IMFBlog is a forum for the views of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff and officials on pressing economic and policy ...

The region can best cope by protecting vulnerable people, letting prices adjust, anchoring inflation expectations, and ...

Artificial intelligence is entering a new phase in which systems can act autonomously on behalf of users. These “agentic” AI systems can interpret objectives, break them into tasks, and interact with ...

In this speech launching the IMF’s April 2026 Regional Economic Outlook for the Middle East and Central Asia, Jihad Azour, ...

The region must respond to energy shocks through disciplined policies that protect the vulnerable and strengthen resilience ...

To weather the shock, policymakers should ensure that any near-term measures are time-bound and targeted at the most ...

Middle East conflict intensifies global uncertainty at a time of strained public finances, underscoring the need for policies that preserve future stability ...

The world faces the spillovers from the war in the Middle East. In addition to the human toll, its economic effects are global and uneven, once again hitting the poorest and most vulnerable countries ...

The IMF Executive Board completed the fifth review under Ecuador’s 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement, enabling an immediate disbursement of about US$400 million.

Global financial markets entered 2026 from a position of strength. Asset prices rose across major markets, volatility was ...

This paper applies the IMF’s Integrated Policy Framework (IPF) to the Czech Republic with the aim of contributing to the use of scenario analysis at the Czech National Bank (CNB). The paper identifies ...

The global economy has been tested by repeated shocks over the past few years from wars and conflicts, including the new one in the Middle East. In addition to its humanitarian impacts, the economic ...