Policy Papers
2021
July 12, 2021
Proposal For a General Allocation of Special Drawing Rights
Description: On June 25, the Executive Board discussed a proposal for a historic US$650 billion general allocation of SDRs to address the long-term global need to supplement existing reserve assets. Following concurrence by the Executive Board on July 8, the Managing Director submitted the proposal to the Board of Governors on July 9 for its approval by August 2. If approved, which requires an 85 percent majority of the total voting power, the allocation would become effective by the end of August. The proposal makes a case for an allocation of US$650 billion (about SDR 456 billion), based on an assessment of IMF member countries’ long-term global reserve needs. It also includes measures to enhance the transparency and accountability in the reporting and use of SDRs while preserving the reserve asset characteristic of the SDR. The general allocation would help many EMDCs that are liquidity constrained smooth needed adjustment and avoid distortionary policies, while providing scope for spending on crisis response and vaccines.
July 12, 2021
Allocation of Special Drawing Rights For The Eleventh Basic Period: Draft Executive Board Decision and Managing Director Report to the Board of Governors
Description: On June 25, 2021, the Executive Board discussed a staff paper setting forth the considerations underlying the case for a general allocation of special drawing rights (SDRs) of an amount equivalent to US$650 billion (about SDR 456 billion) during the Eleventh Basic Period and the key features that could be included in the Managing Director’s proposal for this general allocation.
July 9, 2021
Central bank digital currencies for cross-border payments
Description: The G20 has made enhancing cross-border payments a priority and endorsed a comprehensive programme to address the key challenges.1 Faster, cheaper, more transparent and more inclusive cross-border payment services would deliver widespread benefits for citizens and economies worldwide, supporting economic growth, international trade, global development and financial inclusion. To that end, this report takes stock of the international dimension of central bank digital currency (CBDC, see glossary) projects and the extent to which they could be used for cross-border payments. The report also investigates possible macro-financial implications associated with the cross-border use of CBDCs. The analysis does not imply that central banks mentioned in this report have reached a decision about issuance of a CBDC.
July 8, 2021
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 required 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 2019 and their respective publication status up to June 2020, and updating the previous annual report on Key Trends.
July 1, 2021
Extension Of The Periods For Consent To And Payment Of Quota Increases
Description: Extension Of The Periods For Consent To And Payment Of Quota Increases
June 28, 2021
List Of IMF Member Countries With Delays In Completion Of Article Iv Consultations Or Mandatory Financial Stability Assessments Over 18 Months
Description: List Of IMF Member Countries With Delays In Completion Of Article Iv Consultations Or Mandatory Financial Stability Assessments Over 18 Months
June 21, 2021
Temporary Modifications To Access Limits Under The Large Natural Disaster Window Of The Rapid Credit Facility And Of The Rapid Financing Instrument
Description: To help support members faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fund temporarily increased certain access limits to its emergency financing (EF) instruments, i.e., Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) and Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI). While this expanded support has been critical to help countries manage the pandemic, the increase in access limits was not applied to the Large Natural Disasters (LND) windows within the EF toolkit, reducing the flexibility to respond to such LNDs. This paper proposes to temporarily increase by 50 percent of quota the annual access limit (AAL) and cumulative access limit (CAL) under the LND windows of the RCF and RFI. The changes to the “LND windows” would be in effect through end-December 2021, in line with the other temporary changes of access limits under EF instruments. The case for further extensions to all the temporarily increased EF AALs and CALs will be examined after the 2021 Annual Meetings.
June 1, 2021
2021 Financial Sector Assessment Program Review —Background Paper On Scope
Description: This background paper reviews the development of the scope of financial stability assessments under the FSAP since the 2014 FSAP Review. The paper summarizes past experiences of such adaptation and observed trends with respect to the coverage of specific topics and then discusses possible directions to adjust the scope of future FSAPs over the next five years given the likely changes in the financial stability landscape. The paper also discusses collaboration with the World Bank as it pertains to the scope of financial stability assessments. It does not examine issues such as analytical approaches, participation, and resources, which are covered elsewhere in the FSAP Review.
May 28, 2021
2021 Financial Sector Assessment Program Review—Towards A More Stable And Sustainable Financial System
Description: The Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) Provides In-Depth Assessments Of Financial Sectors. FSAPs Are Usually Conducted Jointly With The World Bank In Emerging Market And Developing Economies And By The Fund Alone In Advanced Economies. Fsaps Provide Valuable Analysis And Policy Recommendations For Surveillance And Capacity Development. Since The Program’s Inception, 157 Fund Members Have Undergone Individual Or Regional Fsaps. In Recent Years, The Fund Has Been Conducting 12–14 Fsaps Per Year At A Cost Of About 3 Percent Of The Fund’s Direct Spending.
May 28, 2021
2021 Financial Sector Assessment Program Review—Background Paper On Traction
Description: A key criterion for judging the success of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) is the extent to which the program has enhanced the IMF’s engagement with policymakers and influenced country policies. This reflects the fact that achieving one of the program’s key objectives—reducing the frequency and severity of financial crises—rests on its ability to encourage policy action by country authorities, either directly or through other bilateral and multilateral activities. The “traction” of FSAPs thus reflects the degree to which the program is seen as useful by the authorities and the effect it has in shaping the domestic policy agenda. And the impact that the FSAP may have on wider domestic and international audiences.