Financing IMF Transactions for 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 IMF Finances How are Members Selected to Finance IMF Transactions? Financial Organization and Operations of the IMF How Does the IMF Lend? Glossary of Selected Financial Terms

Financing IMF Transactions Quarterly Report December 1, 2000 – February 28, 2001 IMF credit is extended to its members in both foreign exchange and SDRs. Credit extended in foreign exchange is financed from the quota resources made available to the IMF by members, and essentially involves a transfer of foreign exchange from creditor members to borrowing members. The participation of creditor members in these transfers therefore reduces the available quota resources from those members and increases their creditor positions with the IMF. Members receive a market-related return on their creditor positions with the IMF. When extending credit in SDRs, the IMF transfers reserve assets directly to borrowing members by drawing on the IMF's own holdings of SDRs in the General Resources Account. The SDRs are placed in the accounts of borrowing members with the IMF, where they are either maintained or converted into foreign exchange. The amount of SDRs available for these transactions is generally limited, because the IMF normally seeks to maintain part of its usable resources in the form of SDRs—its most liquid asset.

By the same token, the repayment and servicing of IMF credit results in the receipt of both foreign exchange and SDRs from borrowing members. In this case, the SDRs received by the IMF are added to its holdings in the General Resources Account, while the foreign exchange is passed on to IMF creditor members, reducing their creditor positions with the IMF. The members that participate in the financing of IMF transactions in foreign exchange are selected by the Executive Board. The selection is based on each member's financial capacity, and takes into account key macroeconomic and financial indicators (see box). The amounts transferred and received by these members are managed to ensure that their creditor positions in the IMF remain broadly even in relation to their quota, the key measure of each member's rights and obligations in the IMF. This is achieved in the framework of an indicative quarterly plan for financial transactions.1 The accompanying table presents the outcome of the financial transactions plan for the quarterly period completed three months prior to publication. How are Members Selected to Finance IMF Transactions? The selection of members to finance IMF transactions is based on principles set out in the IMF Articles of Agreement. Members are selected based on a periodic assessment by the Executive Board of their balance of payments and reserve position. Specific indicators of external strength are used to maintain a reasonable degree of consistency among members, but the assessment of a member's balance of payments and reserve position is ultimately a matter of judgment. The IMF does not therefore rely on automatic indicators or define rigidly the notion of a sufficiently strong external position; the circumstances of members, including their need to hold international reserve assets, differ considerably. All relevant factors and data are considered in the assessment of a member's balance of payments and reserve position, including developments in exchange and financial markets and the adequacy of the member's international reserve assets. Particular emphasis is placed on recent and prospective current account balances, external competitiveness, and external debt indicators, especially those offering insights into the member's exposure to short-term liquidity strains. Thus, members may be selected to participate in the financing of IMF transactions even though there may be some elements of weakness in their overall balance of payments and reserve position. Two broader considerations underlying the financial structure of the IMF have guided the Executive Board in coming to conclusions about a member's external strength for the purpose of participation in IMF financing. The IMF draws on a wide range of members—large and small, advanced, developing, and transition—for its financial activities, reflecting first and foremost the cooperative nature of the institution. Broad participation of members in the financing of IMF transactions also serves to maximize the liquidity of the IMF's quota resources. The participation of a member in the extension of IMF credit generally entails a change in the composition of the creditor member's international reserve assets. IMF transactions normally involve a reduction in the foreign exchange holdings of creditor members, which is fully offset by an increase in their creditor position in the IMF. This position is included as part of the member's international reserve assets because it represents a liquid claim on the IMF, earning a market-related return, which can be drawn on demand in the event of balance of payments need. Column 1 indicates the members that participated in the financing of IMF transactions. Column 2 shows the IMF quota for each of these members, which is the absolute limit of each member's obligation to make resources available to the IMF for its financial transactions. Column 3 shows for each participating member the available quota resources at the beginning of the quarterly period. The difference between the amounts in columns 2 and 3 reflect the past net contributions of each member to the financing of IMF transactions. Column 4 indicates the amount of foreign exchange transferred by each member to finance the extension of IMF credit (purchases). Other transfers are included, such as interest on creditor positions and other payments to members, and administrative expenses incurred by the IMF at its headquarters and offices around the world. The bulk of administrative payments are made in U.S. dollars. Depending on the number and size of IMF transactions, not all creditor members may participate in transactions in any three-month period. Column 5 presents data on the amount of foreign exchange received by each member, primarily as a result of the repayment of IMF credits by borrowing members. Interest on credit extended by the IMF (charges) is paid in SDRs not currencies. Some foreign exchange is nevertheless typically received in the General Resources Account from members that acquire the necessary SDRs from the IMF with which to pay interest on their outstanding IMF credit. Not all members have receipts in every three-month period in order to help move toward balanced creditor positions relative to quota (column 7). Column 6 shows the available quota resources at the end of the period for each member participating in the financing of IMF transactions. When combined with the IMF's SDR holdings (shown in the penultimate row of the table), these resources comprise the IMF's usable resources, a key element in the assessment of the institution's liquidity position. Column 7 illustrates the guiding principle that members' cumulative contributions to the financing of IMF credit and other transfers should be broadly balanced in relation to quota. Members that are relative newcomers to the plan have not yet had substantial use of their currencies in financing IMF transactions, and thus tend to have creditor positions that are lower than average. The absolute amount of a member's creditor position can be derived by subtracting available quota resources (column 6) from quota (column 2). 1Until recently, the financial transactions plan was called the operational budget.