Kyrgyz Republic: Staff Report for the 2015 Article IV Consultation and First Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility, and Request for Modification of Performance Criteria

The economy has shown some resilience in the face of adverse regional shocks but potential growth is constrained by persistent structural challenges, particularly lagging productivity and dependence on gold, remittances, and foreign aid. Satisfactory performance under the program during the first half of the year was followed by fiscal slippages in the run-up to the October elections and a delay in adopting the Banking Code, a key measure to strengthen central bank independence and the bank resolution framework. The combined impact of a large public investment program and currency depreciation has raised the public debt ratio markedly. Significant further depreciation could pose risks for the otherwise well capitalized, but highly dollarized, financial sector. The business environment remains weak, overshadowed by lingering disagreements between the authorities and the largest foreign investor.

Abstract

The economy has shown some resilience in the face of adverse regional shocks but potential growth is constrained by persistent structural challenges, particularly lagging productivity and dependence on gold, remittances, and foreign aid. Satisfactory performance under the program during the first half of the year was followed by fiscal slippages in the run-up to the October elections and a delay in adopting the Banking Code, a key measure to strengthen central bank independence and the bank resolution framework. The combined impact of a large public investment program and currency depreciation has raised the public debt ratio markedly. Significant further depreciation could pose risks for the otherwise well capitalized, but highly dollarized, financial sector. The business environment remains weak, overshadowed by lingering disagreements between the authorities and the largest foreign investor.

Context

1. Despite significant reform efforts over the past two decades, persistent structural weaknesses limit potential growth. Dependence on gold, remittances, and foreign aid leaves the economy vulnerable to external shocks and makes it difficult to generate broad-based prosperity. As productivity lags, growth continues to rely on large-scale capital spending and an abundant supply of labor. The link between credit expansion and economic growth is weak as the financial sector is still underdeveloped. Despite progress in improving infrastructure and energy reliability, significant gaps remain. Poverty is high, with large differences in development across regions. Still nascent institutions, frequent changes in government, and a challenging business environment further hamper economic development.

2. Since the last Article IV consultation in 2013, economic performance has suffered owing to a series of external shocks. After picking up in 2013, nongold growth decelerated markedly in 2014–15. The economic slowdown and currency devaluations in the region (especially Russia), falling gold prices and remittances, and uncertainties and delays surrounding accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) worsened external and fiscal balances and dampened domestic demand. The som depreciated in response to the worsening external balance and increased uncertainty, losing almost half of its value against the dollar between June 2013 and October 2015. Inflation inched up, due mainly to som depreciation. Fiscal buffers were reduced by countercyclical fiscal policies and a large foreign-financed public investment program. Foreign reserves declined somewhat due to foreign exchange interventions by the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic (NBKR). The financial sector is stable but in the context of high dollarization vulnerable to further significant currency depreciation and a slowdown in economic activity.

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Performance Since 2013 Article IV Consultations

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 055; 10.5089/9781475523881.002.A001

3. Large-scale foreign-financed public investment in combination with sharp currency depreciation is weakening debt sustainability. The country remains at a moderate risk of debt distress, but planned infrastructure investments in excess of 20 percent of GDP over the next three years and the 16 percent depreciation of the national currency so far this year have raised public debt by 6 percentage points of GDP, bringing it close to the high risk of debt distress level. While infrastructure gaps remain large, investment at such a scale raises concerns over efficiency and absorptive capacity. Debt risks are exacerbated by stagnating revenues and elevated spending on wages, subsidies, and goods and services.

4. Despite strong credit growth over the past three years, financial sector remains underdeveloped and is subject to vulnerabilities. While financial inclusion improved, banks’ penetration in remote areas is still narrow. The limited array of financial products and instruments reduces the opportunity for domestically-financed investments. Moreover, the system is still largely cash based, and highly dollarized. A further decline in economic activity coupled with significant currency depreciation could raise both direct balance sheet risks and indirect credit risks by undermining borrowers’ creditworthiness.

