The International Monetary Fund and World Bank opened their joint Annual Meetings in Washington on Sunday, with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warning that trade fragmentation and tariff uncertainty continue to weigh on the global economy. The gatherings run through the following week.
The meetings bring together finance ministers and central bank governors from the Fund's 190 member countries. Georgieva said the global economy had proved more resilient than feared but remained constrained by elevated tariffs, high debt burdens and weak productivity growth across advanced economies.
The IMF is expected to publish its World Economic Outlook during the week, with staff projections pointing to subdued global growth near 3 percent for 2026 and 2027. Developing economies, including Bangladesh, which is seeking tariff relief after its graduation from least-developed-country status, feature prominently in the Fund's debt-sustainability discussions.
US Treasury officials and European Central Bank representatives are among those attending, alongside Group of 20 delegates. Debt restructuring for low-income nations and the financing of climate adaptation are expected to dominate the agenda, according to the IMF's published schedule.
Georgieva said the priority for policymakers was to rebuild fiscal buffers and resist protectionist measures that risk entrenching slower growth over the medium term.