The socialism-to-market transition is over but has left its marks on the transitioning economies. An important lesson of transition is the major effect of the hardness of the budget constraint on the process, the resulting economy, and the state. One should not overlook its ethical import: a...

This paper presents the Financial Sector Stability Assessment Update on the Russian Federation. Indicators of bank soundness and performance are broadly favorable but credit risk poses a challenge over the medium term, and capitalization should rise to support continued banking sector...

This paper presents an Ex Post Assessment of Long-Term Program Engagement for Armenia. The quality of program implementation was uneven at the early stages of IMF engagement, but it has improved in recent years. Implementation of some key structural reforms suffered delays, reflecting in part...

This paper assesses Serbia and Montenegro’s First Review Under the Extended Arrangement (EA). Serbia and Montenegro’s economic and policy performance has remained good under the current EA, but daunting challenges lie ahead. Macroeconomic policies need to be carefully calibrated to...

Activity and fiscal policy continue to exceed expectations, but strong bank credit growth has fuelled a sharp increase in the current account deficit. In this context, the new administrations recognize the need to establish the macroeconomic stability quickly. These actions are supported by...

This paper presents key findings of the Financial System Stability Assessment for the Russian Federation. There are significant vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the financial sector, although given its small size, the macroeconomy would be relatively little affected by the immediate impact of...