5. Structural reforms to make the economy more competitive are necessary to maximize the benefits from accession to the EEU. The Kyrgyz Republic became a member of the EEU in August 2015. The country will receive 1.9 percent of the common customs pool, which should result in an increase in customs revenues of about 1.5 percentage points of GDP annually. Beyond higher customs revenue, expected benefits from EEU membership stem from improved access to a large market for goods, services, and labor. Structural reforms aimed at raising productivity and diversifying the economy are necessary for the full benefits of integration to be captured (SIP “Impact of the accession to the EEU”).

6. Implementation of past Fund policy advice has been mixed. Several of the 2013 Article IV consultation recommendations were implemented, with policy traction particularly in the monetary area. The authorities have also been implementing key recommendations from the 2013 FSAP Update (Annex II), and there has been close cooperation through Fund technical assistance. However, fiscal policy has been looser than recommended, public debt has increased sharply, and further progress is needed in the financial sector (Annex I).

7. The current Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement, approved last April by the Board, is in line with the authorities’ 2013–17 National Strategy for Sustainable Development. It focuses on generating inclusive growth through reducing macroeconomic vulnerabilities, achieving fiscal sustainability, supporting banking sector reforms, strengthening debt management, and encouraging structural reforms to expand the economy’s potential. Achieving these objectives requires fiscal consolidation, and prioritization of public investment to maintain debt at sustainable level. In addition, continuing to ensure greater exchange rate flexibility is needed to preserve the economy’s competitiveness. Also, strengthening the resilience of the banking sector by stepping up supervision and adopting the Banking Law will be critical. Speeding up PFM and AML/CFT reforms will be important to improve the business environment.

8. Political uncertainty could weaken the reform momentum. Following the parliamentary elections in October, a new four-party government was formed, with Prime Minister Sariev retaining his post. With local and presidential elections scheduled for 2016 and 2017, respectively, a slowdown in the reform momentum could further weaken economic prospects.

Recent Economic Developments

9. Real GDP growth was robust over the first nine months, notwithstanding adverse external shocks. Evenly distributed gold production throughout 2015 as opposed to back-loaded production in 2014 resulted in a surge of gold output by 41.5 percent year-on-year. Domestic demand, sustained by public investment, helped support growth despite a string of adverse shocks including falling remittances, the knock on effects of the ruble and tenge depreciation and the uncertainty surrounding EEU accession. Consequently, nongold GDP grew by 4.3 percent on account of a strong performance in the agricultural, transport, public construction, and manufacturing sectors.

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Gold Production

(Thousand ounces)

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 055; 10.5089/9781475523881.002.A001

Source: Centerra gold.

10. Inflation through end-September was moderate. After an initial spike due to the som depreciation in the first quarter of the year, inflation subsided to 6.4 percent by end-September, as a result of a decline in food prices. However, core inflation remains high at 8.6 percent, driven by the pass-through effect from som depreciation.

11. Fiscal performance for the first nine months of the year was better than expected. The overall fiscal deficit reached 0.2 percent of GDP compared to 5 percent under the program, as a result of the postponement of the bulk of the goods and services to the last quarter, and delays in parliamentary ratification of some PIPs (charts below). Revenues excluding grants exceeded projections by 2.9 percentage points of GDP, mainly due to the sale of a mining license (1.4 percentage points of GDP) and NBKR dividends (1.2 percentage points of GDP). Government expenditures were lower (3.6 percentage points of GDP), mainly due to underspending on goods and services and delays in the public investment program (PIP) implementation. As a result of the latter, external debt was lower than projected.

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Seasonality of Spending

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 055; 10.5089/9781475523881.002.A001

12. The external position deteriorated largely due to the slowdown among major trading partners and falling gold prices. The real effective exchange rate appreciated over the past year, reflecting the ruble and tenge depreciation as well as the sharp appreciation of the U.S. dollar. Slowing external demand and delays in PIP execution resulted in nongold exports and imports dropping by 26 percent and 17 percent year-on-year, respectively over the first seven months. End-September remittances fell by 28 percent year-on-year.

