This paper focuses on a long-standing challenge for standard setters: what kind of standards should they write? How specific and prescriptive should standards be? How should cost considerations influence requirements? How should standard setters balance comparability with effective communication...

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries. Each report, prepared by a staff team after discussions with government officials, is published at the option of the member country.

In this paper, we provide an overview of the concerns surrounding the variations in the calculation of risk-weighted assets (RWAs) across banks and jurisdictions and how this might undermine the Basel III capital adequacy framework. We discuss the key drivers behind the differences in these...

This paper presents the Financial System Stability Assessment Report on the Isle of Man (IOM). Financial sector regulation and supervision are generally of a high standard, and supervisory efforts are concentrated in those areas most relevant to the activities of financial institutions on the...

This study employs a robust quantitative ex post facto research design to investigate the complex relationship between audit fees and earnings management. The financial information of 164 firms admitted to the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) was used from 2010 to 2019 (pre-COVID period) to achieve...

Timor-Leste weathered the global financial crisis well and experienced healthy economic growth rates. It has made solid progress in strengthening the public financial management systems. The budget document provides comprehensive information; fiscal transparency is high. The Ministry of Finance...

This report summarizes the Observance of Standards and Codes on Fiscal Transparency for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. It provides an assessment of fiscal transparency practices in the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia in relation to the requirements of the IMF Code of Good...

Timor-Leste is a unitary state and has made significant progress with improving its fiscal transparency. The government has adopted a transparent, fiscally sustainable governance framework for the petroleum sector. Nonetheless, there are still many areas in which Timor-Leste diverges from the...

This technical assistance report on Iceland focuses on a new organic budget law (OBL). In designing a new OBL, it is important to preserve good features of Iceland’s current legal framework for budgeting. At the same time, any new OBL should address the key weaknesses in the Financial...

The basic government finance processes are supported by a sound institutional and legal framework. Fiscal information is provided through regular publications and extensive use of the internet. Finally, audit processes are extensive and help improve budget management decisions, practices and...