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Western Hemisphere > Belize

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Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Belize: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
The 2024 Article IV Consultation with Belize highlights that real gross domestic product growth and inflation moderated in 2023. Belize’s key policy priorities include raising the primary balance with revenue mobilization and expenditure rationalization to lower public debt to a level that provides sufficient buffers, increasing expenditure in priority areas, adopting growth enhancing structural reforms, and building resilience to climate change and related disasters. These policies would boost growth and make it more inclusive. Boosting medium-term growth requires increasing female labor force participation, enhancing access to affordable credit for small and medium size enterprises, reducing crime, improving the business climate, and adopting a disaster resilience strategy that strengthens structural, financial, and post-disaster resilience and is based on a multi-year macro-fiscal framework. Keeping vulnerable financial institutions under enhanced supervision and requesting recapitalization when needed is important to maintain financial stability. Strengthening the currency peg requires increasing international reserves by reducing public debt, implementing structural reforms and limiting government financing by the Central Bank.
Keywords:
central bank financing; money market rate; financing of the government; expenditure measure; central bank of Belize; Fiscal stance; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Public sector; Global; Caribbean
Cover IMF Working Papers
Is the Whole Greater than the Sum of its Parts? Strengthening Caribbean Regional Integration
Abdullah Al-Hassan
,
Mary E. Burfisher
,
Mr. Julian T Chow
,
Ding Ding
,
Fabio Di Vittorio
,
Dmitriy Kovtun
,
Arnold McIntyre
,
Ms. Inci Ötker
,
Marika Santoro
,
Lulu Shui
, and
Karim Youssef
Deeper economic integration within the Caribbean has been a regional policy priority since the establishment of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the decision to create the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). Implementation of integration initiatives has, however, been slow, despite the stated commitment of political leaders. The “implementation deficit” has led to skepticism about completing the CSME and controversy regarding its benefits. This paper analyzes how Caribbean integration has evolved, discusses the obstacles to progress, and explores the potential benefits from greater integration. It argues that further economic integration through liberalization of trade and labor mobility can generate significant macroeconomic benefits, but slow progress in completing the institutional arrangements has hindered implementation of the essential components of the CSME and progress in economic integration. Advancing institutional integration through harmonization and rationalization of key institutions and processes can reduce the fixed costs of institutions, providing the needed scale and boost to regional integration. Greater cooperation in several functional policy areas where the region is facing common challenges can also provide low-hanging fruit, creating momentum toward full integration as the Community continues to address the obstacles to full economic integration.
Keywords:
WP; sovereign state; common market; ECCU authorities; labor market; CARICOM state; OECS authorities; factor market; average revenue; CARICOM economy; banking sector; CARICOM trade; trade cost; national budget; CARICOM member; Tax incentives; Regional integration; Caribbean; Global; Europe; exercise authority; Economic integration; CARICOM; CSME; Cooperation
Cover IMF Working Papers
Tourism In Belize: Ensuring Sustained Growth
Mr. Julian T Chow
Belize’s tourism sector has witnessed impressive growth in recent years with overnight tourist arrivals registering double digit annual growth rates since 2016. To guide the development of the tourism sector from 2012 to 2030, the government endorsed a National Sustainable Tourism Master Plan in 2011, setting various initiatives and targets for the immediate and medium terms. Using a panel regression analysis on twelve Caribbean countries, this paper finds that accelerating structural reforms, fortifying governance frameworks, reducing crime, and mitigating the impact of natural disasters will help sustain tourism growth in Belize and contribute to economic well-being. This is in addition to tackling infrastructure bottlenecks and mitigating concerns relating to the “shared economy”.
