This assessment of the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision has been completed as part of the IMF Offshore Financial Center (OFC) assessment program. First, the assessment benchmarks the current state of banking supervision, recognizing that there have been extensive changes...

The German financial system is complex and highly diversified. The second most important class of financial institutions is insurance and pension companies. Germany has taken steps to enhance accounting and auditing practices and to align corporate governance with best international practices....

This paper discusses key findings of the Fourth Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for Bangladesh. Several quantitative and structural performance criteria have been missed for the fourth PRGF review. The nonobservance of these performance criteria largely reflects...

The staff report for the Second Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility highlights economic developments and fiscal policy. The political transition process has advanced significantly in 2005, and further progress has been made in securing peace....

This paper discusses key findings of the Financial System Stability Assessment on Banking Supervision, Insurance Supervison, Securities Regulation, and Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism for Greece. The Greek financial sector appears largely sound and resilient to...

The 2001 financial system stability assessment identified risks of financial sector instability, as rapid increases in foreign and domestic currency indebtedness, accumulating external imbalances, and inflation accompanied Iceland's expansion of the late 1990s. The insurance sector, composed of...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that six years after the 1998 financial crisis, Ukraine continues to recover strongly. In 2003, real GDP grew by 9.4 percent, despite a poor harvest, and reached 13.5 percent through July 2004. Growth in 2003–04 has been prompted by favorable...