This staff report considers Georgia’s request for a Stand-By Arrangement and an arrangement under the Standby Credit Facility. Performance in 2011 has been stronger than originally envisaged, with growth of nearly 7 percent, inflation in the low single digits, public debt falling to 34...

This paper discusses key finding of the Assessment Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes on Monetary and Financial Policy Transparency, Banking Supervision, and Payment Systems for Serbia. The assessment reveals that the transformation of Serbia’s financial system is bringing...

This paper discusses Zimbabwe’s request for targeted lifting of the suspension of fund technical assistance. Zimbabwe’s cooperation on payments has remained poor: during the period April 2008–March 2009, the IMF received SDR 0.3 million. The government’s...

Israel’s Report on Standards and Codes for the financial sector is presented. The authorities take a proactive approach to supervision and correcting incipient problems, and regulations are generally up to date. The assessment of implementation of the Basel Core Principles for Effective...

Jersey has put in place a comprehensive and robust Antimoney Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) legal framework with a high level of compliance with almost all aspects of the Financial Action Task Force recommendations. The paper discusses a Detailed Assessment of...

Even though the Russian authorities have maintained financial stability at the time of a major global shock, the financial system is still weak. The crisis has set back progress toward a strong, competitive banking system for the future. The recent unification of the supervision of nonbank...

The Finnish financial sector has weathered during the global crisis. Banks’ capital buffers were sufficient, but liquidity and credit risks required monitoring. The study assessed that there is a need for strong crisis management framework. It is found that an evaluation of Deposit...

This report discusses the IMF/World Bank Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) exercise for China undertaken during June–December 2010. The assessment concluded that reforms in China have progressed well in moving toward a more commercially oriented financial system. Despite success...

This article is an overview of the structure of the Bahamian financial system. After the financial crisis in the United States, the Bahamian financial structure showed fragile growth. Tourism, the main source of income for the domestic economy, weakened owing to the U.S. crisis. The increase in...

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.