Policy Papers
2012
September 11, 2012
Bhutan - Assessment Letter for the World Bank
Description:
Bhutan's growth has remained robust, but the current account deficit has widened.
• Bhutan's economy has expanded at a robust pace driven by the hydropower sector developments. GDP growth is estimated at nearly 8 percent in 2011/12 (from 8.5 percent in 2010/11), and is projected to reach 12.5 percent in 2012/13 due to the acceleration in hydropower-related construction. Inflation has risen, reaching 13.5 percent in 2012Q2, with both food and nonfood components accelerating. Bhutan’s medium-term outlook is favorable, as growth should remain strong at around 8-9 percent over the medium term, driven by developments in the hydropower sector, manufacturing, and domestic services.
September 10, 2012
Proposed Amendment on the Reform of the IMF Executive Board and Fourteenth General Review of Quotas - Status of Acceptances and Consents
Description: This status report reviews progress toward implementation of the 2010 Governance and Quota Reforms. It updates the status of consents to the proposed quota increases under the 14th General Review of Quotas and of acceptances of the Proposed Seventh Amendment on the Reform of the Executive Board (“Board Reform Amendment” or “Seventh Amendment”) as set out in the Board of Governors Resolution No. 66-2.
September 4, 2012
Quota Formula Review - Additional Considerations
Description:
In July, the Executive Board held its second formal discussion on the quota formula review. Directors agreed on the principles that should guide the review and the importance of meeting the January 2013 deadline, and there were indications of an emerging consensus in a few areas. However, views continued to diverge on several other key issues, and Directors stressed that completing the review will require a spirit of flexibility and compromise on all sides.
This paper seeks to provide a basis for the next discussion, taking account of the views expressed in July. It begins by taking stock of the discussions to date. Based on this stock take, it seeks to highlight areas where a relatively broad consensus appears to be emerging. The paper also discusses possible options for addressing concerns raised about the openness variable and provides a range of simulations that seek to illustrate the effects of potential reforms to the formula. The simulations focus on those issues that have garnered the most attention in the discussions to date.
August 31, 2012
Safeguards Assessments - 2012 Update
Description: The safeguards policy was introduced in 2000 to reduce the risks of misuse of Fund resources and misreporting of program monetary data to the Fund. It supports the Fund’s approach to prudent lending and complements other safeguards such as program design, conditionality, and access limits, to name a few. Some 242 assessments of 92 central banks have been completed since 2000. Assessments are followed by a period of monitoring for as long as Fund credit is outstanding.
August 30, 2012
The Fund's Income Position for FY 2012 - Actual Outcome
Description: This paper presents the Fund’s net income for FY 2012. The actual outcome reported in this paper follows the closing of the Fund’s accounts for the financial year and completion of the FY 2012 external audit conducted by Deloitte & Touche, the Fund’s external auditor.
August 29, 2012
Macrofinancial Stress Testing - Principles and Practices—Background Material
Description: Staff conducted a survey of stress testing practices among selected national central banks and supervisory authorities. The online survey was undertaken in November 2011 as part of the preparatory work for the paper on ―Macrofinancial Stress Testing: Principles and Practices. The survey focused on stress testing for banks, which is more widespread and better established—and practices are therefore easier to compare across countries—but also included questions on stress testing for nonbank financial institutions.
August 28, 2012
The IMF Financial Surveillance Strategy
Description: This paper outlines strategic priorities for the IMF’s financial surveillance in the coming years. It complements recent discussions on the work agenda in this area. It takes stock of innovations and gaps in financial surveillance by the Fund during the past decade, including in the wake of the current global financial crisis. It proposes concrete and prioritized steps to further strengthen financial surveillance so that the Fund can fulfill its mandate to ensure the effective operation of the international monetary system and support global economic and financial stability.
August 28, 2012
2012 Review of Data Provision to the Fund for Surveillance Purposes
Description: The IMF keeps data provision by members under periodic review since timely, accurate, and comprehensive data are essential for fulfilling its surveillance mandate. The previous Review of Data Provision to the Fund for Surveillance Purposes was discussed by the Executive Board in March 2008 (the 2008 Review). The 2008 Review introduced a new classification system for rating the adequacy of data provision by a member to help with this assessment. The present review was expected to be conducted in 2013, but was brought forward to 2012 in the context of the ongoing global crisis. In particular, the Managing Director’s (MD) statement on the 2011 Triennial Surveillance Review (TSR) announced that the Review of Data Provision to the Fund for Surveillance Purposes would be brought forward to 2012 to allow the Board to consider where more and better data could be leveraged to enhance surveillance.
August 27, 2012
The Key Attributes of Effective Resolution Regimes for Financial Institutions - Progress to Date and Next Steps
Description:
The financial crisis underscored the need to develop an effective international framework to resolve cross-border financial institutions and groups. The development of such a framework has been a priority for the international community. Many important milestones have been achieved—most notably the adoption by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) of the Key Attributes of Effective Resolution Regimes for Financial Institutions (the Key Attributes) which is emerging as a new (nonbinding) international standard. Fund staff have been heavily involved in their development.
The Key Attributes specify essential features that should be part of the resolution framework at both the national and international levels, with the key objective of making resolution feasible without severe systemic disruption and without exposing taxpayers to loss. These features include a comprehensive “toolkit” of resolution powers for national authorities, including powers to: (i) assume control of a financial institution from existing managers and owners; (ii) effect a resolution of the troubled institution through the sale or merger of the entity, the transfer of assets and liabilities of the institution to third parties, or through unilateral debt restructuring or “bail-in”; and (iii) support the resolution through a temporary stay on the execution of early termination rights under financial contracts.
August 24, 2012
Macroeconomic Policy Frameworks for Resource-Rich Developing Countries--Analytic Frameworks and Applications
Description: This supplement presents the analytical frameworks underlying the IMF’s staff’s enhanced policy analysis and advice to resource-rich developing countries (RRDCs). The proposed macro-fiscal models, which are applied to selected country or regional cases, are aimed at addressing questions regarding how to deal with resource revenue uncertainty and how to scale up spending within relevant frameworks that ensure fiscal and external sustainability while addressing absorptive capacity constraints. The country applications confirm the importance attached by both IMF staff and country authorities of using the appropriate macro-fiscal frameworks to address the specific challenges faced by RRDCs.