With US presidential elections nearing, experts say the benefits for Asia and emerging markets of a change in leadership are many – as are the challenges. But whoever wins US/China tensions are likely to remain on the boil.
Climate has been a blind spot for the IMF but that could be about to change. Meanwhile, there are calls for the Fund and the World Bank to work together on climate.
The Inter-American Development Bank could soon become the first multilateral lender to offer its borrowing countries the option to defer debt payments in the event of natural disasters, as Caribbean policymakers’ calls to make debt more resilient to climate events gain traction.
While most financiers are focused on dealing with the immediate impact of the pandemic, critics of capitalism are focused on the world after Covid and are determined that wealthy tackle inequality, financial support for the poor, and Earth’s worsening climate.
With 2020 already a busy year for emerging market bond restructuring, the head of the IMF has publicly urged countries to act decisively and early if they face a debt crisis that looks more likely after the G20 did not say it would address countries’ mounting burdens.
The German-led EU Council wants to make payouts from the EU recovery fund dependent on a commitment to abide by the rule of law, a demand that has angered Poland and Hungary. The outcome is expected to be a typical Brussels fudge.
Sceptics feared that Trump appointee David Malpass would reverse the World Bank's direction on climate change as president, but 18 months into his term they are starting to see evidence that he is quietly coming round to the multilateral's green agenda
Indonesia has found many ways to raise new finance, but its head of budget financing explains how it was able to attract investors while not outlining an explicit use of proceeds during the coronavirus pandemic
Tough policies from the US have somewhat undermined the use of dollar as an international reserve currency, with experts saying there is rising appetite in Asia to give the renminbi a more global role.
Unrest across Latin America in the wake of the devastating impact of Covid-19 will make it harder from governments to push through spending cuts and tax rises needed to restore their public finances especially in the face of double-digit employment.
A legal ruling that appears to cast doubt on the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption unit has delayed a loan from the IMF and comes in the wake of a row over a decision to ‘reprimand’ two independent members of the country’s central bank
The economic impact of Covid-19 has pushed up sovereign funding requirements around the world but while Hungary is no exception, the strategy of its Government Debt Management Agency (AKK) has left it in a strong position to weather the impact.
The European Union’s new green grammar book is multiplying the impact of climate finance. From funding to lending to innovation, the EU Taxonomy is helping embed climate throughout the European Investment Bank’s activities.
Amid exceptionally challenging global conditions, Egypt’s largest private sector bank revealed resilient performance in 2020, delivering top-line growth.
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