The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced about $91 billion in financing to 80 countries, including $11.3 billion to 48 low-income countries since the onset of the pandemic in late March and as of September 15, 2020.

Out of this lending, the IMF channelled $30 billion (equivalent to SDR 21.2 billion) in financing to 69 countries through emergency lending facilities.
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The IMF also provides emergency financing and has massively stepped up such financing to help member countries address the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Unlike development banks, the IMF does not lend for specific projects. Instead, IMF financing is meant to help member countries tackle the balance of payments problems, stabilize their economies, and restore sustainable economic growth. IMF financing can also be provided in response to natural disasters or pandemics. Finally, the IMF also provides precautionary financing to help prevent and insure against future crises and continues to enhance the tools available for crisis prevention,” the IMF said.

In broad terms, the IMF has two types of lending—loans provided at no concessional interest rates and loans provided to low-income countries on concessional terms. Currently, concessional loans do not bear any

“The IMF has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with unprecedented speed and magnitude, making use of its current $1 trillion lending capacity.

“This response has entailed the provision of financial assistance to countries with urgent or potential balance of payments needs with the aim to help protect the lives and livelihoods of people, especially the most vulnerable. Between the onset of the pandemic in late March and September 15, 2020, about $91 billion (or SDR 64 billion) has been committed to 80 member countries, of which $30 billion was emergency financing (RCF and RFI),” it stressed.

The Board has temporarily streamlined the internal processes to allow the IMF to respond more quickly to members’ requests for emergency assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in many cases, the IMF made financing available within weeks of a request for emergency financing.

In addition, the Board has also temporarily suspended the application of high-access procedures for RCF requests.

Policy safeguards were introduced in August 2020 to help mitigate financial risks from a member having high levels of combined high access from both the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust and General Resources Account lending facilities.

Under the new policy, safeguards apply to any Fund member with combined access to GRA and PRGT resources that exceeds quota-based thresholds set at the same level that triggers the exceptional access framework of the GRA.

On April 13, 2020, the IMF Executive Board approved the disbursement of US$1 billion to Ghana to be drawn under the Rapid Credit Facility to deal with the ravages of the pandemic.