Country Reports
2014
January 28, 2014
Republic of Mozambique: First Review Under the Policy Support Instrument and Request for Modification of Assessment Criteria—Staff Report; Press Release
Description: The Executive Board of the IMF has completed the first review under the three-year Policy Support Instrument (PSI) for Mozambique. Mozambique’s macroeconomic performance remains strong: real GDP growth for 2013 is estimated at 7.1 percent and inflation remains moderate. The PSI-supported program is broadly on track. Structural reforms along a broad policy spectrum should be implemented vigorously to foster sustained and more inclusive growth. With foreign aid likely to decline over the medium term, increased nonconcessional borrowing can provide additional resources for improving physical infrastructure and human capital. Further strengthening debt management and investment planning and implementation are essential to ensure value for money, maximize the efficiency of investment, and preserve debt sustainability.
Notes: Also Available in Portuguese
January 24, 2014
Republic of Belarus: Fifth Post-Program Monitoring Discussions
Description: This Informational Annex highlights a voluntary assessment of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB) completed in April 2004. It concluded that there were significant vulnerabilities in the safeguards framework, especially in the legal structure and independence, external and internal audit, and financial reporting. The assessment made specific recommendations to correct the identified shortcomings. An updated assessment of the NBRB, which was completed in May 2009 in connection with the Stand-By Arrangement approved on January 12, 2009, found little progress in addressing previously identified vulnerabilities. The assessment determined that risks have increased since the voluntary 2004 assessment and recommended several measures. Only some of the recommendations were implemented by the NBRB.
Notes: Also Available in Russian
January 22, 2014
Solomon Islands: Staff Report for the 2013 Article IV consultation and Second Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement and Request for Modification of Performance Criterion
Description: This Information Annex highlights that the Solomon Islands has recovered well from a precarious position during the global economic crisis. Growth has accelerated rapidly and international and fiscal reserves increased, on the back of increased logging and mining, but also owing to better fiscal management and increased international assistance. The medium-term reform agenda under the Core Economic Working Group emphasizes, among other things, strengthening of public financial management, in particular with regard to the management of natural resource revenues. Significant amounts of support have been provided to the Central Bank of Solomon Islands in formulating and implementing new prudential regulations for banks and also in developing a more robust inflation forecasting regime.
January 21, 2014
Austria: Publication of Financial Sector Assessment Program Documentation—Technical Note on Crisis Preparedness and Management Framework
Description: This Technical Note analyzes crisis preparedness and management framework in Austria. The global crisis revealed weaknesses in Austria’s financial stability policy framework. Austria needs to put in place a special bank resolution regime to resolve problem banks in a manner that does not endanger financial stability or fiscal sustainability. Although the authorities prefer to await the formal adoption of the European Union (EU) Directive on bank recovery and resolution, it would be in Austria’s interest to swiftly introduce a full-fledged bank resolution framework, with a wide range of tools and powers, and strengthened resolution arrangements with non-EU countries.
January 21, 2014
Austria: Publication of Financial Sector Assessment Program Documentation—Technical Note on Stress Testing the Banking Sector
Description: This Technical Note discusses key results of stress testing of the banking sector in Austria. The Austrian banking system is in a recovery phase following the 2008–2009 global financial crisis. Stress testing results suggest that Austrian banks, on aggregate, have sufficient capital buffers to withstand severe but plausible shocks from adverse macroeconomic developments. Under the most severe scenario, the estimated total capital shortfall amounts to 1 percent of GDP. The results of the solvency stress test reflect comfortable initial capital buffers built in response to the crisis, in part because of de-risking of balance sheets, and in part owing to banks’ recapitalization efforts through increased retained earnings.
January 21, 2014
Austria: Publication of Financial Sector Assessment Program Documentation—Detailed Assessment of Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision
Description: This paper discusses key findings of the Detailed Assessment of Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision on Austria. Since the outbreak of the financial crisis, some Austrian credit institutions had to be nationalized as an ad hoc measure to prevent contagion effects and to preserve financial stability. Bank capital ratios are improving but still lag behind other internationally active banks. Bank profits have been affected by low net interest income and risk provisioning reflecting higher nonperforming loans ratios. Austrian banks’ funding structure is relatively stable, and financing conditions have improved since the peak of the crisis.
January 21, 2014
Austria: Publication of Financial Sector Assessment Program Documentation—Technical Note on Insurance Sector
Description: This Technical Note provides an update on the Austrian insurance industry and an analysis of its regulatory and supervisory regime. The structure of the domestic insurance sector has remained largely stable since the last update. At Q3-2012 there were 50 insurance companies with assets of €108 billion, making up nearly 40 percent of GDP. Although insurance portfolios are largely concentrated in high-quality bonds, they have significant exposure to European banks. Most insurance companies in Austria appear well capitalized under the Solvency I regime. The industry remains profitable though margins have come under some pressure recently.
January 17, 2014
Republic of Slovenia: Staff Report for the 2013 Article IV Consultation
Description: This Information Annex highlights that Slovenia maintains an exchange system that is free of restrictions on the making of payments and transfers for current international transactions, with the exception of exchange restrictions maintained for security reasons. Slovenian fiscal statistics are timely and high quality. The Ministry of Finance publishes a comprehensive monthly Bulletin of Government Finance, which presents monthly data on the operations of the state budget, local governments, social security, and the consolidated general government. The coverage of general government excludes the operations of extrabudgetary funds and general government agencies’ own revenues. However, these operations are small.
January 13, 2014
Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper-Joint Staff Advisory Note
Description: This Joint Staff Advisory Note discusses the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. The PRSP-II is the successor to the government’s previous development strategy, the PRSP-I, and furthers the country’s commitment to promoting sustainable poverty reduction through broad-based growth. Overall, the PRSP-II presents a coherent analysis and offers an appropriate policy framework for long-term poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth. The PRSP-II builds on the experience in a number of areas, promoting economic diversification and laying out a set of ambitious but attainable development goals. IMF Staff recommends further work on several critical areas in which the PRSP-II could be strengthened.
January 13, 2014
Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
Description: This paper discusses Second National Poverty Reduction Strategy II (NPRS-II) (2012–2016) for Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. A comparison of the results of the 2000 and 2010 poverty profile, based on the average income method, shows that there was progress in reducing poverty, albeit far less than expected. The ratio of the incidence of poverty decreased from 53.8 percent in 2000 to 49.6 percent in 2010, representing a reduction of 4.2 percentage points, which is far below the target set in the NPRS-I for 2010, and also shows relative improvement in the depth of poverty.