The COVID-19 pandemic will hit Montenegro hard, as tourism is a key industry. Fiscal space has eroded in recent years due to large public capital outlays, and the COVID-19 crisis is creating new budgetary strains as health spending and other expenditures rise, while the economic contraction lowers revenues.
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This paper examines the current state of nonperforming loans (NPLs) in Montenegro, assesses the regulatory and supervisory framework as well as the insolvency and creditor rights regime, and makes recommendations for strengthening the framework. The paper evaluates the legal, regulatory, and supervisory regimes in four key areas: (1) creditor rights and enforcement systems (for secured and unsecured credit); (2) debt recovery and informal enterprise workout practices; (3) formal insolvency system (liquidation and reorganization proceedings); and (4) effectiveness of the relevant institutional, regulatory, and supervisory frameworks in implementing laws, regulations, and supervisory requirements in this area. The local and regional boom-bust cycle has left a legacy of high NPLs in Montenegro.