Accurate and up-to-date information on the work of the IMF has been in high demand throughout the years. Our factsheets are a popular outreach tool, with over a million internet "visits" a year. The factsheets provide a web-friendly, plain-English explanation of the work of the IMF on the issues of most importance to our key stakeholders as well as to those developing an interest in our work.
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September 16, 2022
August 12, 2022
Regional Capacity Development Centers
The IMF has a global network of 17 regional centers that coordinate much of its capacity development work in countries. Tailored to regional priorities, these centers work closely with member countries and development partners to respond quickly to emerging needs. Member and host countries, as well as external partners, help the IMF finance these centers. Their activities are complemented by capacity development financed by the IMF’s special thematic funds and the IMF’s own resources.
July 29, 2022
The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the IMF in 1969
to supplement its member countries’ official reserves.
To date, a total of SDR 660.7 billion (equivalent to about US$943
billion) have been allocated. This includes the largest-ever allocation
of about SDR 456 billion approved on August 2, 2021
(effective on August 23, 2021). This most recent allocation was to address
the long-term global need for reserves, and help countries cope with the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The value of the SDR is based on a basket
of five currencies—the U.S. dollar, the euro, the Chinese renminbi, the
Japanese yen, and the British pound sterling.
July 28, 2022
July 12, 2022
June 24, 2022
The IMF places great emphasis on promoting good governance when providing policy advice, financial support, and technical assistance to its member countries. The IMF also has measures in place to ensure integrity, impartiality, and honesty in the discharge of its own professional obligations.
June 24, 2022
June 13, 2022
May 18, 2022
May 11, 2022
May 2, 2022
April 11, 2022
March 7, 2022
March 3, 2022
March 1, 2022
January 7, 2022
January 6, 2022
January 5, 2022
October 7, 2021
In an economic crisis, countries often need financing to help them overcome their balance of payments problems. Since its creation in June 1952, the IMF’s Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) has been the workhorse lending instrument for emerging and advanced market countries. The SBA was upgraded in 2009 along with the Fund’s broader toolkit to be more flexible and responsive to member countries’ needs. Conditions were streamlined and simplified, and more funds were made available up front. The reform also enables broader high-access on a precautionary basis.
June 2, 2021
Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust
The Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) allows the IMF to provide grants for debt relief for the poorest and most vulnerable countries hit by catastrophic natural disasters or public health disasters. The relief on debt service payments frees up additional resources to meet exceptional balance of payments needs created by the disaster and for containment and recovery. Established in February 2015 during the Ebola outbreak and modified in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CCRT grants complement donor financing and IMF concessional lending through the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT).
May 20, 2021
May 19, 2021
Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL)
The global financial crisis highlighted the need for effective global financial safety nets to help countries cope with adverse shocks. A key objective of lending reforms since the global financial crisis was to complement the traditional crisis resolution role of the IMF with more effective tools for crisis prevention. The Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) is designed to flexibly meet the liquidity needs of member countries with sound economic fundamentals but with some remaining vulnerabilities that preclude them from using the Flexible Credit Line (FCL). To date, three countries, the Republic of North Macedonia, Morocco, and Panama have used the PLL.
May 19, 2021
March 30, 2021
March 26, 2021
IMF Standards for Data Dissemination
The IMF has taken steps to enhance member country transparency and openness, including setting standards for voluntary dissemination of economic and financial data. The Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) was established in 1996 to guide members that have, or might seek, access to international capital markets in providing their economic and financial data to the public. The General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) was established in 1997 for member countries with less developed statistical systems as a framework for evaluating their needs for data improvement and setting priorities. In 2012, the SDDS Plus was created as an upper tier of the IMF’s Data Standards Initiatives to help address data gaps identified during the global financial crisis. In 2015 the enhanced GDDS (e-GDDS) replaced the GDDS. More than 95 percent of IMF member countries participate in the e-GDDS, SDDS, or SDDS Plus.
March 17, 2021
March 17, 2021
Joint World Bank-IMF Debt Sustainability Framework for Low-Income Countries
Low-income countries (LICs) have often struggled with large external
debts. The IMF and the
World Bank
have developed a framework to help guide countries and donors in
mobilizing the financing of LICs' development needs, while reducing the
chances of an excessive build-up of debt in the future. The
Debt Sustainability Framework
(DSF) was introduced in April 2005 and is periodically reviewed. The
current framework was approved by IMF and World Bank Executive Boards in September 2017 and has been implemented since July 2018.
March 16, 2021
March 16, 2021
March 8, 2021
March 5, 2021
March 4, 2021
The IMF is a quota-based institution. Quotas are the building blocks of the IMF’s financial and governance structure. An individual member country’s quota broadly reflects its relative position in the world economy. Quotas are denominated in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), the IMF’s unit of account.
March 3, 2021
Thematic Funds for Capacity Development (CD)
The IMF maintains eight thematic funds that finance capacity development in areas of IMF expertise, including revenue mobilization, management of natural resources, tax administration, financial stability, financial sector reform, debt management, economic statistics, and AML/CFT. The IMF currently also operates one fragile states fund, focused on Somalia. All funds are complemented by the IMF’s extensive network of Regional Capacity Development Centers.
March 2, 2021
March 2, 2021
March 1, 2021
February 23, 2021
February 22, 2021
February 22, 2021
February 17, 2021
How the IMF is Promoting Transparent and Accountable Use of COVID-19 Financial Assistance
February 16, 2021
February 11, 2021
Exogenous Shocks Facility- High Access Component (ESF-HAC)
The Exogenous Shocks Facility-High Access Component (ESF-HAC), which was established in 2008, has provided concessional financing to Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT)-eligible countries facing balance of payments needs caused by sudden and exogenous shocks. As part of a broader reform to make the Fund’s financial support more flexible and better tailored to the diverse needs of LICs, the ESF-HAC has been superseded by the Standby Credit Facility (SCF), which became effective in January 2010. Currently, no credit is outstanding from ESF-HAC arrangements.