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Middle East and Central Asia > Jordan

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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 Staff Country Reports
Jordan: Technical Assistance Report-Forecasting Framework for Currency in Circulation
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
The currency in circulation forecasting model presently used by the Central Bank of Jordan is aligned with international practices and provides a solid basis for liquidity management. The central bank uses an Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model with many indicator variables to model binary seasonality and to capture special events. The ARIMA model is fitted on daily currency in circulation data using a standard maximum likelihood estimator. This ARIMA approach is aligned with the models traditionally used by central banks in emerging and middle-income countries.
Keywords:
moving average; staff level agreement; IMF team; hierarchy forecasting; ARIMA model; Monetary base; Currency issuance; Open market operations; Global
Cover Policy Papers
Temporary Modification to the Fund's Annual Access Limits
International Monetary Fund
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a uniquely severe synchronized shock across the global economy, in turn leading numerous member countries to request substantial financial assistance from the Fund. The Executive Board responded to members’ needs by increasing the access limits under the Fund’s emergency financing instruments by 50 percent of quota for a period of 6 months (until October 5, 2020), subject to a possible extension by the Executive Board.
Keywords:
PP; emergency financing instrument; financial support; financing; RFI purchase; IMF's executive board; Gra credit; risk management framework; application of the NAAL; Emergency assistance; Credit; Balance of payments need; Global; COVID-19
Cover IMF Working Papers
FinTech in Financial Inclusion: Machine Learning Applications in Assessing Credit Risk
Majid Bazarbash
Recent advances in digital technology and big data have allowed FinTech (financial technology) lending to emerge as a potentially promising solution to reduce the cost of credit and increase financial inclusion. However, machine learning (ML) methods that lie at the heart of FinTech credit have remained largely a black box for the nontechnical audience. This paper contributes to the literature by discussing potential strengths and weaknesses of ML-based credit assessment through (1) presenting core ideas and the most common techniques in ML for the nontechnical audience; and (2) discussing the fundamental challenges in credit risk analysis. FinTech credit has the potential to enhance financial inclusion and outperform traditional credit scoring by (1) leveraging nontraditional data sources to improve the assessment of the borrower’s track record; (2) appraising collateral value; (3) forecasting income prospects; and (4) predicting changes in general conditions. However, because of the central role of data in ML-based analysis, data relevance should be ensured, especially in situations when a deep structural change occurs, when borrowers could counterfeit certain indicators, and when agency problems arising from information asymmetry could not be resolved. To avoid digital financial exclusion and redlining, variables that trigger discrimination should not be used to assess credit rating.
Keywords:
WP; ML model; bears risk; machine learning technique; ML analysis; ML evaluation; FinTech Credit; Financial Inclusion; Machine Learning; Credit Risk Assessment; ML analyst; credit risk driver; FinTech credit company; credit scoring; supervised machine learning model; capital structure; borrower default; neural network; Credit risk; Credit; Credit ratings; Loans; Global
Cover Finance & Development
Finance & Development, December 2017
International Monetary Fund. External Relations Dept.
This paper analyzes that although demands for political transformation commanded the world’s attention, those calls were largely motivated by unresolved socioeconomic issues. Demonstrators in the streets of Cairo and Tunis demanding bread, dignity, and social justice expressed widely held aspirations for basic economic rights, along with greater prosperity and equity. Almost seven years later, notable progress has been achieved in terms of public finance reforms. However, these reforms still have a long way to go to reduce disparities in the distribution of wealth within most countries of the region or narrow the development gaps between them. Countries in the Middle East and North Africa now face a stark choice between short-term retrenchment and resolute pursuit of the long-term reforms needed to secure their future economic prosperity. Forsaking important economic adjustments needed to strengthen inclusive growth and modernize the state and private sectors would set the region back, possibly for decades.
