Kim Says World Bank’s First Priority Is to Aid Growth

Jim Yong Kim, who took over as World Bank president yesterday, said the lender is in a strong financial position to meet loan demand from emerging markets if the global economy deteriorates.

“We feel prepared to tackle crises” and the bank is “monitoring the situation very carefully,” Kim told reporters in Washington today. “Of course it all depends on the scale and the severity of the crisis but the World Bank is on very sound financial footing.”