Country Reports
2024
September 27, 2024
Vietnam: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Vietnam
Description: Adverse external and domestic shocks led to a sharp slowdown in early 2023, but economic growth is gaining momentum thanks to a strong rebound in exports and expansionary fiscal and monetary policies. However, risks remain elevated, including because of a weak real estate sector and leveraged corporates. Headline inflation accelerated mostly owing to food prices. Despite a large current account surplus, the currency has been depreciating amidst record low domestic interest rates.
September 26, 2024
Zimbabwe: Change in Representative Rate
Description: Zimbabwe introduced the Zimbabwe Gold in April 2024, replacing the Zimbabwe dollar. In accordance with IMF Article IV, Section 2(a), regarding the obligations of members to notify the Fund of their exchange arrangements, Zimbabwe informed the Fund on April 29, 2024 of the introduction of a new currency called the Zimbabwe Gold. The Zimbabwe Gold is a structured currency which is anchored by a composite basket of foreign currency and precious metals held as reserves for this purpose by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Prior to the introduction of the Zimbabwe Gold, the Zimbabwe dollar was the currency used for operations and transactions between Zimbabwe and the Fund.
September 24, 2024
Brunei Darussalam: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
Description: Brunei faces complex diversification challenges while it continues to contend with a protracted recovery since the pandemic. Real GDP has rebounded moderately, driven mainly by the non-oil and gas (O&G) sector and earlier than expected supply from a new O&G field in Q4 2023. Challenges persisted in downstream and upstream O&G production until H1 and Q3 2023, respectively, weakening fiscal and external positions in 2023.
September 23, 2024
Togo: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Togo
Description: Following a series of shocks in recent years, Togo continues to face persistent challenges to food security and terrorist attacks, while broader development needs remain acute. Fiscal expansion implemented in response to the shocks has helped preserve robust economic growth but has also pushed up public debt, reversing the debt reduction achieved during the 2017–20 ECF-arrangement, eroding fiscal space and buffers to absorb shocks, and contributing to regional vulnerabilities in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). In response to these challenges, the Fund approved the authorities’ request for a new ECF-arrangement in March 2024.
September 19, 2024
Bhutan: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Bhutan
Description: The 2024 Article IV Consultation highlights that Bhutan achieved significant improvements in social conditions during the last decade, raising living standards. Poverty and inequality have declined, while extreme poverty has been eliminated. Growth is projected to accelerate over the medium term as a large hydro-project is commissioned and capital spending is boosted with the support of external grants. Pull factors are expected to slow down emigration, thereby reducing pressures on the supply side. A gradual fiscal consolidation based on revenue mobilization and accompanied by some spending restraint is needed to increase fiscal space and to reduce reliance on external grants in the longer term. Structural policies should focus on fostering high-quality private sector jobs, as well as diversifying exports. There is scope to strengthen the Royal Monetary Authority’s governance framework, as well as to step up anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism efforts. Improvements in data quality have been significant, but further actions are needed to address remaining weaknesses. These include a need for greater transparency on crypto assets operations.
September 18, 2024
Norway: 2024 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Norway
Description: The 2024 Article IV Consultation discusses that boosting labor supply, containing public expenditure pressures, and raising productivity will be required for Norway to be able to continue its strong economic performance and preserve its welfare model. A recent White Paper by the Ministry of Finance rightly raises these key issues facing Norway’s economy in the longer term. Real gross domestic product growth slowed in 2023 and is expected to gradually rebound in the near term as private domestic demand strengthens supported by higher real incomes. Tight macroprudential policies should remain in place to mitigate systemic vulnerabilities. The financial system appears resilient and banking system buffers are strong. Long-term fiscal challenges should be more forcefully addressed. Norway has the largest proportion of the population on disability-related benefits among the organisation for economic co-operation and development countries, and reforming costly and distortionary social benefit systems is possibly the most important and politically difficult reform pending. Although Norway boasts one of the highest levels of labor productivity among its peers, it has slowed faster than in other countries. To reverse this trend, conditions should be improved to facilitate sectoral reallocation as well as innovation and technology adoption.
September 17, 2024
Kingdom of the Netherlands-Curaçao and Sint Maarten: 2024 Article IV Consultation Discussions-Press Release and Staff Report
Description: The 2024 Article IV Consultation presents that Curaçao and Sint Maarten have continued to experience a vigorous post-pandemic recovery underpinned by strong stayover tourism, which is outperforming Caribbean peers. Headline inflation has declined rapidly led by international oil price developments, notwithstanding a recent uptick, while core inflation remains elevated. In both countries, current account deficits improved markedly from pandemic years but remain high. Fiscal positions remained strong and in compliance with the fiscal rule. Growth is expected to accelerate in 2024 before gradually converging to its potential over the medium term. Stayover tourism supported by fiscal expansion is projected to drive economic growth at a robust 4.5 percent in 2024 due to new airlifts and further expansion in hotel capacity. Both countries need more public investments and strategies to improve tourist experience and enhance tourism’s value added, including adequate infrastructure to allow for timely ground transportation and continued efforts to improve the quality of services provided.
September 16, 2024
Guinea-Bissau: Sixth Review Under the Extended Credit Facility, Request for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria, and Financing Assurances Review-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Guinea-Bissau
Description: This paper presents Guinea-Bissau’s Sixth Review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF), Request for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria, and financing assurances review. The authorities’ commitment to a range of challenging policy reforms is starting to show some results. They should persevere with their ambitious structural reform agenda to improve domestic revenue mobilization, strengthen expenditure controls, and enhance governance. Economic growth is expected to reach 5 percent in 2024, while inflation should slow to 4.2 percent compared to 7.2 percent in 2023. However, the economic outlook remains subject to significant near-term risks. Fiscal consolidation remains critical to reduce vulnerabilities and ensure debt sustainability and macroeconomic stability. This should be underpinned by strict rationalization of nonpriority expenditure and revenue mobilization. The authorities are implementing structural reforms which are pivotal to the program’s success. Urgent actions should be taken to mitigate fiscal risks from the public utility company. The authorities should also continue advancing the disengagement of the undercapitalized bank, including through contingency planning.