Country Reports
2024
February 27, 2024
British Virgin Islands: Detailed Assessment Report on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism
Description: This report summarizes the anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures in place in the Virgin Islands (VI) as at the date of the onsite visit of March 15–30, 2023. It analyses the level of compliance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) 40 Recommendations and the level of effectiveness of VI’s AML/CFT system and provides recommendations on how the system could be strengthened.
February 27, 2024
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Description: Timor-Leste has made impressive progress since independence in 2002 but remains a fragile post-conflict nation with pressing development needs. With oil and gas production having recently come to a halt, progress on diversifying the economy and developing the private sector is urgently needed. Fiscal deficits are financed by the country’s considerable Petroleum Fund savings, but regular large withdrawals are expected to lead to its full depletion by the end of the 2030s. A new coalition government—formed following parliamentary elections in May 2023—targets higher growth and achieving fiscal sustainability.
February 22, 2024
Cameroon: Request for an Arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Cameroon
Description: Climate change presents substantial risks for Cameroon. In addition to being the largest CEMAC economy with ample economic potential and abundant natural resources, Cameroon covers large areas of the Congo Basin rainforest, the second largest in the world. At the same time, the country is a fragile and conflict affected state (FCS), with a range of fragilities, including a high vulnerability to climate change. Climate risks are intensifying in Cameroon, with temperatures progressively rising, and a projected increase in days with heavy precipitation and higher frequency of extreme weather events, such as droughts, landslides, and floods. Climate change poses an imminent threat to livelihoods and could result in significant output losses, while worsening food insecurity and conflicts, and exacerbating poverty, inequality, and population displacements. This underscores the need to strengthen the country’s preparedness and resilience to ensure that climate change impact does not jeopardize human capital accumulation or inclusive growth.
February 20, 2024
Cameroon: 2023 Article IV Consultation, Fifth Reviews Under the Extended Credit Facility and the Extended Fund Facility Arrangements, and Requests for Extension and Augmentation of Access, a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criterion, and Modification of a Performance Criterion-Press Release; Staff Report; Staff Statement; and Statement by the Executive Director for Cameroon
Description: Cameroon’s economic recovery has continued against a backdrop of domestic security pressures, increased regional spillover risks, and continuing global economic uncertainties. Inflation remains high although decelerating, and while Cameroon is the largest CEMAC economy with ample economic potential, it is a fragile and conflictaffected state (FCS). Drivers of fragility include a high debt burden, institutional and governance weaknesses, internal divisions, social exclusion, insurgency, conflicts along borders, and a rising frequency of climate-related natural disasters. Political risks are increasing, with tensions around Presidential succession, and potential spillovers from the region. The IMF staff has prepared a country engagement strategy (CES), in collaboration with stakeholders and international partners, to assess the drivers of fragility and factors of resilience and inform the IMF’s ongoing and future engagement with Cameroon.
February 9, 2024
Nigeria: Post-Financing Assessment Discussions-Press Release; and Staff Report
Description: The new administration under President Tinubu has started its term with bold reforms in challenging circumstances. The authorities quickly implemented two major reforms: removing fuel subsidies and unifying the various official foreign exchange windows. Growth is lackluster, inflation high and accelerating, and pressures on the naira persist. With widespread poverty and rising food insecurity, social demands for government support are growing. The external environment—access to financing, food prices—remains difficult, high oil and gas prices notwithstanding.
February 7, 2024
Republic of Kazakhstan: Financial System Stability Assessment
Description: Following Kazakhstan’s recovery from the 2014-15 decline in oil prices, the country was hit by a series of shocks, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, then the January 2022 social unrest, and most recently the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. So far, that has had limited impact on output, also thanks to various measures taken by the authorities to stabilize the economy. However, there are risks to the outlook. The financial system, which is small and bank-dominated, underwent significant changes during this period. Banks’ largest exposures are to households while large corporates rely on non-residents for funding.
February 7, 2024
Republic of Kazakhstan: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Republic of Kazakhstan
Description: Growth is estimated to have reached 4.8 percent in 2023 and is projected to slow to 3.1 percent in 2024. Inflation declined to 9.8 percent in 2023, still well above the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK)’s target of 5 percent. Risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside. The state’s footprint in the economy remains large and structural reform implementation has been slow in recent years. Despite strong buffers, the economy needs to be better prepared for future shocks in both the short term (e.g., from war spillovers, inflation, and global economic and financial conditions) and the medium term (e.g., from geo-economic fragmentation, climate events, and global decarbonization).