IMF chief hails new playbook to help countries navigate sovereign debt processes
By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday announced plans for a new playbook for countries considering debt restructuring, and redoubled her calls for heavily indebted countries to take proactive steps to restore sustainability.
Georgieva said the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable, which includes creditors, borrowers, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and Group of 20 (G20) major economies, would release the document soon.
The body, which was set up in February 2023, is slated to hold a closed-door session next Wednesday during the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington next week.
“Countries with unsustainable public debt should move proactively to restore sustainability, including in some cases by taking the difficult decision to seek debt restructuring,” Georgieva said in speech ahead of next week’s meetings in Washington.
Georgieva said smaller countries could face serious spillover from global trade tensions, which she said would trigger lower growth and rising inflation, but should be working to put their own houses in order, including by addressing high debt burdens and preserving exchange rate flexibility.
Debt issues will likely be overshadowed next week by widespread concerns over the trade war unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has imposed a plethora of tariffs on aluminum, steel and autos, along with a 10% universal tariff on all countries.
The playbook will provide further guidance and direction for finance ministers and central banks, clarifying the processes already in place for debt restructuring, a source familiar with the document said. “It’s another tool to help policymakers navigate the complexities of the process,” the source said.
Further details were not immediately available.
Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network, a coalition of religious, development and advocacy groups, welcomed Georgieva’s renewed push for preemptive debt restructurings before countries got into deeper trouble.
He said the tsunami of tariffs imposed by the U.S. that were met with countermeasures from other countries, along with prospects for rising inflation, continued high debt levels and downgraded growth prospects threatened to hit middle-income countries particularly hard and could worsen debt issues.
He said debt experts were particularly worried about countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia, but even countries like South Africa, India and the Philippines faced challenges given their exposure to tariffs.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Anna Driver)
