Author: Samantha Igo

The International Monetary Fund and Deforestation: Analyzing the Environmental Consequences of Conditional Lending

International financial institutions (IFIs) have in recent years increased the volume of their financing in an effort to support national and global policy challenges—yet surprisingly little is known about the environmental impacts of their finance. A new technical paper from the Task Force on Climate, Development and the IMF investigates the environmental implications of the […]

Sustainability Premium for the Early Retirement of Coal Plants with Evidence from Indonesia

For fulfilling climate commitments and attaining net-zero emission goals, there is a global effort to retire coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) early. Given their unique business model and public welfare missions, development finance institutions (DFIs) have a crucial role to play in facilitating early retirement of CFPPs. What are the costs associated against three scenarios of […]

Open Letter to the International Monetary Fund Board of Directors on the Need for Significant Reform of the Rate of Charge and Surcharge Policies

“Dear International Monetary Fund Board of Directors, This Friday October 11, 2024, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to announce reforms to its policy on charges and especially surcharges, which levies extra fees on countries whose debts have surpassed certain size and time thresholds. We the undersigned urge the IMF to meaningfully reform its policies, […]

It’s the IMF’s Turn: An Evolution for Development and Climate Change Goals

By Marilou Uy and Rishikesh Ram Bhandary Policymakers, especially from the Global South, now agree that achieving both climate goals and the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals will require reforming the international financial architecture. While the World Bank’s ‘evolution’ process that kickstarted at the 2022 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Annual Meetings reflects a […]

IMF 2030: A Transformative Action Agenda for Achieving Climate and Development Goals

With just six years until 2030, there is an urgent need to unlock investments and mobilize affordable climate finance in a fiscally sound and financially stable manner. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a vital role to play, and proposals to reform the international financial architecture – whether the Bridgetown Initiative, the Paris Pact for […]

Room to Grow: Integrating Climate Change in Debt Sustainability Analyses for Low-Income Countries

Developing countries need to invest heavily to transform their economies to achieve sustainable development and address climate change, but they are falling behind in the shift to clean energy, enhancing adaptation and resilience, addressing loss and damage, and restoring nature.  To meet these policy goals, debt sustainability analyses (DSAs) conducted by the International Monetary Fund […]

From Surcharges to the Debt-Climate Nexus: A Think20 Policy Brief Roundup

By Akanksha Goyal The Think20 (T20) is an engagement group of the Group of 20 (G20) that seeks to convene think tanks and research centers from G20 members, guest countries and organizations in order to provide evidence-based research to support policymaker decisions in the G20. As a busy fall policy season kicks off this month […]

The FinTech Revolution: Bridging Geospatial Data Science, AI and Sustainability

In a world of unprecedented challenges and opportunities, financial technology (fintech) stands as a pivotal force, at the crossroads of technology, finance and sustainability. In a new book published by Springer, “The FinTech Revolution: Bridging Geospatial Data Science, AI and Sustainability,” Sucharita Gopal and Josh Pitts examine the forefront of a revolutionary convergence, where economic […]

Bringing Buybacks Back: A Known Debt Restructuring Tool with a Principled Twist

By Daniel Bradlow, Marina Zucker-Marques and Kevin P. Gallagher Many developing countries are experiencing what the World Bank has termed the “silent” sovereign debt crisis. It is silent because the international community has seemingly been hoping the creeping crisis will resolve itself on its own without ambitious intervention. Fifty-four countries are spending more than 10 […]