Keywords:
FD; F&D; iron lid; country; oil-producing country; economy; development issue; government policy; paperback ISBN 978-1-51359-036-3; Oil; Women; Energy subsidies; Capital flows; Currencies; Global; Middle East; North Africa; East Africa; Africa; Climate change; oil discovery; Oil prices
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Jordan: 2017 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Jordan
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This 2017 Article IV Consultation highlights that Jordan has made significant progress since the 2014 Article IV Consultation but pressing challenges remain. The gradual pick-up in growth from 2010 to 2014 ended in 2015, with real GDP growth decelerating from 2.4 percent in 2015 to 2 percent in 2016. Labor market conditions have remained challenging, particularly for youth and women, with the unemployment rate increasing to 15.8 percent in the second half of 2016. Despite considerable progress and recent improvements, the outlook remains challenging. Real GDP growth is projected to reach 2.3 percent in 2017, while inflation is expected to stabilize at about 2.5 percent by year-end.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; deposit dollarization; electricity tariff; IMF director; central bank of Jordan; staff appraisal; Oil prices; Tariffs; Credit; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Macroprudential Policy and Financial Stability in the Arab Region
Mr. Ananthakrishnan Prasad
,
Heba Abdel Monem
, and
Pilar Garcia Martinez
Several characteristics of the structure of the Arab economies, their economic policy framework, and their banking systems make macroprudential policy a particular relevant tool. For most oil exporters, heavy reliance on the extractive sector for generating fiscal revenues and export earnings translates into increased vulnerabilities to oil price shocks. In the case of oil importers, relatively small external and fiscal buffers make them highly vulnerable to shocks. This paper discusses the experience of Arab countries in implementing macroprudential policies and contains recommendations to strengthen their macroprudential framework.
Keywords:
WP; capital market; banking sector; legal reserve; price index; liquidity window; market cap; private sector; Macroprudential policy; systemic risk; credit; financial stability; a number of central banks; supervisory function; countries central banks; liquidity level; monetary policy independence; liquidity regulation; capital market authority; FX loan; Financial sector stability; Macroprudential policy instruments; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
What’s Different about Monetary Policy Transmission in Remittance-Dependent Countries?
Mr. Adolfo Barajas
,
Mr. Ralph Chami
,
Mr. Christian H Ebeke
, and
Anne Oeking
Despite welfare and poverty-reducing benefits for recipient households, remittance inflows have been shown to entail macroeconomic challenges; producing Dutch Disease-type effects through their upward (appreciation) pressure on real exchange rates, reducing the quality of institutions, delaying fiscal adjustment, and ultimately having an indeterminate effect on long-run growth. The paper explores an additional challenge, for monetary policy. Although they expand bank balance sheets, providing a stable flow of interest-insensitive funding, remittances tend to increase banks’ holdings of liquid assets. This both reduces the need for an interbank market and severs the link between the policy rate and banks’ marginal costs of funds, thus shutting down a major transmission channel. We develop a stylized model based on asymmetric information and a lack of transparent borrowers and undertake econometric analysis providing evidence that increased remittance inflows are associated with a weaker transmission. As independent monetary policy becomes impaired, this result is consistent with earlier findings that recipient countries tend to favor fixed exchange rate regimes.
Keywords:
WP; monetary policy; bank balance; excess reserves; Worker’s Remittances; lending channel; banking sector; remittance inflow; bank lending channel; recipient country; threshold remittance ratio; remittance flow; bank competitiveness; Remittances; Central bank policy rate; Bank credit; Financial statements; Competition; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Jordan: Seventh and Final Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement and Proposal for Post-Program Monitoring
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This paper discusses Jordan’s Seventh and Final Review Under the Stand-by Arrangement and Proposal for Post-program Monitoring. Jordan’s program has helped the economy weather different shocks. Performance has been good in the run-up to the final review. Although growth has been affected by regional tensions, the current account deficit is narrowing, foreign reserves remain at an adequate level, and inflation is low. All end-April performance criteria were met with comfortable margins, and policies are on track to meet their 2015 targets while fiscal structural reform is moving forward. The IMF staff supports the completion of the seventh review and the related purchase.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; gas supplies; disbursement of SDR; macroeconomic fundamentals; executive board's decision; cost; policy rate; Credit; Government debt management; Public sector; Oil prices; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Jordan: Sixth Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement, Request for Waivers of Applicability of Performance Criteria, and Rephasing of Access
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This paper discusses Jordan’s Sixth Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement, Request for Waivers of Applicability of Performance Criteria (PC), and Rephasing of Access. PC Program performance remains broadly on course. All end-March 2015 PCs are expected to be met. Structural performance saw improvement, including the pre-approval of a credit bureau and the establishment of a new public investment framework. There is an urgent need for broad-based policy actions in the labor market to put the unemployed into jobs, increase female labor force participation, and reform public-sector compensation and hiring practices. The IMF staff supports the completion of the sixth review and the related purchase.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; reform public sector hiring; indirect cost; oil price; executive board's discussion; hosting refugee; labor market participation; Oil prices; Government debt management; Credit; Current account; Global; Middle East; Europe; Africa