2. INTRODUCTION
⢠The main purpose of IMF lending facilities is to
provide loans to member countries experiencing
actual or potential balance of payments
problems.
⢠This financial assistance helps countries in their
efforts
â to rebuild their international reserves,
â stabilize their currencies,
â continue paying for imports, and
â restore conditions for strong economic growth, while
undertaking policies to correct underlying problems.
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3. IMF LENDING FACILITIES
⢠Gold reserve tranche
⢠First credit tranche
⢠Upper credit tranche
⢠Stand by arrangements
⢠General agreement to borrow
⢠Extended credit facility
⢠Compensatory Financing facilities
⢠Oil facility
⢠The trust fund
⢠Structural adjustment Fund
⢠SDR
⢠Poverty reduction and Growth facilities (PGRF)
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4. GOLD RESERVE TRANCHE
⢠Initially, upon joining the IMF and signing the Articles
of Agreement, a member country had to pay 25
percent of its quota in gold called gold tranche and the
remaining 75 percent in its own currency. Beginning
with the year 1978, the Fund no longer required the
payment of the reserve tranche in gold.
⢠Under IMF rules, a member country could borrow from
the IMF an amount equal to 25 percent of its quota in
any given year. Any borrowing above this subscription
requires the IMF's approval, and it is granted only for
resolving a country's balance of payments problems.
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5. FIRST CREDIT TRANCHE
⢠Under the Credit Tranche Policies, the IMF makes
credit available in four tranches (segments), each
equal to 25 percent of a memberâs quota. The
First Credit Tranche represents use of IMF
resources up to the limit of the first tranche on
fairly liberal terms.
⢠Requests for use of IMF resources beyond the
first credit tranche require substantial
justification for the expectation that the
memberâs balance of payments difficulties will be
resolved within a reasonable period of time.
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6. UPPER CREDIT TRANCHE
⢠Upper credit tranche drawings are made in
installments, or phased, and are released when
performance targets are met.
⢠Such drawings are normally associated with
Stand-By or Extended Arrangements, which
typically seek to resolve balance of payments
difficulties and to support structural policy
reforms where appropriate. Performance criteria
and periodic reviews are used to assess policy
implementation.
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7. STAND BY ARRANGEMENTS
⢠Historically, the bulk of non-concessional IMF assistance
has been provided through SBAs. The SBA is designed to
help countries address short-term balance of payments
problems. Program targets are designed to address these
problems and disbursements are made conditional on
achieving these targets.
⢠The length of a SBA is typically 12â24 months, and
repayment is due within 3Âź-5 years of disbursement. SBAs
may be provided on a precautionary basisâwhere
countries choose not to draw upon approved amounts but
retain the option to do so if conditions deteriorate. The SBA
provides for flexibility with respect to phasing, with front-
loaded access where appropriate.
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8. GENERAL AGREEMENT TO BORROW
⢠In December, 1961, the Fund took a decision on a General Arrangement to
Borrow (G.A.B.), according to which the Fund has been authorized to
borrow supplementary resources under Article VII of the Agreement. The
object of the Agreement is to âenable the IMF to fulfill more effectively its
role in the international monetary system in the new conditions of
widespread convertibility, including greater freedom for short-term capital
movement.â
⢠A borrowing/lending medium for members of the Group of Ten. Members
of the lending country deposit funds into the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), which are made available to be withdrawn by the borrowing
member in need. One of the advantages of this is that each country deals
in their own currency, leaving all conversions to the IMF.
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9. EXTENDED FUND FACILITY
⢠The Extended Fund Facility (EFF) provides
long-term assistance to support membersâ
structural reforms to address balance of
payments difficulties of a long-term character.
Drawings under extended arrangements are
repayable in 12 semiannual installments 4½ -
10 years after disbursement.
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10. COMPENSATORY FINANCING
FACILITIES
⢠The Compensatory Financing Facility (CFF) was
a special IMF financing facility established in
1963. Until its elimination in 2009, the CFF
provided resources to members who
encountered balance of payments difficulties,
arising out of export shortfalls or excess costs
of cereal imports that were temporary and
resulted from events that were largely beyond
the membersâ control.
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11. OIL FACILITY
⢠Two Oil Facilities were established in response to
the oil price shock in the 1970s.
â The first Oil Facility was created in June 1974 and
lapsed in December 1974.
â The second Oil Facility was created in April 1975 to
provide additional financing, and lapsed in March
1976.
Both facilities aimed at providing supplementary
financing to member countries facing balance of
payments problems and were adversely affected by
higher oil prices. Loans under the Oil facilities were
repayable in 16 quarterly installments 3â7 years after
disbursement.
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12. THE TRUST FUND
⢠The Trust Fund (1976-1981) was set up to provide
special balance of payments assistance on
concessional terms to developing members.
These loans offered a 5½ years grace period and
were repayable in 10 years, at an interest rate of
½ percent per annum.
⢠Trust Fund Interest - The Trust Fund Interest is
payable semiannually by a member on
outstanding TF credit.
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13. STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT FUND
⢠The Structural Adjustment Facility (SAF) was
created in 1986 to provide concessional
financing to assist low-income countries in
addressing balance of payments financing
needs arising from structural weaknesses. The
SAF was financed by reflows of Trust Fund
repayments, and its loans were extended on
the same terms with a 5½ years grace period
and repayable in 10 years and at the interest
rate of ½ percent per annum.
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14. SDR
⢠The Special Drawing Right (SDR) is an interest-bearing reserve asset
created by the IMF to supplement membersâ reserve assets. It is a
purely official asset and can only be held and used by members in
the SDR department, the IMF, and certain designated official
entities. SDR holdings can be exchanged with other members for
freely usable currency.
⢠SDR Allocations are a distribution of SDRs to members by decision
of the IMF. A general allocation requires a finding by the IMF that
there is a global need for additional liquidity. Allocations of SDRs
are made to participants in the SDR department (currently, all IMF
members are participants) in proportion to their quotas in the IMF.
⢠The SDR Interest Rate is a weighted average of interest rates on
short-term financial instruments in the markets of the currencies
included in the SDR valuation basket. It is determined on a weekly
basis and serves as basis for calculating interest paid and charged to
members
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17. POVERTY REDUCTION AND GROWTH
FACILITIES
⢠The Poverty Reduction Growth Trust (PRGT) was
established in 1987 to provide concessional assistance to
low-income members and was subsequently enlarged and
renamed. PRGT was previously known as ESAF (1987-1999),
PRGF (1999-2006), PRGF-ESF (2006-2010) Trusts.
⢠The PRGT provides financial assistance under three
facilities:
â the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) to address protracted balance
of payments (BOP) needs,
â the Standby Credit Facility (SCF) to address short-term and
precautionary BOP needs, and
â the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) to provide rapid low access with
limited conditionality to meet urgent BOP needs.
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