Pakistan's negotiations with the IMF for the last tranche of a $6.5 billion bailout package agreed in 2019 stalled in November, with the government making last-minute changes to the national budget to meet the deal's requirements. That package expires on Friday, and the new agreement builds on the IMF's efforts...

Dubai, UAE -- Qatar's nominal GDP is expected to reach $227.3 billion in 2023 and $228.8 billion in 2024, driven by higher oil prices and increased production by GCC countries, a report by Emirates NBD said. The report forecasts real GDP growth to reach 2.3 percent in 2023 and 2.6...

The financial assistance would allow Tunisia to "acquire the necessary equipment and organize useful training, in particular for Tunisian police and border guards", French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. He defended the "European approach to the migration challenge" and said that alongside African authorities, they would "fight against the networks...

France says the two-day summit, which begins on Thursday and will bring together some 50 heads of state and government, was more of a platform for ideas sharing ahead of a cluster of major economic and climate meetings in the coming months. With fewer leaders from wealthier countries attending, Friederike...

Foreign currency reserves, representing 94 percent of total assets, fell nearly 2 percent year-on-year in May to SAR 1.56 trillion ($416 billion). The majority of Saudi Arabia's reserve assets are held in US dollars (about 70 percent)

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - Crisis-hit Sri Lanka's economy shrank by 11.5 percent in the first quarter just before an IMF bailout kicked in, official figures showed Thursday. The contraction in the first three months compared with shrinkage of 0.5 percent in the corresponding period of 2022, and a decline of 12.4...

The EU offered a 900-billion-euro aid package -- contingent on Tunisia reaching an IMF deal. But Tunisian President Kais Saied has repeatedly refused "diktats" from the IMF and the US has led accusations that the birthplace of the Arab Spring is falling to authoritarianism after the dissolution of parliament and...

The EU is ready to offer Tunisia a 900-million-euro package plus 150 million euros in immediate support, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said. Aside from trade and investment, it would help Tunisia with border management and to combat human trafficking, with support worth 100 million euros this year,...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Rome backed efforts to secure an IMF bailout for Tunisia and support to tackle its growing migrant problem. She was speaking after talks in Tunis with President Kais Saied whose country is going through a dire financial crisis, political tensions. Tunisia is also a...

On Sunday, lawmaker Mark Daou read a statement on behalf of a group of 32 legislators, endorsing Azour after weeks of negotiations "as a candidate that is not considered provocative by any political factor in the country". The same MPs had previously backed another presidential candidate, parliamentarian Michel Moawad, who...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The UAE's economic growth is expected to remain robust, averaging 4.6 percent from 2022 to 2024, driven by higher oil prices and improved business confidence, according to the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF). The AMF's "Arab Economic Outlook Report" forecasts a 4.2 percent growth rate for the...

Despite reaching an agreement in principle last October on a bailout package worth nearly $2 billion, talks with the IMF have stalled for months over demands to restructure public bodies and lift subsidies on basic goods. Saied said during a meeting with Prime Minister Najla Bouden that the current subsidy...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The number of SMEs in Saudi Arabia increased by 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2023, reaching a total of 1.2 million, Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha'at) reported on Wednesday.  This growth was driven by the launch of 88,858 new...

Gita Gopinath said she believes there are grounds to provide subsidies to help stimulate innovation. Gopinath's intervention into the debate on subsidies follows frustration in Europe over US President Joe Biden's major climate plan, which grants generous subsidies to new electric vehicles manufactured in the United States.

The contribution of the non-oil sector to the growth of the economy is the strongest in the Gulf region, which indicates that the diversification that has been followed over the past years is bearing fruit, adds Georgieva during an interview on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha.

The IMF said the 2023 upgrade reflected "higher-than-expected resilience" in both demand and supply, alongside improved confidence in reduced post-Brexit uncertainty as well as lower energy costs.

Dubai, UAE -- The International Monetary Fund expects Qatar's real GDP to grow by 2-2.5 percent in 2023-24 on robust domestic demand and the ongoing LNG expansion, with inflation moderating gradually to around 3 percent. It said that after very strong growth in 2022 boosted by the World Cup, the...

Amman, Jordan--The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has applauded Jordan for its tight monetary and financial policies that have ensured macroeconomic stability and access to international capital markets. The IMF made the remarks at the end of their visit to Jordan after conducting the sixth performance review of the government's economic...

Oil exporters are set to experience slower growth due to a shift from oil to nonhydrocarbon activities, says Jihad Azour, Director of IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department.

Tunis, Tunisia -- President Kais Saied has called for the revival of Tunisia's phosphate industry, suggesting he will seek alternative sources of revenue that would allow the country to do without a foreign bailout. "Our gold is underground while the country is facing a difficult financial situation," Saied told a meeting...

With the cash-strapped country mired in an unprecedented economic meltdown, Lebanon's parliament on Tuesday put off municipal elections scheduled for next month, according to official media. The country has for the second time postponed polls, after they were initially scheduled to take place last year. No new date has been...

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the UAE had promised a billion dollars to prop up Pakistan's forex reserves -- which at their current level of $4.04 billion can barely pay for four weeks of imports. China on Friday released $300 million to Pakistan -- the last tranche of a $1.3...

Dr Al Jaber noted that climate finance is essential for each workstream of the Paris Agreement, from mitigation to adaptation, and that these resources are particularly needed in the Global South, which has historically received an insufficient share of available resources.

Countries must do more to avert the costly consequences of growing global trade fragmentation, and help avert a "second Cold War," the International Monetary Fund's managing director said. "I know what are the consequences of a Cold War: it is loss of talent and contribution to the world," Kristalina Georgieva...

