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International Monetary Fund (IMF)

International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Latest news, features and opinion on the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The 189-nation IMF promotes global monetary cooperation, facilities trade, encourages sustainable growth and makes funds available to countries experiencing fiscal difficulties.
A South Korean protester wears a mask of US President Donald Trump during a protest against Trump’s request to dispatch warships to the Strait of Hormuz, in front of the US embassy in Seoul on March 16. Photo: AFP
United States

Opinion | Thanks to Trump, the gloves are off. There may be no new global order

With the UN, IMF and World Bank mired in old power structures, universities could be the platform to shape how the global future unfolds.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | Mini-crises sparked by the Iran war may add up to a big collapse

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Pakistan

Pakistan’s IMF-backed recovery under pressure as Iran-US mediation stalls

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Sri Lanka

Elephant in room: can Sri Lanka’s ‘world’s emptiest airport’ attract investors?

Since opening in 2013, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport has failed to generate enough revenue to cover even its electricity bills.

Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Sri Lanka. Photo: Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport
Yuan

Open Questions | Why China’s yuan faces the same ‘illusions’ that stalled the euro: Daniel Gros

Former European economic adviser says Beijing’s bid to build an international currency will hinge on leaders allowing it to fluctuate freely.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | The real reason stock markets are still flying high despite grave risks

For all the talk of market resilience, too much portfolio investment is chasing too few real-world investment areas.

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Japan

Macroscope | Why fixing Japan’s monetary policy isn’t getting any easier

The wrong kind of inflation and the effects of the war in Iran complicate the outlook for Japanese interest rates.

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Customers queue at a discount ticket shop at Akihabara Electric Town in Tokyo on March 24. The weak yen is fuelling inflation by increasing the cost of imported goods, sapping consumers’ purchasing power and making it harder to tackle Japan’s cost-of-living crisis. Photo: EPA
China trade

China presses IMF for quota reform, better surveillance of advanced economies

PBOC head urges IMF to ‘stand against protectionism’ amid effects from tariffs, Iran war.

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China GDP

First tariffs, now war: how Asia is facing a second year of economic shocks

Global institutions forecast slower growth in Asia-Pacific this year, as the Iran war and tariff risks combine to disrupt global trade.

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China manufacturing

Iran war energy shock sees Chinese firms recalibrate overseas expansion plans

Businesses are rethinking short-term strategies as they adapt to rising costs and slowing growth across major economies.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-Venezuela conflict

IMF, World Bank say they are resuming dealings with Venezuela

The move follows the January ouster of Nicolas Maduro and could unlock billions in frozen assets for the Rodriguez administration.

Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez delivers a speech during a civil-military parade in Caracas on Monday. Photo: AFP
Foreign exchange market

China trims US Treasury holdings as global ownership hits record

Beijing slightly pares its sovereign US debt position as private investors and certain financial hubs drive demand up.

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China GDP

China beats expectations with 5% growth in first GDP release since Iran war

‘Stronger than expected’ growth figure indicates minimal impact from the conflict and a low likelihood for near-term stimulus, analysts said.

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China GDP

Despite Iran war, China set for ‘solid’ first-quarter GDP growth: analysts

Flexible growth target means little likelihood of imminent stimulus, but focus will switch to impact of disruptions in second quarter.

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A woman selects fruit at a supermarket in Shanghai on Friday. Photo: EPA
China GDP

IMF cuts China’s GDP growth forecast to 4.4% as Iran war hits global economy

The latest projection is 0.1 percentage lower than January’s estimate but higher than October’s.

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The IMF headquarters during the first day of the 2026 Spring Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group in Washington on April 13. Photo: Kent Nishimura
Banking & finance

Macroscope | Can World Bank and IMF leaders rescue a global economy on the brink?

By attacking Iran, the US has put the global economic order in jeopardy.

United Nations

Global wealth gap widens as aid to world’s poorest sees record drop

UN warns of ‘extremely perilous’ era for international cooperation with global aid falling by 23 per cent in 2025.

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Pakistan

UAE pulls US$3.5 billion from Pakistan after Iran war mediation

As Abu Dhabi signals its displeasure with Islamabad, analysts say other indebted partners will be watching closely.

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A shopkeeper displays Iranian flags after the US-Iran ceasefire announcement in Karachi, Pakistan, on Thursday. Photo: EPA
Yuan

China’s yuan may be going global faster than Western data suggests, analysts say

Many yuan transactions are now routed through China’s own global payment system, which often does not show up in traditional data sets, analysts say.

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My Take

My Take | Why Beijing is now the only true partner of Africa and Latin America

In contrast to friendly China, the United States has weaponised foreign aid on one continent and returned to gunboat diplomacy in the western hemisphere.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Fuel, food and fury: how the Iran war could topple South Asian governments

Analysts warn the crisis is threatening to spill over into wider economic and political instability.

Police clash with activists during a protest against the arrest of former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli in Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 29. Photo: EPA
Pakistan

Pakistan offers free public transport for 30 days following 40% petrol hike

The announcement of free travel for residents of Islamabad and Punjab came after people protested the steep rise in fuel prices.

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Passengers board a government bus in Islamabad on Friday. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

Brazil exporters bypass local banks to tap China’s US$1 trillion Sinosure fund

As Brazilian interest rates price out local lenders, Sinosure is quietly reshaping how Chinese goods reach the market.

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South Korea

Why are South Koreans hoarding rubbish bags from supermarkets?

The won is at a 17-year low, parliament is in damage control mode and shop shelves are being stripped clean of plastic bags.

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China exports

What does Iran war mean for China’s export machine?

Crisis sparks debate: will it cripple global demand or show that China’s supply-side resilience, proven during pandemic, remains in place?

A car carrier loaded with vehicles for export sets sail from Yantai Port in east China’s Shandong province on February 10. Photo: Xinhua
US, Israel war on Iran

Macroscope | Trump hasn’t counted on financial blowback from his war with Iran

As Washington fights a war with global economic ramifications, allies may soon begin to reassess their financial support of US coffers.

Iranians work as smoke rises from an oil refinery struck in Tehran, on March 8, amid joint Israeli-US attacks. Photo: EPA
China manufacturing

China’s industrial policy goes global, challenging decades of free market rule

China’s tighter embrace of industrial policy in recent years has transformed its economy – and other countries are following suit.

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The Philippines

‘Ghost projects’ push Philippines to record US$26.5 billion budget deficit

A widening deficit and falling revenue are ‘direct, quantifiable effects’ of an investigation into the flood-control scandal, economists say.

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