This paper considers the implications of the prospective aging of the U.S. population for the social security system and concludes that the large and growing cashflow surpluses of the social security trust funds should be saved to help insulate living stands against this change. A number of...

It is shown that the inefficiencies created by the “soft” budget constraint, enjoyed by enterprises in Eastern Europe and elsewhere, will continue so long as governments are unable credibly to threaten not to bail out loss-makers. Commitment to a “hard” budget constraint can best be...

The paper surveys the major economic, financial, and administrative issues that confront social security systems in Latin America. The larger systems have contributed substantially to public sector financial disequilibria. Expenditures of the younger systems with more limited coverage could...

Am 3. Januar 1992 stellte der Präsident der russischen Föderation den offiziellen Antrag auf Aufnahme in den IMF und die Weltbankgruppe. Bereits seit November 1991 besuchten IMF-Experten Moskau, um mit den russischen Behörden die Wirtschaftspolitik zu besprechen, eine fundierte...

A joint IMF-World Bank mission visited the Russian Federation from March 15 to 31, 2016, to conduct an assessment under the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). The mission assessed financial sector risks and vulnerabilities, assessed the quality of financial sector supervision, and...

With about RUB 988bn (USD 26bn) in gross premium written, in 2014, the Russian insurance industry ranked 27th in the world. Non-life insurance premium accounted for 89 percent of GPW while life insurance for only 11 percent. In 2015, the industry also faced with the consequences of the Western...

The overall state of financial inclusion in Russia is relatively advanced along certain basic metrics. The number of adults with accounts at a financial institution stands at 67.4 percent, which compares well to the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) regional average of 51.4 percent. Account...

This technical note covers the insurance sector supervised by the CBR. The analysis was carried out as part of the 2016 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) of the Russian Federation, and was based on the regulatory framework, supervisory practices and other conditions as they existed in...

State-owned financial institutions fall into three main groups: commercial banks, hybrid banks, and development institutions. The larger state-owned commercial banks/ groups include Sberbank, the VTB Bank group, and Gazprombank. Like private commercial banks, these institutions do not have a...

The establishment of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (CBR) as a unified or 'Mega Regulator' in 2013 is an emblem of the far reaching changes to the legal and supervisory landscape in recent years. The level of compliance with the Basel Core Principles (BCP) reflects the transitional...