The global financial crisis unmasked Serbia’s unsustainable pre-crisis growth model. Looking back, the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) provided effective insurance against a financial meltdown, initiated the needed re-balancing of the economy, but could not prevent large job losses. Looking ahead,...

Failed corporate structures lie at the heart of Serbia’s economic difficulties. But the government emphasized instead the need for public investment and labor tax cuts. Capital inflows pose additional challenges. External concerns leave little room to fiscal maneuver. This puts the focus on...

This 2010 Article IV Consultation highlights that the authorities’ adjustment program has contributed to limiting the fallout of the global crisis on Serbia. Although the output slump has been limited relative to regional peers, the decline in domestic demand has been significant, resulting in...

Performance under the program is broadly on track. Recent economic indicators suggest that growth momentum has stalled for now, and risks to the short-term outlook have increased. Fiscal policy should continue to aim at medium-term consolidation. The agreed exit strategy from the freezes on...

The fifth review of Serbia’s economic performance under the program supported by a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) is discussed. It helps in addressing the spillovers from the global financial crisis while establishing a moderate economic recovery. An accelerated pace of structural reforms will...

This Technical Note reviews crisis management framework in Serbia. In light of the banking crisis in Serbia in late 2008 and early 2009, a series of measures were introduced to urgently address stability concerns. The report recommends that crisis management memoranda of understanding (MOUs) be...

This Technical Note reviews banking sector soundness and stress testing in Serbia. Serbia’s banking sector is well capitalized and liquid, but the corporate sector’s weak performance is a source of concern because of its adverse impact on nonperforming loans. Stress tests indicate that banks...

This Technical Note analyzes the insurance sector in Serbia. The Serbian insurance sector remains small and underdeveloped. Over the last three years, the market experienced little growth in real terms mainly owing to weak economic growth, fierce price competition among the growing number of...

This Technical Note reviews Systemic Liquidity Management in Serbia. The liquidity management framework in Serbia, although generally efficient, is constrained by instability in the demand for excess reserves. The demand for excess reserves is generally a function of the quality of the systemic...

This Technical Note discusses key findings of the assessment of deposit insurance in Serbia. The deposit insurance scheme is managed by the deposit insurance agency (DIA), which has a multi-faceted mandate. Consequently, few DIA staff is actively involved in the core mandate of deposit insurance...