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

Western Hemisphere > Suriname

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

  • Type: Journal Issue x
Clear All Modify Search
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Suriname: Sixth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Suriname
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This paper presents Suriname’s Sixth Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility. The authorities’ strong policy and efforts to stabilize the economy are yielding positive results: the economy is growing, inflation is on a steady downward trend, and investor confidence is returning. Suriname is implementing an ambitious economic reform agenda aimed at restoring fiscal and debt sustainability through fiscal consolidation and debt restructuring, protecting the vulnerable by expanding social protection, upgrading the monetary and exchange rate policy framework, addressing banking sector vulnerabilities, and advancing the anti-corruption and governance agenda. Monetary policy is supporting disinflation. The authorities’ demonstrated commitment to flexible, market-determined exchange rate is supporting international reserves accumulation. Finalization of the central bank recapitalization plan will help further strengthen its operational independence and financial autonomy. Building on the progress made thus far under the program, continued efforts are needed to entrench fiscal discipline, while protecting the poor and vulnerable, and further strengthen institutions and address governance weaknesses.
Keywords:
FX trading platform; address governance weakness; Policy outlook; Surinamese authorities; banking sector vulnerability; governance agenda; policy reform; State oil company; government T-bill exposure; Arrears; Energy subsidies; Domestic debt; Caribbean
Cover Policy Papers
Policy Reform Proposals To Promote The Fund’s Capacity To Support Countries Undertaking Debt Restructuring
International Monetary Fund. Strategy, Policy, & Review Department
,
International Monetary Fund. Legal Dept.
, and
International Monetary Fund. Finance Dept.
A number of sovereign debt restructurings over the past three years faced significant delays but the cases are now moving forward. These delays slowed access of countries to much needed Fund financial support, and alongside creditors’ efforts the Fund had to find ways forward. With significant experience now gleaned from recent restructuring cases, it is important to extract the lessons for Fund policies from this episode. Delays in future Fund engagements need to be minimized where this can be done in a manner consistent with restoring the member to medium-term external viability and ensuring adequate safeguards for the Fund. Such delays can contribute to a deepening of debt distress, making adjustment more difficult, exacerbating the debt problem, and creating inefficiency costs for both the debtor and its creditors.
Keywords:
support countries undertaking debt restructuring; policy reform proposal; Fund policy; fund policy; draft Executive Board understanding; Debt restructuring; Arrears; Debt sustainability; Debt sustainability analysis; Emergency assistance; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Suriname: Technical Assistance Report—Financial Stability Report
International Monetary Fund. Monetary and Capital Markets Department
This Technical Assistance Report on Suriname discusses summary and recommendations of financial stability report (FSR). The mission focused on enhancing the FSR of the Central Bank of Suriname (CBS) whose publication has recently resumed. The mission provided several recommendations to the CBS. This covered the content and structure of the FSR and its related FSR processes, CBS’s internal and external communication, additional headcount for the Financial Stability Department, developing the financial stability analytical toolkit, coverage of the non-banking sector, and the use of data sources and statistics. The preparation of a detailed FSR production plan is critical and could facilitate improvements and bring some synergies between different teams involved in its production. This needs to include different steps and set up a firm date of publication. The CBS should further continue working toward enhancing the financial stability analytical toolkit. The mission also identified that more in-depth analysis of the insurance and pension sector is needed. The bank-like activities undertaken by non-banks should be fully assessed and monitored.
Keywords:
FSR production plan; semiannual FSR; FSR process; CBS management; FSR of the CBS; Financial sector stability; Financial stability assessment; Stress testing; Financial sector risk; Credit risk; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Suriname: Third Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Suriname
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This paper presents Suriname’s Third Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility. The authorities’ commitment to macroeconomic stability and fiscal discipline under the program is starting to bear fruit. The economy is stabilizing as exchange rate pressures have eased and inflation, while still high, is on a downward trend. The authorities’ main near-term policy priority is to maintain fiscal prudence while protecting the most vulnerable and supporting growth-enhancing investment. Decisive fiscal adjustment is putting debt on a firm downward trajectory even as expenditures to protect the vulnerable are being prioritized. Monetary and fiscal restraints are easing pressures on the exchange rate, but inflation has yet to move decisively lower. Efforts are underway to broaden the tax base, increase spending efficiency, improve governance, and address longstanding vulnerabilities in the financial system. The authorities have enacted an amendment to increase value added tax revenues and have finalized a framework to assess banks’ recapitalization and restructuring plans.
Keywords:
end-December QPC; staff appraisal; near-term policy priority; governance reform; Surinamese authorities; Arrears; Inflation; Debt restructuring; Caribbean; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Suriname: Second Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, Requests for Rephasing and Reduction of Access, Waivers of nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Financing Assurances Review-Press Release; Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Staff Statement; and Statement by the Executive Director for Suriname
International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.
This paper presents Suriname’s Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility, Requests for Rephasing and Reduction of Access, Waivers of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria (PC), and Financing Assurances Review. The authorities have made concerted efforts to bring their economic recovery program back on track and stabilize the economy, foremost by restoring fiscal discipline, while expanding social assistance programs to protect the poor. They have also reached important milestones in debt restructuring negotiations, which, alongside fiscal consolidation, will support Suriname’s efforts to restore debt sustainability. The end-December 2022 quantitative performance criteria on the cumulative central government primary balance and net domestic assets were missed. Two continuous PCs and one standard continuous PC were also breached. Progress on implementing the structural agenda has moved ahead but with delays. The authorities are continuing to make progress with their structural reform agenda. Structural reforms to strengthen institutions, governance, and data quality remain key priorities with continued capacity building support by IMF and Suriname’s other development partners.
