Narrow Your Choices

Refine By Topic

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

Asia and Pacific > India

You are looking at 1 - 10 of 15 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Remittances x
Clear All Modify Search
Cover Policy Papers
IMF and World Bank Approach to Cross-Border Payments Technical Assistance
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
and
World Bank
The G20 had made enhancing cross-border payments a priority. Faster, cheaper, more transparent and more inclusive cross-border payment services have the potential to be transformative for citizens and economies across the world. The Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-Border Payments, launched in 2020, is the first attempt by the international community to address the challenges faced by cross-border payments in a holistic way. A key foundational element in the Roadmap was the publication by the FSB of 11 quantitative targets to define the Roadmap’s aims and create accountability. Technical Assistance (TA) plays a critical role in helping achieve the Roadmap targets. TA relates closely to, and builds on, the IMF’s and World Bank’s respective missions. This paper outlines a multi-year strategy to provide TA in order to meet the cross-border payments targets. The paper (1) details the important role TA plays in achieving the Roadmap targets; (2) summarizes stocktakes conducted by the IMF and World Bank of recent and ongoing TA supporting cross-border payments; and (3) explains the IMF’s and World Bank’s approaches to cross-border payments TA. The IMF and World Bank commit to collaborating, coordinating, and complementing each other on cross-border payments TA wherever possible and appropriate at country/project level.
Keywords:
Cross-border payments; stocktake; technical assistance; payment systems; IMF TA approach; strengthening World Bank TA; IMF TA mission; TA program; IMF-World Bank; TA mission; cross-border payments TA; Anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT); Remittances; Central Bank digital currencies; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
No Easy Solution: A Smorgasbord of Factors Drive Remittance Costs
Tito Nícias Teixeira da Silva Filho
There has been a global push to decrease the cost of remittances since at least 2009, which has culminated with its inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. Despite this effort and the emergence of new business models, remittance costs have been decreasing very slowly, disproving predictions that sharp declines would be just around the corner. In addition, remitting to poorer countries remains very expensive. Oddly, this situation has not been able to elicit academic interest on the drivers of remittance costs. This paper delved deeply into the remittances ecosystem and found a very complex, heterogenous and unequal environment, one in which costs are driven by a myriad of factors and where there are no easy and quick solutions available, which explains the disappointing outcome so far. Nonetheless, it also shows that while policymakers have limited room to act they still have a very important role to play.
Keywords:
remittance cost; remittances ecosystem; factors drive remittance; receiving country; remittance price; Remittances; Medium taxpayer office; Global; North America; Central America
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Nepal: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
This Selected Issues paper on Nepal measures the extent to which Nepal’s households change their expenditure patterns and labor supply in response to remittances, using the Nepal Household Risk and Vulnerability Survey—2016 and employing a propensity score matching method. This study provides stylized facts on migrant workers and remittance-recipient households (HH), and then analyzes the effect of remittances on HHs' expenditure patterns and labor supply. Reliance on remittances, both at the macro and household levels, makes Nepal highly vulnerable to shifts that could diminish remittance inflows. The slowdown in growth of remittances has been significant since 2016, owing to weak economic performance in major remittance-sending economies and less outward migration. This study also analyzes the effect of remittances on labor market participation of left behind household heads, using a propensity score matching method. The results show that remittances have supported greater consumption of productive goods (such as durable goods, education and health), without discouraging labor supply of remittance-receiving family members.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; remittance; Fintech payment method; expenditure pattern; remittance recipient; remittance-recipient household; fintech payment; invoice payment; Remittances; Infrastructure; Income; Fintech; Labor supply; Southeast Asia; East Asia; South Asia; Global; Migration; Asia and Pacific
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Nepal: Staff Report for the 2014 Article IV Consultation
International Monetary Fund. Asia and Pacific Dept
KEY ISSUES Context: Successful elections for a new Constituent Assembly and formation of a new government have stabilized the political situation. Macroeconomic situation and outlook: Nepal’s macroeconomic situation remains broadly favorable. Growth is projected to recover in 2013/14 owing to good monsoons, robust growth in services, and increased public spending. Inflation is moderating, in line with developments in India. High remittance inflows are supporting a strong external position, as well as high reserve money growth. Risks to the outlook are slightly tilted to the downside, involving slower-than-expected growth in countries hosting Nepali workers and domestic financial sector risks. Medium term prospects: While remittances are expected to continue to support the external position, the outlook for growth depends on improving the environment for private investment. This requires a decisive boost in public capital spending, and structural reforms in key areas. Financial sector: Despite progress, significant vulnerabilities remain. The recent assessment under the FSAP, Nepal’s first, raised concerns about asset quality and interconnectedness, as well as financial sector infrastructure—including the legal framework—and supervision and crisis preparedness. At the same time, a largely unsupervised cooperatives sector is growing rapidly. Key policy recommendations: Monetary policy should aim at controlling the volatility and level of excess reserves in the financial system, implying a modest tightening of monetary conditions. The exchange rate peg to the Indian rupee provides a useful nominal anchor for the economy, and the real exchange rate is broadly in line with fundamentals. Capital spending needs to be boosted to provide key infrastructure, and reforms implemented to support private investment, which will help generate sustained economic growth and employment opportunities. In the financial sector, further reforms to bolster regulation and supervision, and improve financial infrastructure are needed to reduce risk and increase access to finance.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; remittance inflow; authority; debt; prefix; capital budget execution; reserve money growth; staff analysis; monetary management; transmission mechanism; IFC work; Remittances; Inflation; Credit; Global; South Asia
