Research at the IMF: Serkan Arslanalp

Serkan Arslanalp

Last Updated: November 20, 2022

Background

Serkan Arslanalp has worked in several departments of the Fund (OMD, STA, APD, MCM, FAD, and AFR) on a range of diverse countries (LIC/fragile states, transition, EMs, AEs), policy areas and issues, including: strategy, bilateral, regional, and global surveillance; Fund lending operations; standards; and capacity development. His research work includes pioneering work on the investor base of sovereign debt and use of big data tools. With his colleague Takahiro Tsuda, he maintains a widely-used database on the global investor base for sovereign debt, publicly available online at the IMF. Work in the area of leading and supervision has involved mission leadership on a range of countries in Asia and Pacific and the Middle East and complex and cross-departmental work to assist over 40 countries advance on IMF data standards over the last two years. His research has been published in leading journals, including the IMF Economic Review, Japan and the World Economy, Journal of Economic Perspectives, and the Journal of Finance. Mr. Arslanalp holds an undergraduate degree in Economics and Computer Science from MIT and a PhD in Economics from Stanford University.

Email: SARSLANALP@imf.org

Fluent In: Turkish.

Education:

Stanford University, Ph.D. in Economics, 2004

MIT, M.S. in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, 1999

MIT, B.S. in Economics, 1998

MIT, B.S. in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, 1998

Previous Experience:

IMF, Office of Managing Director, 2022-

IMF, Statistics Department, 2017-22

IMF, Asia and Pacific Department, 2015-17

IMF, Monetary and Capital Markets Department, 2010-15

IMF, Fiscal Affairs Department, 2006-09

IMF, Economist Program, Fiscal Affairs Department, 2005-06

IMF, Economist Program, African Department, 2004-05

Stanford University, Teaching Assistant, 2000-04

JP Morgan Chase Bank, Istanbul, Summer Intern, 1999

MIT, Teaching Assistant, 1998-99

Froot, Dornbusch and O'Connell (FDO) Partners LLC, Boston, 1997-98

IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, New York, Summer Intern 1996-98

Country work or Mission Assignment:

Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Japan, Jordan, Mongolia, Namibia, Oman, Pacific Island Countries, Rwanda, Sudan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam, Yemen

Teaching:

Lecturer, Istanbul School of Central Banking (ISCB), May 2015

Lecturer, IMF-Singapore Regional Training Institute (STI), May 2012

Teaching Assistant, Stanford University, 2000-04

Teaching Assistant, MIT, 1998-99

Field of Expertise:

Monetary Policy

Banking

Public Finance

Open Economy Macroeconomics

Macro-Financial Issues

International Trade

International Finance

IMF Publications

IMF Books and Working Papers:

Benchmark-Driven Investments in Emerging Market Bond Markets: Taking Stock , Working Paper No. 20/192 , September 25, 2020

Big Data on Vessel Traffic: Nowcasting Trade Flows in Real Time , Working Paper No. 19/275 , December 13, 2019

Demographics and Interest Rates in Asia , Working Paper No. 18/172 , July 27, 2018

Resolving China’s Corporate Debt Problem , Working Paper No. 16/203 , October 14, 2016

China’s Growing Influence on Asian Financial Markets , Working Paper No. 16/173 , August 12, 2016

Emerging Market Portfolio Flows : The Role of Benchmark-Driven Investors , Working Paper No. 15/263 , December 17, 2015

Contingent Liabilities from Banks : How to Track Them? , Working Paper No. 15/255 , December 09, 2015

Portfolio Rebalancing in Japan : Constraints and Implications for Quantitative Easing , Working Paper No. 15/186 , August 03, 2015

Tracking Global Demand for Emerging Market Sovereign Debt , Working Paper No. 14/39 , March 05, 2014

Foreign Investor Flows and Sovereign Bond Yields in Advanced Economies , Working Paper No. 14/27 , February 11, 2014

Outlook for Interest Rates and Japanese Banks’ Risk Exposures under Abenomics , Working Paper No. 13/213 , October 18, 2013

Tracking Global Demand for Advanced Economy Sovereign Debt , Working Paper No. 12/284 , December 03, 2012

Public Capital and Growth , Working Paper No. 10/175 , July 01, 2010

IMF Country Reports

Vietnam: Press Release on the Implementation of IMF's Enhanced General Data Dissemination System, Jul. 2019

Oman: Press Release on the Implementation of IMF's Enhanced General Data Dissemination System, Aug. 2018

United Arab Emirates: Press Release on the Implementation of IMF's Enhanced General Data Dissemination System, Jun. 2018

Federated States of Micronesia: 2017 Article IV Staff Report, IMF Country Report No. 17/280, Sep. 2017

Federated States of Micronesia: 2016 Staff Visit Concluding Statement, Nov. 2016

Marshall Islands: 2016 Article IV Staff Report, IMF Country Report No. 16/260, Jul. 2016

China: 2015 Article IV Staff Report, Box 3, IMF Country Report No. 15/234, Aug. 2015

Japan: 2014 Article IV Staff Report, IMF Country Report No. 14/236, July 2014

Japan: 2013 Article IV Staff Report, IMF Country Report No. 13/253, August 2013

Belgium: 2013 Financial Stability Assessment, Box 2, IMF Country Report No. 13/124, May 2013

