Country Reports
2023
February 2, 2023
Algeria: 2022 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
Description: Algeria’s economic recovery from the pandemic has been buoyed by the rise in international hydrocarbon prices. Fiscal and external surpluses are expected in 2022 for the first time in years. Inflation has nevertheless accelerated, as elsewhere, and has become a complex policy challenge. Monetary policy remained accommodative, while the dinar appreciated in the second half of the year. The authorities have gradually advanced on their structural reform agenda, with the enactment of a new law on investment, renewed efforts to accelerate digitalization, significant progress on tax and public finance management reforms, and a forthcoming revision to the central bank law.
February 2, 2023
Bangladesh: Requests for an Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, Request for Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility, and Request for an Arrangement Under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Bangladesh
Description: Bangladesh’s robust economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic was interrupted by Russia’s war in Ukraine. Rising global commodity prices, supply disruptions, and slowdown in external demand have led to a sharp widening of the current account deficit, depreciation of the Taka, and the rapid decline of foreign exchange reserves. The resulting high inflation, slow growth, and stringent measures to compress demand are disproportionately impacting the poor. Heightened global uncertainties will keep the balance of payments (BoP) under pressure for some time.
February 1, 2023
Australia: 2022 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
Description: A strong post-pandemic recovery and favorable terms of trade have led Australia to a stronger cyclical position than most advanced economies. Tight labor markets reflect the strength of the recovery with labor and skills shortages, although wage growth has remained more subdued than in many other advanced economies. Inflation has risen to significantly above target, prompting decisive monetary policy tightening. Financial conditions have since tightened, and housing prices started declining from their peak.
February 1, 2023
Finland: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Systemic Risk Analysis and Stress Testing
Description: Finland is a small open economy that is significantly exposed to global financial and economic conditions. Following the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Finland entered a long recession led by the decline of its information and communications technology (ICT) sector. With the implementation of some structural reforms, Finland’s competitiveness improved, as did growth and employment, albeit at a lower rate of growth. The economy was less significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic relative to other economies, thanks to its low exposure to service-intensive economic sectors, fiscal policy, and other interventions. However, Finland is now navigating a weaker economic outlook given the war in Ukraine, despite limited direct exposures to Russia.
February 1, 2023
Finland: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Macroprudential Policy Framework and Tools
Description: This technical note highlights Macroprudential Policy Framework and Tools for the Finland Financial Sector Assessment Program. The institutional framework for macroprudential policy in Finland, formalized in 2014, is mostly in line with the IMF guidance for effective macroprudential policymaking. Systemic risk monitoring is well organized and conducted on a timely basis, especially in the household sector. The sustained increase in residential housing loans is of important systemic concern, and the authorities have taken measures to contain relevant risks. The ongoing development of Finland’s positive credit register will provide microdata on household indebtedness and income, which are useful to analyse vulnerabilities and to calibrate policy, and may be useful to authorities when considering the distributional consequences of macroprudential policies. Moreover, the analysis of corporate sector vulnerabilities should be as developed as that of household sector vulnerabilities, and it would be beneficial to address related data gaps.
February 1, 2023
Finland: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Crisis Management and Resolution
Description: The Finnish financial safety net and crisis management arrangements rest on sound statutory foundations. As Finland is part of the Euro Area framework, the resolvability of Significant (SIs) and Less Significant (LSIs) Finnish institutions have improved their compliance with the European Union’s variant of the Financial Stability Board’s loss-absorbing capacity requirements, known as Minimum Requirement for Own Funds and Eligible Liabilities (“MREL”). At a national level, the Finnish authorities have also improved internal and inter-authority crisis preparedness. Reflecting the interconnectedness in the Nordic-Baltic region, in 2018, the Finnish authorities also signed an updated MoU with Nordic-Baltic authorities focused on improving coordination with respect to managing crises in the regional financial system. However, there is still room for improvement in key areas, including LSI resolvability, operational readiness to implement resolution actions, central bank crisis liquidity support arrangements and interagency crisis preparedness.
February 1, 2023
Finland: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Non-Bank Financial Intermediation and Pension Insurance Companies
Description: This note evaluates non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) as a sector in Finland, with a special focus on the pension insurance companies (PIC). The analysis was undertaken against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, and rising central bank interest rates in the face of a sustained inflationary surge and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
February 1, 2023
Finland: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Regulation and Supervision of Less Significant Institutions
Description: The Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) conducted a focused review that primarily assessed banking regulation and supervision of Finland’s less significant institutions (LSIs).1 LSIs account for around 16 percent of Finland’s banking sector and the regulation and supervision of the rest of the banking sector takes place within the European Central Bank’s (ECB) Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). The Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority (FIN-FSA) is under the oversight of the ECB, responsible for the supervision of LSIs.
January 31, 2023
Indonesia: Technical Assistance Report-Financial Soundness Indicators Statistics Mission
Description: The mission worked with the staff of the OJK on the development of FSIs that are in line with the IMF’s 2019 FSIs Compilation Guide (2019 FSIs Guide). As a result of the mission, the OJK compiled 18 core and 12 additional FSIs for deposit takers, and two additional FSIs on the size of the other financial corporations subsector from the available source data. The mission also made recommendations to further align FSIs with the methodology of the 2019 FSIs Guide.