Keywords:
roadmap triage; staff appraisal; governance reform of bank; government FX sale; sales transaction; Exchange rates; Multiple currency practices; Arrears; Caribbean; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Suriname: Technical Assistance Report-External Sector Statistics
International Monetary Fund. Statistics Dept.
A technical assistance (TA) mission on external sector statistics (ESS) was conducted in Paramaribo, Suriname, during March 2‒13, 2020. The mission was part of the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC) work program on ESS and was carried out in response to a request from the Central Bank of Suriname (CBvS). The mission reviewed estimates and coverage of the balance of payments and international investment position (IIP), which have been prepared in the sixth edition of the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (BPM6) format. In particular, the mission’s work mainly aimed at enhancing the coverage and the classification of (i) currency and deposits assets held abroad by the nonfinancial sector; (ii) insurance services, transport, travel account and trade credit and advances; (iii) offshore petroleum exploration companies; (iv) government external debt; and (iv) the use of business survey. Improvements in these key areas will facilitate a more robust assessment of external sector developments. Reliable ESS is essential for informed economic policy-making by the authorities and for IMF’s surveillance.
Keywords:
IMF's Statistics Department; goods account; customs data; balance of payments manual; Statistics Department of the IMF; External sector statistics; Balance of payments statistics; International investment position; Imports; Caribbean
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Suriname: 2009 Article IV Consultation—Staff Report; Statement by the Staff Representative; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director
International Monetary Fund
This 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights that economic activity weakened in Suriname in 2009 in the context of lower alumina and oil prices and a sharp output decline in the alumina sector. However, economic growth is estimated to have remained positive at 2.5 percent, supported by buoyant activity in the gold and construction sectors. Inflation has fallen sharply. Executive Directors have welcomed the authorities’ decision to postpone the reduction in the corporate tax rate, as this would adversely affect tax collections.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Standard and Poor's; S&P's praised Suriname; Suriname; ratings report; foreign currency rating; broad money growth; staff appraisal; Surinamese insurance company Self Reliance; Commercial banks; Bank deposits; Public sector; Civil service; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Regional Financial Integration in the Caribbean: Evidence From Financial and Macroeconomic Data
Goohoon Kwon
and
Mr. Raphael A Espinoza
This paper assesses the extent of regional financial integration in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) by analyzing equity prices in the region and rigidity of external financing constraints. The results are presented in a cross-regional perspective. The Caribbean stock markets are not as well integrated as one would expect from the extent of cross-listing and importance of regional banking groups: price differentials of cross-listed stocks reach an average of 5 percent. Auto-Regressive models suggest that these price differentials are only slowly arbitraged away, with half-lives exceeding 7 worked days, even when looking only at large arbitrage opportunities (using a Threshold Auto-Regressive model). A speculative methodology using macroeconomic data seems to confirm these findings. A strong mean reversion of the current account (respectively regional trade imbalances) is interpreted, following Obstfeld and Taylor (2004), as a lack of ways to finance current account deficits, i.e. a lack of global (respectively regional) financial integration. The region appears to be much less integrated than the EU15 or the ASEAN+3 groups, although it fares well compared to other LDCs.
Keywords:
WP; market capitalization; trade balance; exchange rate; CARICOM; cross-market premium; cross-listed stock; Threshold Auto-Regressive model; current account dynamics; CARICOM group; CARICOM community; CARICOM firm; price convergence; balance of payments; liquid asset; Financial integration; Stock markets; Stocks; Current account; Regional integration; Caribbean; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Suriname: 2008 Article IV Consultation: Staff Report; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion for Suriname; and Statement by the Executive Director for Suriname
International Monetary Fund
The key findings of Suriname’s 2008 Article IV Consultation show that a narrow economic base, terms-of-trade swings, and a weak policy/institutional framework have in the past led to macroeconomic instability. Weak policy and institutional frameworks have contributed to higher economic volatility and lower growth than in other commodity-exporting countries. These have undermined the credibility of policies and contributed to high financial dollarization, with over half of deposits denominated in foreign currency. Aided by high commodity prices and improved confidence, GDP growth is estimated at 5½ percent, with strong performance in both the mineral and nonmineral sectors.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Surinamese authorities; debt; IDB financing; terms of trade; price shock; GDP number; GDP ratio; Inflation; Public sector; Current account; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Guyana: Why Has Growth Stopped? An Empirical Study on the Stagnation of Economic Growth
Judith Gold
,
Mr. Ruben V Atoyan
, and
Miss Cornelia Staritz
After a period of exceptionally strong economic performance, Guyana's growth has stagnated since 1998. The paper tries to identify the factors that can explain this dramatic deterioration in economic performance. The paper first attempts to explain the decline of growth with a growth accounting exercise which shows that there was a significant swing in total factor productivity, and than uses a panel regression framework to analyze the growth impact of changes in various factors. Finally, through a series of cross-country exercises, the paper shows that the primary reasons for the divergence between the economic performance of Guyana and other Caribbean, HIPC, and PRGF-eligible countries in 1998-2004 are a substantial decline in share of net foreign and private domestic investment in GDP, a decline in the labor force, and a less favorable political and institutional environment.
Keywords:
WP; sub