Financial Sector | IMF Blog

No Time to Stand Still: Strengthening Global Growth and Building Inclusive Economies

July 5, 2017

Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Français (French), Deutsch (German), 日本語 (Japanese), Русский (Russian), and Español (Spanish)

The port of Hamburg, Germany: G20 leaders meet to discuss policies to strengthen the global economic recovery (photo: Markus Lange/robertharding/Newscom)

Nearly sixty years ago, a little-known band called the Beatles arrived in Hamburg, got a haircut, recorded their first song, and found their sound.

Taking a cue from the Fab Four, world leaders gathering for the Group of Twenty Summit this week can make the most of their time in Hamburg—and leave Germany with a sound plan to strengthen global growth.

Continue reading “No Time to Stand Still: Strengthening Global Growth and Building Inclusive Economies” »

By IMFBlog| July 5th, 2017|Advanced Economies, aging, Asia, developing countries, Economic outlook, Economic research, Emerging Markets, G-20, Global Governance, inclusive growth, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, jobs, technology, U.S.|

Islamic Banking Proposals Get IMF Approval

By Ghiath Shabsigh, Ross Leckow, and Zeine Zeidane

Versions in: Arabic, French, Indonesian, and Malay

Islamic banking, a small but fast-growing corner of the financial world, is receiving greater attention from regulators and policy makers. The IMF recently adopted a set of proposals on Islamic banking and called for a more comprehensive set of policies to ensure financial stability in countries with Islamic banking and support the sound development of the industry. The IMF is now calling for additional work and cooperation by its staff with other international agencies to improve the adoption of relevant standards for Islamic banking and to address remaining regulatory gaps. Continue reading “Islamic Banking Proposals Get IMF Approval” »

By IMFBlog| February 21st, 2017|Africa, Economic research, Europe, Financial regulation, IMF, International Monetary Fund, monetary policy|

Accelerating Financial Sector Development to Boost Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf.IMF By Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf

Version in Français (French), Português (Portuguese)

There are many reasons why deeper financial development—the increase in deposits and loans but also their accessibility and improved financial sector efficiency—is good for sustainable growth in sub-Saharan Africa. For one, it helps mobilize savings and to direct funds into productive uses, for example by providing the start-up capital for the next innovative enterprise. This in turn facilitates a more efficient allocation of resources and increases overall productivity.

Continue reading “Accelerating Financial Sector Development to Boost Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa” »

By IMFBlog| July 13th, 2016|Africa, Economic outlook, Financial regulation, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Investment, Uncategorized|

Managing China’s Economic Transition

By Changyong Rhee

(Version in 中文 and Español)

From advanced economy financial markets to developing country commodity producers, the world has closely followed developments in China in recent months. After 35 years of extraordinarily rapid growth, the Chinese economy is undergoing a major transition from export-led growth to a model increasingly driven by consumption and services, with less emphasis on debt-financed public investment.

Continue reading “Managing China’s Economic Transition” »

By IMFBlog| October 5th, 2015|Asia, Economic outlook, Emerging Markets, Financial Crisis, Fiscal policy, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund|

Strengthening the Foundations for Fiscal Policymaking: A New Fiscal Transparency Code

By Min Zhu

In the last two decades, countries have come a long way in shedding greater light on their public finances. The global economic crisis has reminded us, however, that we need to do more to ensure fiscal policymaking is based on reliable data on fiscal outcomes, credible forecasts of fiscal prospects, and a comprehensive assessment of fiscal risks. Working with civil society, governments, and others, the IMF has just presented a revised draft of its Fiscal Transparency Code, and we would like to know what you think of it so we can improve it further. You can comment here.

Continue reading “Strengthening the Foundations for Fiscal Policymaking: A New Fiscal Transparency Code” »

By IMFBlog| July 3rd, 2013|Economic research, Emerging Markets, Finance, Financial Crisis, Financial regulation, Fiscal policy, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Politics, Public debt|

Rethinking Macroeconomic Policy

By Olivier Blanchard

(Versions in عربي, 中文, Français, Русский, and Español)

The IMF has just hosted a second conference devoted to rethinking macroeconomic policy in the wake of the crisis. After two days of fascinating presentations and discussions, I am certain of one thing: this is unlikely to be our last conference on the subject.

Rethinking and reforms are both taking place. But we still do not know the final destination, be it for the redefinition of monetary policy, or the contours of financial regulation, or the role of macroprudential tools. We have a general sense of direction, but we are largely navigating by sight.

Continue reading “Rethinking Macroeconomic Policy” »

By IMFBlog| April 29th, 2013|Advanced Economies, Asia, Debt Relief, Economic research, Europe, Finance, Financial Crisis, Financial regulation, Fiscal policy, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Politics, Public debt|

Building on Latin America’s Success

Next week, I will travel to Chile and Colombia—my second visit to the region since November 2011. I return with increased optimism, as much of Latin America continues its impressive transformation that started a decade ago.

By IMFBlog| December 6th, 2012|Economic Crisis, Emerging Markets, Español, Fiscal policy, growth, IMF, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, Latin America, Public debt|

The Solution Is More, Not Less Europe

It is hard to hold the course in the middle of a storm, but European policymakers need to if they want European integration to succeed. The sovereign debt crisis is a serious challenge, which requires a strong and coordinated effort by all involved to finally put it behind us.

By IMFBlog| July 19th, 2011|Advanced Economies, Economic Crisis, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund|

No Time to Waste: IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde

The IMF’s managing director Christine Lagarde gave her first press conference today, in which she outlined three focal issues for the institution.

By IMFBlog| July 6th, 2011|IMF, International Monetary Fund|

The MENA Jobs and Growth Challenge: How Can Finance Help?

Most policymakers in the Middle East and North Africa agree that stronger economic growth is a crucial component of any strategy to address the region’s persistently high levels of unemployment and raise its living standards. One question that arises is: What role can the financial sector play? It is well known that a dynamic and vibrant financial sector will improve economic outcomes for a country, leading to faster and more equitable economic growth. The key to answering this question, therefore, is to look to the past and examine how the financial sector has contributed historically to growth in the region. Unfortunately, the experience in the Middle East and North Africa has not been as successful as in other regions. How, then, can policymakers in the region enhance the financial system’s contribution to growth?

By IMFBlog| May 23rd, 2011|Economic outlook, Employment, growth, IMF, International Monetary Fund, Middle East|

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