Economics

IMF Top Deputy Optimistic G-20 Debt Relief Extended Next Week

  • Fund wants plan expiring in June continued through year-end
  • First deputy managing director highlights role of SDR creation

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
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The No. 2 official of the International Monetary Fund is optimistic that the Group of 20 largest economies next week will agree to extend debt relief to low-income nations through the end of this year.

The G-20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative, which took effect last May, has delivered$5 billion in relief for more than 40 countries, according to the World Bank. The G-20 last October extended the program, originally set to expire in December 2020, through June, and agreed to consider a further six-month extension later.