Imad N. Fakhoury

As populations age, sustaining growth will require bold reforms—boosting productivity, expanding labor force participation, and investing in people. This is not just an economic imperative—it’s a social one. A timely read from our latest IMF Finance & Development Magazine. https://lnkd.in/ePAEksrX

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I am pleased to share that the The World Bank has approved two new operations totaling US$30 million to support Yemen’s development priorities. The financing will help strengthen digital financial infrastructure and sustain access to basic education for children in areas most in need. A US$20 million grant will support the development of modern payment systems, including a Fast Payment System and a Real Time Gross Settlement System under the Central Bank in Aden. These systems will help expand access to secure digital financial services, improve transparency, and enable the digitization of government payments, remittances, and social transfers. A second US$10 million grant will focus on keeping schools open and functioning by rehabilitating classrooms, building WASH facilities, and providing community-managed grants to support essential operational needs. The project also strengthens local planning and data systems, with a focus on improving access to education for girls in rural and conflict-affected areas. These operations reflect our continued commitment to helping Yemen deliver critical services while reinforcing institutional resilience. Investing in systems that preserve human capital is essential for supporting inclusive service delivery and advancing long-term recovery. https://lnkd.in/dUABarTp #Yemen #Education #HumanCapital #FinancialInclusion

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With each new headline, a gaping hole opens wider around the world—as capitals dramatically cut assistance to the world's poorest countries. The estimated scale of these cuts vary—with predictions ranging from $54 billion to $70 billion. The shrinking pool of development finance means there is an even greater need for funders and donors to be targeted in their approach. This is particularly true of climate adaptation funding, as traditional aid models are often based on GDP per capita and fail to fully capture climate risk. Publicly launched yesterday, the new Climate Finance (CLIF) Vulnerability Index from Columbia Climate School considers factors such as disaster exposure, debt distress, and financial access to assess which nations are most in need of climate adaptation finance. The CLIF Vulnerability Index, developed with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, offers donors and policymakers a powerful, data-driven tool to close the climate finance gap—aligning funds with where and why they’re needed most. Key findings from the CLIF Vulnerability Index: - Identifies 65 nations considered most at-risk from climate and financial vulnerability - Two-thirds of these nations are in sub-Saharan Africa - 2+ billion people live in these ‘Red Zone’ nations You can explore this new tool here: https://lnkd.in/e4Ugv72q And here is more on it from Bloomberg and Rockefeller… https://lnkd.in/eAxQvycR https://lnkd.in/es3nrMn8 Jeff Schlegelmilch Gautam Jain Jamie Drummond David McNair Pep Bardouille Avinash Persaud Selwin Hart Kate Hampton Michael Hugman Jolie Schwarz

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💡 Building Resilience in Local Currency Bond Markets (LCBMs) 💪 Congrats to my colleagues on the latest IMF GFSR Chapter 3! It highlights key insights for emerging market debt managers on how investor mix and market structure affect resilience to global shocks. The Chapter is based in IMF research and integrates important lessons from technical assistance 🌍 🔹 More nonresident investors = higher market sensitivity 🔹 More domestic investors, especially banks = stronger resilience ⚠️ But beware of overreliance on domestic banks—risks like the sovereign-bank nexus can threaten stability To strengthen your LCBM: 📈 Boost macro fundamentals & financial savings 🏛️ Build solid policy frameworks & market infrastructure 📢 Improve legal certainty, debt management, and market communication A resilient market means safer financing and stability! Read more: IMF GFSR Chapter 3 https://lnkd.in/eyKWNc-c Huge thanks to the team: Jason Wu Charles Cohen ARINDAM ROY Bryan Gurhy, Xuege Zhang, Shijia Luo, Kay Chung, Patrick Schneider, CFA Sam Zhang, PhD, Sally Chen, Andrew A. Ferrante, Zixuan Huang, Esti Kemp, Xiang-Li Lim, Sonal Patel, Jing Zhou. #EmergingMarkets #DebtManagement #FinancialStability #IMF #GFSR #SovereignDebt #CapitalMarkets #LocalCurrency #InvestorRelations #Macroeconomics #MonetaryPolicy #DebtStrategy #MarketDevelopment #capacitydevelopment,

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The Fourth Financing for Development Conference #FfD4 in Seville is an opportunity to reshape the international financial architecture and propose solutions to mobilise funds at scale for #sustainable #development, specially in those countries and communities that need it most. In the “Think Change” ODI Global podcast we discuss some of the solutions and I explain the evolution of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to make sure we respond to the increasing needs. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eZzB7JEs

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South Asia is the most vulnerable region to climate disasters. Because of fragile fiscal positions, its private sectors--households and firms--will have to carry the main burden of climate adaptation. Read our new edited book here: https://lnkd.in/dfFmJ5ax

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An insightful Cross-Border Trade and Transport Facilitation Index, offering evaluations of border performance across selected CAREC countries (including Pakistan). The index identifies key operational, institutional, and regulatory factors affecting trade and transport facilitation for improving border management and corridor efficiency. Aftab Haider the assessment notes that with PSW, Pakistan is excelling in certain areas and also identifies areas for future attention. 👏 For access: https://lnkd.in/gAA2E6Ng

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