Recent economic development and outlook of Lao are discussed in this study. However, the economy continued to exceed its macroeconomic speed limit in 2009, putting pressure on the balance of payments. The outlook for GDP growth in 2010 is favorable and inflation is likely to remain moderate....

This Selected Issues paper for the Republic of San Marino analyzes options for managing systemic liquidity risk. The paper states that financial dollarization/euroization—as in the case of San Marino—or a currency board arrangement can complicate banking crisis management and...

Recent turbulence in global and Caribbean regional financial markets underscore the importance of reassessing the adequacy of international reserves held by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). Using the Jeanne (2007) optimization framework, this paper finds that international reserves...

This paper reviews the nature of central bank involvement in 26 episodes of financial disturbance and crises in Latin America from the mid-1990s onwards. It finds that, except in a handful of cases, large amounts of central bank money were used to cope with large and small crises alike. Pouring...

The staff report for the First Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) Arrangement highlights Grenada’s economic performance in many respects. The time needed to address the unregulated bank, as well as fiscal slippages and the slow pace of structural reform, delayed...

This 2006 Article IV Consultation highlights that economic activity in Cyprus has recovered from a relatively weak performance in 2002–03. Declines in interest rates and strong capital inflows associated with Cyprus’s accession to the European Union in May 2004 spurred growth in...

This paper discusses key findings of the Assessment of Financial Sector Supervision and Regulation for Panama. The assessment of bank supervision showed a high degree of compliance with the Basel Core Principles (BCP) reflecting generally satisfactory implementation combined with an adequate...

This paper describes recently established deposit insurance systems, identifying emerging trends. In line with previous IMF work on the subject, it argues against the development of "best practices" applicable to all systems. Rather, it stresses the importance of incorporating each...

Recent financial sector crises and their resolution have raised new issues and provided additional experiences to draw on in the future. Banking sector problems in Russia, Turkey, and a few Latin American countries occurred within the context of highly dollarized economies, high levels of...

This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix sheds light on the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia’s low growth and high unemployment during the 1990s by analyzing enterprise level data. The paper provides some background information on FYR Macedonia’s enterprise...