Japan: 2012 Financial Stability Assessment, IMF Country Report No. 12/210, August 2012

Japan: 2012 Financial Sector Assessment Program: Technical Note on Financial System Spillovers - An Analysis of Potential Channels, IMF Country Report No. 12/263, August 2012

Spain: 2012 Financial Stability Assessment, Box 3, IMF Country Report No. 12/137, June 2012

Jordan: 2010 Article IV Staff Report, IMF Country Report No. 10/297, September 2010

Ukraine: Second Review under the Stand-By Arrangement, Country Report No. 09/270, September 2009

Ukraine: First Review under the Stand-By Arrangement, Country Report No. 09/173, June 2009

Ukraine: Request for Stand-by Arrangement, IMF Country Report No. 08/384, December 2008

Bangladesh: 2008 Article IV Staff Report, IMF Country Report No. 08/334, October 2008

Belarus: 2008 Article IV Consultation, September 2008

Bangladesh: Request for Emergency Assistance—Staff Report, IMF Country Report No. 08/138, April 2008

Uruguay: Ex Post Evaluation of Exceptional Access under the 2005 Stand-By Arrangement, IMF Country Report No. 08/47, January 2008

Sudan: Staff Report for the 2007 Article IV Consultation and Staff-Monitored Program, IMF Country Report No. 07/343, Oct. 2007

Sudan: Midyear Review Under the 2006 Staff-Monitored Program, Nov. 2006

Belarus: 2006 Article IV Staff Report, IMF Country Report No. 06/314, Aug. 2006

Yemen: Staff Report for the 2006 Article IV Consultation, May 2006

Rwanda : Joint Staff Advisory Note of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Annual Progress Report, IMF Country Report No. 05/174, Jun. 2005

Rwanda : Enhanced Initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries-Completion Point Document, IMF Country Report No. 05/173, Jun. 2005

Rwanda: Fourth Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility and Requests for Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria and for Extension of the Arrangement, IMF Country Report No. 05/171, May 2005

Non-IMF Publications

Books

“Guide to Sovereign Debt Definitions and Composition” (2019) with W. Bergthaler, P. Stokoe and A. Tieman in "Sovereign Debt: A Guide for Economists and Practitioners," edited by Ali Abbas, Alex Pienkowski, and Kenneth Rogoff, Oxford University Press (December 2019)

“Will Asia Grow Old Before Getting Rich?” (2018) with several co-authors in "Sustaining Economic Growth in Asia," edited by Jérémie Cohen-Setton, Thomas Helbling, Adam Posen and Changyong Rhee, Peterson Institute for International Economics (December 2018)

“The Opportunities and Risks of Abenomics in the Financial Sector” (2015) with R. Lam and M. Nabar in "Can Abenomics Succeed? Overcoming the Legacy of the Lost Decades," edited by Dennis Botman, Stephan Danninger, and Jerald Schiff, International Monetary Fund (April 2015)

“Helping the Poor to Help Themselves: Debt Relief or Aid?” (2006) with Peter B. Henry in "Sovereign Debt at the Crossroads: Challenges and Proposals for Resolving the Third World Debt Crisis," edited by Chris Jochnick and Fraser Preston, pages: 174-193, Oxford University Press

Publications in Journals (Refereed)

"Demographics and Interest Rates in Asia" (2019) with Jaewoo Lee and Umang Rawat, Japan and the World Economy, Volume 50, Pages 14-24, June 2019

“Foreign Investor Flows and Sovereign Bond Yields in Advanced Economies” (2016) with Tigran Poghosyan, Journal of Banking and Financial Economics, vol. 2, issue 6, 45-67, June 2016

"Banking Sector Contingent Liabilities and Sovereign Risk" (2014) with Yin Liao, Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 316-330, December 2014

“Tracking Global Demand for Advanced Economy Sovereign Debt” (2014) with Takahiro Tsuda, IMF Economic Review, volume 62, issue 3, 2014

“Policy Watch: Debt Relief” (2006) with Peter B. Henry, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(1), 207-220

“Is Debt Relief Efficient?” (2005) with Peter B. Henry, Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 60(2), pages 1017-1051, April 2005

Other Published Materials

"Resolving China’s Corporate Debt Problem" (2017) with co-authors, VoxChina, September 2017

"China’s Growing Influence on Asian Financial Markets" (2017) Econbrowser Guest Contribution, January 2017

"What Lies Underneath Emerging Market Flows?" (2016) with Takahiro Tsuda in Bonds & Loans, September 2016

"Trends and Prospects for Private-sector Deleveraging in Advanced Economies" (2015) with Reinout De Bock and Matthew Jones, VOX, CEPR Policy Blog, June 2015

"Helping the Poor to Help Themselves: Debt Relief or Aid" (2004) with Peter B. Henry, NBER Working Papers 10230, National Bureau of Economic Research, Jan. 2004

"Is Debt Relief Efficient?" (2003) with Peter B. Henry, Brookings Research Paper, Brookings Institution, Nov. 2003

"Debt Relief: What Do the Markets Think?" (2002) with Peter B. Henry, NBER Working Papers 9369, National Bureau of Economic Research, Dec. 2002

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