IMF Country Focus

• Malaysia: A Flourishing Fintech Ecosystem

  February 28, 2020

  

  In Malaysia, where annual economic growth has averaged just under 5 percent over the past five years, fintech is a part of everyday life. It is rapidly becoming a central part of the country’s financial sector, with considerable promise for expansion, according to new IMF analysis.

• Japan: Demographic Shift Opens Door to Reforms

  February 10, 2020

  

  Japan’s population is aging and shrinking fast. With a median age of 48.4 years, Japan’s population is the world’s oldest. The Government of Japan projects that there will be almost one elderly person for each person of working age by 2060.

• The Philippines: A Good Time to Expand the Infrastructure Push

  February 6, 2020

  

  Infrastructure improvements will be crucial in the Philippines as the country looks to become an upper-middle income country and reduce poverty rates from 16.6 percent in 2018 to 14 percent by 2022.

• Strengthening Caribbean Regional Integration

  February 4, 2020

  

  Improving regional integration in the Caribbean can help the region’s small-size economies build greater resilience and scale, as well as enhance bargaining power on the global stage.

• Six Charts Explain South Africa's Inequality

  January 30, 2020

  

  South Africa suffers among the highest levels of inequality in the world when measured by the commonly used Gini index. Inequality manifests itself through a skewed income distribution, unequal access to opportunities, and regional disparities. 

• Six Things to Know About Peru's Economy in 2020

  January 14, 2020

  

  Peru continues to be one of Latin America’s best-performing economies, but growth has lost momentum in recent years, due to both domestic and external factors, according to the IMF’s latest annual economic assessment.

• Cambodia: Fiscal Policies Can Further Boost Sustainable Development

  December 27, 2019

  

  Cambodia continues to rank among the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia and has made significant progress toward meeting its development goals. To underpin further progress, the country would need to channel additional spending into priority sectors like education, health, and physical infrastructure in the context of a sustainable financing plan.

• Five Takeaways from Democratic Republic of the Congo's IMF Program

  December 23, 2019

  

  The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s fragile economy faces many long-standing challenges and remains highly vulnerable to shocks. To help the DRC strengthen its economy, the IMF has just approved a loan under its Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) combined with a Staff-Monitored Program until May 2020.

• More Fiscal Transparency Would Mean Better Economic Policy in India

  December 23, 2019

  

  Economic development projects and enhanced social initiatives in India will be vital in the coming years. But to generate the revenue needed to get them off the ground, India’s debt—among the highest in emerging markets—must be reduced. Despite some improvement in reported fiscal deficits, debt as a share of GDP remains little changed over the past decade partly due to increases in off-budget financing.

• Six Things to Know about Ethiopia's New Program

  December 23, 2019

  

  The IMF has approved a program for Ethiopia of almost US$3 billion. The program is aimed at supporting the Ethiopian government’s own Homegrown Economic Reform Program, which is designed to eliminate macroeconomic imbalances and lay the foundation for sustainable and inclusive growth. The authorities want the economy to transition away from being public sector-led to one that is driven by the private sector. 

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