F&D Topics

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The IMF’s latest work addresses the economic and financial aspects of climate change, including policy advice to member countries to help them manage risks and capture the opportunities of low‑carbon, resilient growth.
Focus areas include:
- Managing climate‑related financial risks.
- Designing policies to capture opportunities from low‑carbon transitions.
- Integrating resilience considerations into economic and fiscal policy advice.

Featured Topic: Trade
Core findings and emphasis:
- Open, stable, and transparent trade policies are key for economic growth and resilience.
- Trade policy is instrumental for addressing global challenges, including climate change, food security, and underdevelopment.
- The Fund’s longstanding role in international trade and trade policy is rooted in the IMF’s mandate and delivered through analysis and policy advice.
- Trade‑related activities are complemented by work related to lending and capacity development.

Featured Topic: Fintech
Core findings and emphasis:
- Financial technology opens opportunities to boost economic growth, especially for financial inclusion.
- Policymakers must address the risks associated with fintech developments.
- IMF research covers issues including the future of digital currencies.

Featured Topic: Gender topics
Core findings and emphasis:
- Gender equality is both an important development goal and an element of growth and stability.
- Women's economic participation is framed as part of the growth and stability equation.

Recent highlighted pieces:
- Podcast: "Ha‑Joon Chang on Infant Industry Protection" — Ha‑Joon Chang describes South Korea’s transformation from an agrarian society to an industrialized economy and reflects on the historical role of infant industry protection.
- "Rethinking Development" (Development | September 2026) — Contributors: Gordon Hanson, Dani Rodrik, Rohan Sandhu. Theme: The future of economic development will be very different from its past.
- Interview: Pierre‑Olivier Gourinchas on the Story Behind the Number — Outgoing chief economist Pierre‑Olivier Gourinchas reflects on four + years marked by trade tensions, geopolitical shocks, and rapid technological change, and on the role of forecasting in articulating underlying forces and policy implications.