The economy of Belize in recent years has been vulnerable to adverse shocks owing to its weak external position, policy rigidities, and reduced access to external financing. Executive Directors commended the authorities for their prudent macroeconomic management during the crisis. Directors...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has successfully implemented key reforms under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, despite experiencing exceptional challenges since the decision point, including a challenging security situation. Revised present value of...

In this study, Greece’s economic program has progress toward its sustainable growth by boosting competitiveness, strengthening financial sector stability, and securing sustainable public finances. The fiscal and broader reforms are to achieve the program’s medium-term objectives. Structural...

Zambia showed strong economic performance with robust growth and moderating inflation under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). It showed sound macroeconomic policies and progress in structural reforms. The Zambian authorities consider their main challenge to create fiscal space for priority...

In South Africa, long-term insurers experienced some strains during the financial crisis, but there were no crisis-related failures. The capital markets suffered sharp declines but no systemic failures. The three standards assessments have found the regulatory system fundamentally sound. The...

Ethiopia has successfully implemented policies to reduce inflation and rebuild external reserves. Fiscal policy aims to continue the strong focus on physical and social infrastructure investment while raising the revenue effort. The recent reframing of monetary policy to adopt a reserve money...

This paper presents the views of Lawrence H. Summers on the U.S. current account deficit and the global economy. Summers highlights that the U.S. current account deficit is currently running well in excess of US$600 billion at an annual rate, in the range of 5.5 percent of GDP. It represents...

This paper presents the functional responsibilities of a central bank which is required to maintain systemic financial stability without having supervisory oversight of individual financial institutions. Although the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has responsibility for supervising...

This paper reports the second event organized by the Per Jacobsson Foundation in 2008 that took place on Sunday, October 12, in the auditorium of the International Finance Corporation in Washington, DC, in the context of the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. From time to...

This Selected Issues paper and Statistical Appendix for the Kingdom of Swaziland assesses the interaction of nonbank financial institutions (NBFIs) within the financial system and the real economy. Understanding the type of flows will help in designing policies to better manage capital flows and...