This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that six years after the 1998 financial crisis, Ukraine continues to recover strongly. In 2003, real GDP grew by 9.4 percent, despite a poor harvest, and reached 13.5 percent through July 2004. Growth in 2003–04 has been prompted by favorable...

This Financial System Stability Assessment paper for Ukraine reviews financial sector issues and highlights macroeconomic developments, vulnerabilities, and soundness of the financial system. It discusses creditors' rights, insolvency, and corporate governance, and Anti-Money Laundering and...

This technical note explores the reasons for a comparatively high interest rate spread in Kazakhstan in the context of competition in the banking sector. In spite of significant gains in efficiency made in recent years, operational costs and provisioning for loan losses remain high compared with...

This 2005 Article IV Consultation highlights that despite the better cyclical outlook, medium-term trends for Italy remain troubling: potential growth is estimated at just 1¼ percent, as low productivity growth and high domestic costs have led to a steady erosion of competitiveness and export...

This paper reviews Moldova’s Financial System Stability Assessment, including Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes on Monetary and Financial Policy Transparency, and Banking Supervision. Compliance with the Basel Core Principles and the IMF Code of Good Practices on...

German banks tend to be less profitable than their foreign counterparts. This paper estimates the likely effect of the phaseout of state guarantees for public sector banks, reviews the various ways in which public policy could contribute to their restructuring, and discusses the various...

This paper analyzes Rwanda’s Financial System Stability Assessment, including Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes on Monetary and Financial Policy Transparency, Banking Supervision, and the Financial Action Task Force Recommendations for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating...

This paper discusses key findings of the Financial System Stability Assessment (FSSA) and Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) on Banking Supervision, Securities Regulation, Insurance Supervision and Regulation, and Securities Settlement Systems for Belgium. The assessment...

This Selected Issues paper examines developments in Estonia’s expanding net external obligations, as well as in domestic income flows and balance sheets. The paper discusses external current account and net international investment positions. Domestic investment and saving and balance...

Prudent macroeconomic policy, based on a balanced budget strategy and structural reforms, has successfully transformed Estonia into an open and flexible market economy and as a star performer among European Union accession countries. Executive Directors welcomed these developments and commended...