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Nepal: Staff Report for the 2012 Article IV Consultation
International Monetary Fund
Nepal is a post-conflict state seeking to formalize democracy in a challenging environment. Significant headway toward a new state has been made since the 2006 peace accord. Progress on a range of technical issues (including public financial management, monetary policy, and financial sector supervision) has also been achieved. However, the failure of the constituent assembly to meet an end-May 2012 deadline to ratify a new constitution is a serious setback, and a major impediment to macroeconomic management and prospects for growth. The subsequent dismissal of the constituent assembly in June 2012 has left day-to-day operations in the hands of a caretaker government. New elections are notionally slated for April 2013, but will require fractured political parties to agree on an interim consensus government. In the meantime, key articles of legislation (such as the government budget) have been delayed. More broadly, the lack of a consensus government and functioning parliament appear to be dampening investment (foreign and domestic), keeping potential donor support at bay, and undermining prospects for sensitive financial sector and state enterprise reforms.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; deficit; debt; authority; exchange rate; banking sector problem; broad money; Nepalese authorities; balance sheet; interest rate; inflation front; monetary management; Financial sector; Commercial banks; Remittances; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Nepal: 2010 Article IV Consultation and Request for Disbursement Under the Rapid Credit Facility: Staff Report; Staff Supplements; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Alternate Executive Director and Advisor for Nepal.
International Monetary Fund
After years of macroeconomic stability, the global crisis is having a substantial, albeit somewhat delayed, impact on Nepal’s economy and exposing its structural weaknesses. Although the Nepalese rupee appears modestly overvalued, maintaining the peg should remain a key near-term policy objective. Risks in the financial sector are coming to a head and need to be addressed urgently. The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)’s recent directives are welcome, but enforcement is crucial to their effectiveness. Bank licensing policy needs to be tightened, banking sector consolidation incentivized, and state-controlled bank reform tackled.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; fund staff; balance of payments position; article; restriction; authority; liquidity crunch; fiscal policy stance; approval of retention; Remittances; Credit; Financial sector; Global; South Asia
Cover IMF Working Papers
How do International Financial Flows to Developing Countries Respond to Natural Disasters?
Mr. Antonio David
This paper uses multivariate dynamic panel analysis to examine the response of international financial flows to natural disasters. The models estimated for a large sample of developing countries point to differentiated responses of specific types of financial flows. The results show that remittance inflows increase significantly in response to shocks to both climatic and geological disasters. The models suggest a nuanced role for foreign aid. While the responses of aid flows to natural disaster shocks in general tend not to be statistically significant, international assistance to low income countries increases following geological disaster shocks. Furthermore, the results show that typically, other private capital flows (bank lending and equity) do not attenuate the effects of disasters and in some specifications, even amplify the negative economic effects of these events. The conclusions of the paper have implications for capital/financial account management policies. In particular, countries should take their vulnerability to natural disasters into account when considering the costs and benefits of the liberalization of private capital flows.
Keywords:
WP; capital flow; real interest rate; exchange rate
Cover IMF Research Bulletin
IMF Research Bulletin, September 2007
Mr. Antonio Spilimbergo
IMF research summary on how globalization affects developing countries (by Prachi Mishra and Petia Topalova); country study on Croatia (by Athanasios Vamvakidis); listing of visiting scholars at the IMF during June 2007-January 2008; listing of contents of Vol. 54, Issue No. 3 of IMF Staff Papers; listing of recent IMF Working Papers; and listing of recent external publications by IMF staff members.
Keywords:
IRB; pricing growth-Indexed bond; Aid-Receiving Countries; Croatia; remittance; exchange rate fluctuation; emerging markets review; resource Economics; forthcoming publication; monetary policy implementation; Remittances; Migration; Wages; Trade liberalization; Sub-Saharan Africa; Caribbean; Central and Eastern Europe; Eastern Europe; Middle East; Europe; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Bangladesh: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund
This Selected Issues paper on Bangladesh underlies the export performance of readymade garment industry and inflation dynamics. Bangladesh has demonstrated that it is highly competitive in the world’s major garment markets. Inflation inertia, monetary factors, and exchange rate fluctuations are the main determinants of inflation in Bangladesh. Despite adoption of numerous tax policy measures during the past few years, policies implemented by the Bangladesh authorities have not been fully successful in lifting the revenue ratio to a level warranted by developmental objectives.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Bangladesh; bank; remittance; inflation inertia; remittance receipt; nonfood price inflation; inflation in Bangladesh; World Bank MDG report; inflation lag; Inflation; Remittances; Nonperforming loans; Oil prices; Exports; Global; Sub-Saharan Africa; Africa
Cover Finance & Development
Finance & Development, June 2007
International Monetary Fund. External Relations Dept.
The June 2007 issue of F&D spotlights gender equality. The lead article discusses progress toward fulfilling the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on redressing gender discrimination and empowering women and related MDGs. The section also looks at how budgeting with gender issues in mind can help countries promote gender equality and what needs to be done to get girls from 'excluded' social groups into school. Other articles focus on Asia 10 years after the financial crisis, the implications of China's and India's growing ties with Africa, and making remittances work for Africa. 'Country Focus' looks at the challenges facing Bulgaria now that it has joined the European Union, 'Picture This' highlights the globalization of labor, and 'Back to Basics' gives a primer on microfinance. Two other pieces discuss the efficiency of public spending in Latin America and how countries can use the public sector balance sheet approach to diagnose vulnerabilities that are not immediately visible in the budget.
Keywords:
FD; F&D; spotlights gender equality; China; Africa; firm; state enterprise; investment goods; gender equality; korean economy; State firm; Women; Financial statements; Remittances; Exports; Asia and Pacific; Global; Europe; Sub-Saharan Africa