Keywords:
WP; tourism sector; sub; Belize; cruise tourism expenditure; tourism indicators performance; tourism competitiveness; tourism destination; tourism Arrivals; tourism value chain; Tourism; Natural disasters; Infrastructure; Caribbean; Central America
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Belize: Selected Issues Paper
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This Selected Issues paper analyzes Belize’s correspondent banking relationships (CBR). All affected banks have found some replacements CBRs and alternative ways of processing cross border transactions. The analysis uses a dataset based on a bank-level survey and the IMF staff’s minimum scope framework. Pressures from the loss of correspondent banking relationships appeared to be easing. The US dollar continued to dominate CBR transactions, but its share has been declining. CBR pressures appear to be easing but risks remain. Risks include CBR counterparty credit risk and withdrawal risk, in addition to remaining supervisory gaps which could potentially add to CBR pressures. The importance of CBR in supporting economic activity and financial stability is highlighted in several studies. The results of the study results are consistent with the view that the recovery in CBRs in Belize will support credit growth and economic activity. Ensuring the availability and timely access to beneficial ownership of legal persons and arrangements established in Belize would limit the opportunity for their misuse and improve the transparency and the reputation of the sector.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Belizean bank; risks tolerance policy; CBR account; payment flow; corresponded bank; CBR activity; Correspondent banking; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); International banking; Foreign banks; Global; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Belize: 2018 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; Informational Annex; Debit Sustainability Analysis and Statement by the Executive Director for Belize
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
Belize’s economic growth has slowed over the last five years, following decades of outperforming regional peers. As in other countries in the region, a central challenge is exiting the cycle of low growth and elevated public debt. Belize’s 2017 debt rescheduling provided cash flow relief. In March 2017, the government reached a restructuring agreement with private external bondholders on its US$526 million bond (about 30 percent of GDP).1 As part of the agreement, the authorities committed to tighten the fiscal stance by 3.0 percentage points in FY2017/18 and to maintain a primary surplus of 2.0 percent of GDP for the subsequent three years. The authorities are delivering on these commitments and have made progress in implementing recent Article IV recommendations (Annex I).
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; IMF-World Bank Climate Change Policy Assessment; policy priority; IMF staff estimate; liability positions vis-à-vis nonresident; growth prospect; Fiscal stance; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Public sector; Caribbean; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Loss of Correspondent Banking Relationships in the Caribbean: Trends, Impact, and Policy Options
Mr. Trevor Serge Coleridge Alleyne
,
Mr. Jacques Bouhga-Hagbe
,
Mr. Thomas Dowling
,
Dmitriy Kovtun
,
Ms. Alla Myrvoda
,
Mr. Joel Chiedu Okwuokei
, and
Mr. Jarkko Turunen
Banks across the Caribbean have lost important Correspondent Banking Relationships (CBRs). The macroeconomic impact has so far been limited, in part because banks either have multiple relationships or have been successful in replacing lost CBRs. However, the cost of services has increased substantially, some services have been cut back, and some sectors have experienced reduced access. Policy options to address multiple drivers, including lower profitability and risk aversion by global banks, require tailored actions by several stakeholders.
Keywords:
WP; respondent bank; BIS bank liability; bank service; CBR transaction; central bank; Caribbean; small states; corrrespondent banking; AML/CFT; remittances; fintech; loss of CBR; banks in the Caribbean; Correspondent banking; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Offshore financial centers; Commercial banks; Compliance costs; Global
Cover Policy Papers
Recent Trends in Correspondent Banking Relationships: Further Considerations
International Monetary Fund
Correspondent banking relationships (CBRs), which facilitate global trade and economic activity, have been under pressure in several countries. So far, cross-border payments have remained stable and economic activity has been largely unaffected, despite a recent slight decrease in the number of CBRs. However, in a limited number of countries, financial fragilities have been accentuated as their cross-border flows are concentrated through fewer CBRs or maintained through alternative arrangements. These fragilities could undermine affected countries’ long-run growth and financial inclusion prospects by increasing costs of financial services and negatively affecting bank ratings.
Keywords:
PP; respondent bank; CBR withdrawal; due diligence; risk tolerance; payment flow; risk appetite; central bank; Correspondent banking; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Remittances; Foreign banks; Compliance costs; Global; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Belize: Assessment of the Supervision and Regulation of the Financial Sector—Review of Financial Sector Regulation and Supervision
International Monetary Fund
This paper highlights key finding of the assessment of financial sector regulation and supervision in Belize. The assessment reveals that banking supervision in Belize complies with or is largely compliant with most of the Basel Core Principles. Under current arrangements, the Minister retains a good deal of discretionary authority with respect to banking supervision, but this situation is likely to be modified if a draft bill, now under discussion, becomes law. Retention of qualified staff is a continuous problem with the result that the intensity of banking supervision varies.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; fund Methodology; bank Management Contact; Belize IBCS; business company registry; company formation agent; return on equity; bank staff; financial system; Belize government; corporate governance; bank management; CFT regime; due diligence; law enforcement authorities; subsidiaries bank; mutual fund; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Insurance; Foreign banks; Insurance companies; Money laundering; Caribbean