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Decline in Remittances from Russia

(US dollar value, in percent, y-o-y)

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 055; 10.5089/9781475523881.002.A001

Sources: Authorities data and staff calculations.
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Exchange Rates Developments

(Index: 2010=100)

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 055; 10.5089/9781475523881.002.A001

Sources: Authorities data and IMF staff calculations.

13. The NBKR adjusted its policy stance in line with market conditions to keep inflation at bay. As inflation moderated and pressures on the exchange rate subsided, the NBKR cut its policy rate by 150 basis points to 9.5 percent in May and further down to 8 percent in June. Rising exchange rate pressures following the liberalization of the tenge prompted the NBKR to raise its policy rate to 10 percent in September. The NBKR allowed the exchange rate to adjust to external shocks with the som depreciating by 16 percent against the dollar during the first nine months. Interventions limited to smoothing out excessive fluctuation reached US$170 million and had a tightening effect with reserve money shrinking by 4.3 percent year-on-year, while broad money increasing by 10 percent.

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Policy Rate, Inflation and Depreciation

(In percent)

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 055; 10.5089/9781475523881.002.A001

Source: NBKR data.
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Daily Exchange Rates

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 055; 10.5089/9781475523881.002.A001

Source: Bloomberg.
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Foreign Exchange Market, 2014–15

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 055; 10.5089/9781475523881.002.A001

Sources: Authorities data and IMF staff calculations.

14. The banking sector is well capitalized and generally sound, but slowing lending activity, growing dollarization and an up-tick in NPL’s and restructured loans raise concerns (Table 8). Banks’ average capital adequacy stood at 21.5 percent, well above the 12 percent minimum requirement, following the implementation by all banks of the NBKR mandated capital increase in July (SB). Excluding FINCA—a large microfinance institution which obtained a banking license in March—credit to the private sector grew by 18.8 percent as of September (year-on-year). Loan dollarization dropped to 53 percent, driven by the som volatility and the recently introduced macro-prudential measures. On the other hand, deposit dollarization rose to 67 percent. Nonperforming loans (NPLs) and restructured loans1 increased, mostly driven by the deterioration in the quality of foreign currency denominated loans to the construction sector. The effects of the tenge liberalization on the banking sector are not yet evident, except for a 3 percentage points increase in deposit dollarization.

Table 1.

Selected Social and Economic Indicators, 2013–20

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Sources: Kyrgyz authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Includes general government and onlending to state owned enetrprises

General government comprises State Government and Social Fund finances. State government comprises central and local governments.

Calculated at end-period exchange rates.

Twelve-month GDP over end-period broad money.

Table 2.

Balance of Payments, 2013–20

(In millions of U.S. dollars)

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Sources: Kyrgyz authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Includes IMF and identified budget support.

Includes return of KRDF investments abroad.

Net short-term flows in 2012 partially reflect capital inflows to domestic enterprises.

Public and publicly-guaranteed debt.

Net of rescheduling.

Valued at end-period exchange rates. The discrepancy between the difference in year-end stocks and the change in reserves under financing is caused by movements in prices and exchange rates.

Table 3.

NBKR Accounts, 2013–16

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Sources: Kyrgyz authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Contribution is defined as change of asset stock relative to previous end-year reserve money stock (in percent).

Change in composition of the NIR in line with safeguards assessment recommendation.

Table 4.

Monetary Survey 2013–16

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Sources: Kyrgyz authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

An MFI became a bank in March 2015.

Contribution is defined as change of asset stock relative to previous end-year broad money stock (in percent).

Twelve-month GDP over end-period broad money.

Table 5.

General Government Finances, 2013–18

(In millions of som) 1/

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Sources: Kyrgyz authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

GFSM 2001 classification is used from 2014 onwards. Retroactive reclassification was not possible due to lack of data.

Including grants in-kind from EEU accession.