Policy Papers

October 6, 2023

Review of the Policy Coordination Instrument and Proposal to Eliminate the Policy Support Instrument

Description: The Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) is a non-financial instrument, designed to help countries demonstrate their commitment to a reform agenda and unlock financing from other sources. It supports countries in designing and implementing a full-fledged macroeconomic program of policies that meet upper credit tranche standards and address imbalances, prevent crises, build buffers, and enhance stability. The PCI is available to all member countries, follows a fixed review schedule, and uses a review-based approach to monitoring conditionality. Based on a stock taking of the experience with the PCI, this review proposed reforms to ensure that the PCI remains fit-for-purpose in today’s complex global economic environment while maintaining its strong signaling function. The review also made the case for eliminating the Policy Support Instrument (PSI), which has been replaced by the PCI as the signaling instrument of choice.

October 6, 2023

Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust—2023 Borrowing Agreements with the Government of Australia, the People’s Bank of China, the Bank of Finland, the Banque De France, De Nederlandsche Bank NV, the Norwegian Ministry of Finance Representing the Kingdom of Norway, Sveriges Riksbank, and the Government of the United Kingdom

Description: This paper presents the second set of PRGT borrowing agreements that have been finalized through April 2023 as part of the loan mobilization round launched in July 2021 to cover the cost of pandemic-related lending and support the self-sustainability of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT). Seven of the eight agreements presented use SDRs in the context of SDR channeling. Together these agreements provide a total of SDR 5.1 billion in new PRGT loan resources for low-income countries (LICs).

October 3, 2023

Making Public Debt Public—Ongoing Initiatives and Reform Options—Background Paper

Description: This Background Paper provides technical information to accompany the main paper “Making Public Debt Public: Ongoing Initiatives and Reform Options”. It provides further empirical evidence of benefits of public debt transparency and elaborates on two elements that can be used to enhance it: (i) sound practices in public debt management and (ii) available international data standards and publicly available debt databases.

Notes: Making Public Debt Public—Ongoing Initiatives and Reform Options

September 29, 2023

Annual Update on SDR Trading Operations

Description: This paper provides an update on the status of the SDR trading market and operations. For more than three decades, SDRs have exclusively been exchanged for freely usable currencies in transactions by agreement, primarily through the Voluntary Trading Arrangements (VTAs). Since the last annual update, SDR trading has continued to be dominated by SDR sales, although SDR acquisitions have increased significantly. From September 2022 to August 2023, SDR 17.9 billion were sold through the VTA market, of which SDR 8.9 billion were exchanged by 29 participants into currencies and SDR 8.0 billion were sold by the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) and the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) for liquidity management and to facilitate the investment of SDR contributions. On the purchase side, the volume and number of transactions increased from the previous year as more participants needed to replenish their SDR holdings to cover charges to the IMF, reflecting the rising SDR interest rate. The VTAs continue to have ample capacities to meet the demand for exchange of SDRs into currencies.

September 27, 2023

Key Trends in Implementing The Fund’s Transparency Policy

Description: At the time of the 2005 Review of the Fund’s Transparency Policy, the Executive Board requested regular updates on trends in implementing the transparency policy. This report provides an overview of recent developments, reflecting information on documents considered by the Board in 2021 and updating the previous annual report on Key Trends. Deeper analysis of these trends is undertaken in the context of periodic reviews of the Fund’s Transparency Policy.

August 29, 2023

2021 Special Drawing Rights Allocation—Ex-Post Assessment Report

Description: This report follows up on the impact of the historic $650 billion 2021 SDR allocation on the global economy, documenting IMF members' use of the allocation and assessing its economic effects. The report finds that the allocation was beneficial for the global economy, helping meet the long-term global need for reserves and supporting market confidence. Members used the allocation mostly to increase international reserve buffers, with some emerging market and developing countries also using it to meet fiscal and external financing needs. While SDR interest costs have increased, members’ capacity to service SDR obligations remains generally adequate. Members’ use of the allocation was mostly in line with Fund advice, and the transparency and accountability of SDR holdings and use has been broadly appropriate, although some gaps remain. Voluntary SDR channeling from economically stronger to more vulnerable members has helped amplify the benefits of the allocation.

Notes: 2021 Special Drawing Rights Allocation—Ex-Post Assessment Report—Background Paper

July 31, 2023

Making Public Debt Public—Ongoing Initiatives and Reform Options

Description: The paper develops and assesses options to improve public debt transparency. It first makes the case, both conceptually and empirically, for greater public debt transparency. To guide the development and assessment of options, it examines the factors hindering transparency, including capacity and governance gaps, and borrower and creditor incentives. The paper then provides a high-level overview of existing initiatives to improve public debt transparency, identifying priorities for progress and policy gaps. Next, it presents and analyzes the merits of a range of options to improve public debt transparency, drawn from reform proposals gaining prominence in policymaking circles while reflecting Fund policy priorities. The IMF could contribute to these reforms with actions within its mandate but would need significant additional resources.

Notes: Making Public Debt Public—Ongoing Initiatives and Reform Options—Background Paper

July 21, 2023

Statement by the Managing Director on the FY 2024 Work Program of the Executive Board Executive Board Meeting May 30, 2023

Description: This Executive Board Work Program (BWP) for FY 2024 (May 2023 to April 2024) focuses on supporting the membership in responding to these challenges through prompt and tailored policy advice, financial assistance—buttressed by efforts to support debt restructuring processes—and capacity development. It ensures that the Board can continue to closely monitor economic and financial developments and discuss macro policy responses. The BWP also provides opportunities to deliberate on key Fund policies and operations. Given continued high uncertainty, the BWP will need to remain flexible and adaptable to prioritize the membership’s changing needs, while recognizing the Fund’s constrained budget environment.

July 7, 2023

Extension of the Periods for Consent to and Payment of Quota Increases

Description: On June 15, 2023, the IMF’s Executive Board approved an additional extension, for one year, of the period for members to consent to an increase in their quotas under the Fourteenth General Review of Quotas (“Fourteenth Review”) through June 30, 2024. The previous deadline was due to expire on June 30, 2023. However, the Board of Governors Resolution No. 66-2 provides that the Executive Board may extend the period for consent as it may determine. The Executive Board also approved an additional extension by one year of the period for payment of quota increases under the Fourteenth Review, and an extension for the payment of the quota increases under the 2008 Reform, through June 30, 2024.

June 30, 2023

Supplement to The Guidance Note for The Use of Third-Party Indicators in Fund Reports

Description: This supplement to the Guidance Note for the Use of Third-Party Indicators in Fund Reports (TPI GN) provides guidance to staff on indicators not to be used in Fund reports, and revises the frequency of updates to the Third-Party Indicators Digest. All other provisions of the TPI GN remain in effect.