Tunisia reached a deal in principle in October with the IMF for nearly $2 billion to shore up its sinking economy but the bailout still needs approval by the IMF board, which is pressing for reforms, primarily on the economy. Tunisia is heavily indebted and facing high inflation and unemployment.

Washington, United States--World Bank member countries have endorsed measures allowing a $50 billion lending boost over the next decade, its outgoing president David Malpass said Wednesday. The move, announced during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank spring meetings in Washington, is part of an ongoing evolution of the development...

Global government debt is on track to reach levels not seen since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Monetary Fund warned. China and the United States are responsible for the vast majority of the expected debt increase over the next five years, the head of the IMF's Fiscal...

Washington, United States--The underlying drivers of historically-high global inflation could persist until 2025, the International Monetary Fund's chief economist told AFP on Tuesday. Prices around the world have surged since the rapid reopening of the global economy after the Covid-19 pandemic. Inflation was further fueled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine last...

The IMF predicted the global economy will grow by 2.8 percent this year and three percent in 2024, a decline of 0.1 percentage point from its previous forecasts in January. The American economy is expected to grow by 1.6 percent in 2023, up 0.2 percentage point on IMP's previous forecast.

Washington, United States-- The World Bank and International Monetary Fund's spring meetings get underway later this week with an ambitious reform and fundraising agenda likely to be overshadowed by concerns over high inflation, rising geopolitical tension and financial stability. "Growth remains historically weak -— now and in the medium term," IMF...

Central bankers, finance ministers and participants from more than 180 member countries are expected to gather in the US capital for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's spring meetings in the coming week. A key topic of discussion will be the World Bank's evolution, amid a push for lenders...

A continued slowdown in almost all the world's advanced economies is expected to drag global growth below three percent this year, the International Monetary Fund's managing director warned. "With rising geopolitical tensions and high inflation, a robust recovery remains elusive," Kristalina Georgieva said in remarks ahead of the IMF and...

Cairo, Egypt-- A new survey has revealed that Egypt's non-oil private sector activity contracted for the 28th straight month in March. The S&P Global Egypt Purchasing Managers' Index edged down to 46.7 in March from 46.9 in February, well below the 50.0 threshold that marks growth in activity. "At 46.7, the...

Washington, USA - International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved SDR 3.7262 billion ($5 billion) on a two-year arrangement for Morocco under the Flexible Credit Line (FCL). Morocco has benefited from four Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) arrangements since 2012, each totaling about $3 billion. The first PLL was approved on August...

Several shipwrecks have left dozens of migrants dead in the country that serves as a key conduit for migrants seeking to reach nearby European shores. It comes after President Kais Saied made an incendiary speech last month, accusing sub-Saharan Africans of representing a demographic threat and causing a crime wave...

Even with a better outlook for 2024, global growth will remain well below its historic average of 3.8 percent, she said at the China Development Forum. Uncertainties are exceptionally high, including because of risks of geo-economic fragmentation which could mean a world split into rival economic blocs.

Lebanon and the IMF reached a conditional agreement in April 2022 on a $3-billion-dollar loan needed to save the country's economy, in free fall since 2019. But nearly a year after Beirut signed the agreement, officials have yet to enact the substantial changes required to kickstart the 46-month financing program.

International Monetary Fund predicts economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa will fall to 3.2% this year from 5.4% in 2022, before rising to 3.5% next year.

Global economic challenges have led the UAE to review priorities and investment trends, with a focus on five key sectors: healthcare, transport and logistics, agriculture and food security, technology and green energy.

Around one-third of countries are likely to go through a recession, Sir Masood Ahmed, President of the Center for Global Development, tells TRENDS in an interview.

Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa faced violence and many were made homeless since Saied ordered "urgent measures" against them. In response, World Bank defers a key board meeting on Tunisia.

Colombo, Sri Lanka--Sri Lanka's president said Tuesday that China had agreed to restructure its loans to the bankrupt island nation, clearing the final obstacle to an International Monetary Fund bailout. China's state-owned Exim Bank "sent a letter to the IMF" on Monday night expressing Beijing's willingness to "restructure" credit to Sri...

In the message sent on Sunday evening, the bank's outgoing President David Malpass said Saied's tirade had triggered "racially motivated harassment and even violence," and that the institution had postponed a planned meeting involving Tunisia until further notice. Hundreds of migrants have flown home from Tunisia, fearful of a wave...

The region's biggest economy, Saudi Arabia, was projected to accelerate to 8.3 percent in 2022 before moderating to 3.7 percent and 2.3 percent in 2023 and 2024.

In 2023, some Middle Eastern economies appear to be more resilient than most developed markets, Maroun Kairouz, Director for MENA at the World Economic Forum, tells TRENDS.

Washington, United States--The IMF said Friday it has reached a staff-level agreement with Ukrainian authorities that opens doors to a full-fledged loan, which would also support the country's bid to join the European Union. Ukraine was seen to have "strong" performance under a four-month program with the International Monetary Fund, meeting...

Speaking at the Arab Fiscal Forum in Dubai, the head of the IMF Kristalina Georgieva stated that public debt in MENA is a "concern" and that governments in the region ought to create resilience by way of fiscal policies in order to protect against shocks. She also called for boosting...

Ismail was sworn in as prime minister in 2015 before resigning in 2018 as Sisi began his second presidential term, after a landslide victory against one of his supporters.

ABU DHABI, UAE - The UAE recently participated in the first Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) meeting within the G20 Finance Track for 2023, which was held for the first time under the Indian Presidency. The meeting, which was held at Guwahati, Assam, India, sought to discuss the 2023 SFWG...

After almost three years of stringent health restrictions, Beijing in December abruptly ended the zero-Covid policy that had battered the economy and provoked widespread protests. The Asian giant posted growth of just three percent in 2022, hammered by stringent lockdowns and a deepening crisis in the key property sector.