IMF

IMF warns Coronavirus crisis could tip 90 million into ‘extreme deprivation’

More than 90 million people could be forced into "extreme deprivation" this year as developing and emerging economies are hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)…

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Climate change is a serious threat to global growth – IMF

Climate change poses a serious threat to global growth, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Monday, urging the world's top emitters to agree on a floor for…

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Invest aid funds selectively to overcome crisis – IMF

Governments need to invest aid funds more selectively to overcome the coronavirus crisis in the long term, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said. They also need to make…

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IMF says $10 trillion spent to combat pandemic, far more needed

Governments around the world have spent $10 trillion in fiscal actions to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout, but significant further efforts are needed, the head…

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Another dire forecast by IMF

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, warned on Friday that economic forecasts could be revised down even further. The IMF’s April projection for a 3% contraction in…

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IMF head calls for Brexit trade talk extension

The IMF has suggested the UK and the EU should "not to add to uncertainty" from coronavirus by refusing to extend the period to negotiate a post-Brexit trade deal. Managing…

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IMF says Asia will suffer zero economic growth this year

Asia’s economic growth this year will grind to a halt for the first time in 60 years, as the coronavirus crisis takes an “unprecedented” toll on the region’s service sector…

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World facing worst recession since the Great Depression – IMF

The world is heading for the deepest economic slump since the Great Depression, with Britain set to experience the biggest recession in a century, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has…

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Malta: Failure to fight money-laundering ‘could threaten financial stability’ – IMF

Failure to tackle “significant” deficiencies in Malta’s anti-money laundering regime could potentially threaten financial stability, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned. In its annual assessment of Malta’s economic wellbeing, the IMF…

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IMF calls for stronger financial integrity and operational independence in Maltese financial services regulation

Fund welcomes Government’s measures aimed at limiting and containing the adverse social and economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak In its assessment of Malta’s economic and financial performance, the International…

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IMF predicts global growth to increase from 2.9 percent to 3.3 percent in 2020

The IMF predicts that the global growth is expected to increase modestly from 2.9 percent in 2019 to 3.3 percent in 2020 and 3.4 percent in 2021. Trade policy uncertainty,…

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IMF lauds Malta’s economic growth but warns of dependency on foreign workers while highlighting anti-money laundering deficiencies

In a wide-ranging assessment of the Maltese economic and financial sector, the International Monetary Fund has praised Malta’s rapid economic growth, job creation and social cohesion. At the same time…

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Lebanon asks the IMF for help

As Lebanon’s government grapples with an economic crisis that has fueled increasingly violent protests, the heavily indebted country must urgently decide on how to deal with fast-approaching debt payments,…

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IMF boss says global economy risks return of Great Depression

The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned that the global economy risks a return of the Great Depression, driven by inequality and financial sector instability. Speaking at the…

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Unemployment fuels unrest in Arab states: IMF

Unemployment and sluggish economic growth are fuelling social tension and popular protests in several Arab countries, the International Monetary Fund said Monday. The unrest is in turn contributing to slower…

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World Bank’s Georgieva sole candidate for IMF’s managing director role

World Bank boss Kristalina Georgieva is the sole candidate to become the International Monetary Fund’s managing director this fall. The IMF confirmed the Bulgarian is the only nominee to replace the…

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Boris Johnson to lobby for Osborne’s candidature for IMF

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will lobby for former Chancellor George Osborne to be the next leader of the International Monetary Fund at this weekend's G7 summit, according to a…

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IMF recommends scrapping age limit for Georgieva

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said its executive board recommended the removal of the age limit for its managing director, a move needed for European nominee, the Bulgarian Kristalina…

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Bulgarian Kristalina Georgieva selected by EU for IMF top job

Kristalina Georgieva, the Bulgarian chief executive of the World Bank, has been picked as Europe's choice to lead the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after a divisive 14-hour round of voting…

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IMF European leadership hopefuls narrowed to three

The EU has narrowed down its field of candidates to replace Christine Lagarde at the IMF to three names as European negotiators rush to secure a consensus on who should be…

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Acting IMF chief backs monetary easing by central banks in view of slow growth and global risks

David Lipton, the acting IMF chief, has backed new monetary stimulus by the world’s top central banks to sustain the flagging global economy — in a thinly veiled nod to…

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Midday Dispatch – Corporate and Financial News

Inbound tourist trips in Malta, for the first five months of 2019 amounted to 929,979, an increase of 2.8 per cent over the same period in 2018. Total tourism expenditure…

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George Osborne’s ambitions to run IMF

George Osborne is considering putting his name forward to replace Christine Lagarde as the head of the International Monetary Fund, according to reports, a move that would see him become…

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Euro zone remains at risk – IMF

The euro zone remains at risk of being hit by debt-crisis-style country-specific shocks, the head of the International Monetary Fund’s European department said on Friday. “Risk to the euro area’s…

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Fintech is putting the business model of banks and insurance under threat – Christine Lagarde

Global policymakers are wary of fintechs' increasing dominance in mobile payments, as they rethink ways to regulate the banking system. They fear that the stability of the whole economic system…

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Pakistan and IMF reach six million US dollars bailout agreement

Pakistan and the IMF have reached a new agreement securing a six billion US dollars bailout for the cash strapped country, following months of painstaking negotiations between the two sides.…

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Global economic growth expected to firm up

Finance ministers and central bank governors finished the spring meetings of the IMF in a more positive mood, saying that global growth was likely to “firm up” in coming months,…

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IMF downgrades global growth forecasts citing geopolitical issues as the biggest threat to growth

The International Monetary Fund has downgraded its global growth forecasts for the second time in three months, warning that a range of threats from the trade war to a no…

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IMF warns about the dangers of nationalist policies in undermining global co-operation

Risks are building in the global economy, with growth supported by increasingly unsustainable policies and global co-operation undermined by nationalist policies, the IMF warned on Tuesday. The fund’s comments came…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, The latest revelations from the #DaphneProject dominate the headlines in Malta. The murder of the Bulgarian journalist, almost a year after Caruana Galizia's murder, also leads to focus…

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Argentina and IMF hold crisis talks

Argentine officials arrived in Washington, DC on Tuesday for crisis talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to renegotiate conditions of a $50bn loan to help its ailing economy. Treasury…

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Jordan’s Prime Minister resigns

Euronews reports that Jordan's Prime Minister Hani Mulki has resigned after days of protests against an IMF-backed tax bill and austerity measures. King Abdullah is reported to have summoned Mulki…

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Malta needs to depart from the myopic 5-year political cycle – Part 2

In the first part of this series, we argued how both the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission identified certain aspects of the labour market as key challenges to…

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Spain overtakes Italy, and it’s not about football.

Italy and Spain, often end up 'fighting it out' on the football pitch. The past weeks saw Roma and Juventus facing Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. The matches were the…

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