reforming and harmonizing insolvency regimes, will take time. Given the urgency to boost innovation, giving public financial institutions like the European Investment Fund a more active and expanded role in kickstarting VC markets where needed and in familiarizing investors with the VC asset class can be a helpful interim step.
Keywords:
Startups; Venture capital; Productivity; Capital Markets Union; EU startup; kickstarting VC market; startup financing stage; EU legislation; VC sector; Pension spending; Stock markets; Mutual funds; Insurance companies; Pensions; Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Kingdom of the Netherlands-The Netherlands: Financial Sector Assessment Program- Technical Note on Insurance and Pension Fund Regulation and Supervision
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper highlights a technical note on insurance and pension fund regulation and supervision in The Netherlands. The Dutch insurance sector is undergoing further consolidation, the life sector has been steadily shrinking over the last two decades, and the non-life market is relatively saturated. Investment exposures to real estate are increasing, and Dutch insurers are large providers of mortgage loans. Solvency ratios of Dutch insurers are well above the regulatory threshold, but below the EU average and furthermore distorted by the mechanics of the ‘Long-Term Guarantee Measures’ in Solvency II. The Dutch pension system—considered to be among the best according to international comparisons—rests on three pillars. Most pension schemes are defined-benefit pensions, which have come under pressure since 2008, when low interest rates resulted in declining funding ratio and led to an overall loss in confidence in the system. The Dutch system for independent state agencies, including De Nederlandsche Bank and Autoriteit Financiële Markten, carefully balances powers and accountability. Supervision of insurers and pension funds is effective in the Netherlands.
Keywords:
insurance regulation regime; pension fund regulation; solvency Assessment; International Monetary Fund Washington, D.C.; pension fund Sector; organization of Supervision; FSAP's finding; Pension spending; Insurance companies; Pensions; Insurance; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Sovereign Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investing: Chasing Elusive Sustainability
Ekaterina Gratcheva
and
Bryan Gurhy
This paper evaluates the progression of the sovereign ESG landscape since the initial comprehensive assessment of the sector in 2021 in “Demystifying Sovereign ESG” by conducting a comparative analysis of the current sovereign ESG methodologies of commercial ESG providers. The 2021 study articulated the distinct nature of the sovereign ESG segment from corporate ESG and documented fundamental shortcomings in sovereign ESG methodologies, such as the “ingrained income bias”, lack of consensus on environmental performance, and conflation of risk and sustainability objectives. While sovereign ESG methodologies have evolved since 2021, the significant correlation across providers of aggregate, S, and G scores persist. In response to market demand there has been a notable shift towards greater focus on the E pillar against growing heterogeneity on climate and environmental considerations across ESG providers. The findings underscore the disparity between perceptions and realities in implementing a sustainability strategy within the sovereign debt asset class. This necessitates a reevaluation of sovereign ESG scoring methodologies towards outcome-based metrics and urges a globally coordinated effort to establish robust sustainability measurement frameworks.
Keywords:
ESG; sovereign debt; sovereign ESG scores; sustainability; environmental and climate sustainability; climate financial architecture; ESG provider; ESG methodology; sovereign Environmental, Social, and Governance; ESG landscape; ESG score; Corporate social responsibility; Environmental sustainability; Income; Climate finance; Global; Middle East
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Japan: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Regulation and Supervision of Investment Funds
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This technical note reviews the functioning and effectiveness of the regulation, supervision, and systemic risk monitoring of investment funds in Japan. It focuses on the requirements that are directly relevant to maintaining financial stability, namely, valuation, segregation and safekeeping of fund assets, liquidity risk management and redemption of fund units. Investment Management Business Operators that are part of major financial groups dominate the industry and the majority of assets under management are invested in equities via securities investment trusts. The regulatory framework has been recently enhanced with relation to liquidity risk management. The authorities have also recently implemented a new supervisory approach that relies on an enhanced offsite monitoring of firms. The Financial Services Agency (FSA) has increased its data collection efforts and launched a number of targeted initiatives to get a better insight of the industry, in particular in relation to certain practices that the FSA determines require more attention, such as liquidity risk management. Authorities should ensure a broader coverage of their onsite inspection program while maintaining their offsite enhancement focus.
Keywords:
business operator; Japan securities dealers Association; investment advisory; Japan FSAP; FSAP finding; Financial stability assessment; Mutual funds; Government asset management; Asset management; Business enterprises; Global
Cover Analytical Notes
Towards an Inclusive, Equitable and Sustainable National Pension System in Iraq
International Monetary Fund
,
World Bank
, and
International Labour Office
A pension system is at the heart of social protection. By ensuring income security for older persons and other vulnerable groups, it prevents poverty, reduces inequality, and facilitates consumption smoothing. A pension system also affects the working population’s labor market choices and has important fiscal implications. Iraq’s current pension system is highly fragmented, inequitable, and inefficient. First, it fails to provide adequate income protection to most of Iraqi’s old age population and other vulnerable groups, such as survivors and persons with disability. Second, the public sector pension is already putting substantial pressure on the budget and is potentially unsustainable given the projected acceleration of the total pension bill due to recent policy changes. Third, it sets an uneven playing field between the public and private sectors, contributing to the continued expansion of an already outsized civil service and holding back much-needed economic diversification and private sector growth. Thus, a comprehensive pension reform is urgently needed. Based on collaboration between the IMF, ILO and the World Bank this policy note aims to: 1) Provide an assessment of the existing public and private pension system across the four dimensions: fiscal sustainability; labor market implications; coverage; and adequacy of benefits. 2) Develop and propose options to adjust the pension system with a view to making it fiscally sustainable, more inclusive and adequate, and conducive to private sector development and labor market formalization. 3) Provide a basis to engage key stakeholders—including workers, employers organizations and the civil society—on strategies to achieve a more inclusive system, importantly by including workers in the informal economy, female workers, workers with disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups.
Keywords:
Pension system; Pension Reform; Social protection; Fiscal sustainability; ILO team; scheme reserve; ILO publication; IMF team; member country government; Pension spending; Pensions; Public sector; Aging; Middle East; North Africa; East Africa; Global