The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (BM) start this Monday Your spring meetings 2025 in a context marked by the and by the direct impact it is having on global trade and economic growth.
Both the IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgievaas the president of the BM, Ajay bangathey have already warned that current uncertainty and volatility will cause a slowdown of the gross domestic product (GDP), so fast agreements between powers urgent.
Specifically, Bulgarian politics and economist said Thursday that the next IMF projections “They will include notable reductions” in terms of growth, “but not recession”, and also “increases in inflation forecasts for some countries.”
A key week to measure the global economic pulse
During this week, the IMF will publish its forecast report, the World Economic Outlook (WEO)together with the Fiscal Monitor and the Global Financial Stability Report. These documents are expected to offer a diagnosis on the international banking system and the most urgent imbalances.
The IMF publishes Dos Weo per year, in April and October, and the figures of this edition will be marked by the impact of tariffs between large economic blocks.
“The volatility of financial markets has increased. And uncertainty about commercial policy is huge. (…) to a large extent, what we are observing is the result of an erosion of trust: confidence in the international system and confidence between countries,” said Georgieva. However, he also stressed that “every challenge is a chance.”
Private meetings between economic authorities of member countries and public debate forums, which will be held in Washington until the 26th, will also address issues such as External debt management and the creation of youth jobs.
Youth employment and protectionism, in the focus of the BM
Employment creation is precisely the axis of the strategy that the World Bank has marked in its fight against poverty. Ajay Banga stressed its importance this week: in the next decade, 1.2 billion young people will join the labor market in developing countries, which will generate a lag of more than 700 million people with respect to the positions expected.
The Indian-American businessman also warned about the progress of the Commercial protectionism In countries like the US: “History shows that the most open economies tend to grow faster and better resist fluctuations of reserves and crises,” he said.
But the impact of tariff war is not the only point of tension. The spring appointment is celebrated while Trump Multilateralism questions again and review your participation in key international organizations.
United States, which is the main shareholder of both the IMF and the BM, maintains in the air its support for initiatives such as The International Development Association (AIF)to which former president Joe Biden compromised 4,000 million dollars.
“Institutions are deliberately trying to maintain a low profile, but obviously one of the most important questions that will arise this week is the US position regarding them,” the British economist told a press conference Rachel GlennerterPresident of the Center for Global Development.
These meetings will be especially significant for The degree of global uncertainty And because they suppose the first opportunity to structurally evaluate disruption economic caused by Trump’s policies From his return to the White House on January 20.
