Argentina seeking $20 billion IMF loan

3 weeks ago 10
Economy Minister Luis Caputo blames 'the opposition' for an 'attempt to destabilize the government'Economy Minister Luis Caputo blames 'the opposition' for an 'attempt to destabilize the government'. Photo: LUIS ROBAYO / AFP
Source: AFP

Argentina has sought a $20 cardinal indebtedness from the International Monetary Fund, the country's economy curate said Thursday, arsenic the authorities struggles to clasp connected to overseas reserves portion propping up an ailing currency.

In summation to the $20 cardinal IMF request, Luis Caputo said Argentina -- the IMF's biggest debtor by acold -- was negotiating an further bundle with different organizations specified arsenic the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

President Javier Milei's authorities announced the preliminary fig amid a tally connected the peso, prompted by fears of a imaginable devaluation, that drained reserves by much than $1.2 cardinal past week.

The connection indispensable beryllium approved by the committee of the IMF, whose spokeswoman Julie Kozack said Thursday that discussions with Argentina, including for a "sizable financing package," were "very advanced."

She did not supply a fig for the size of the package.

Caputo said the IMF indebtedness would "not beryllium utilized to concern expenses" but to recapitalize the Argentine cardinal bank.

Argentina has been a serial defaulter successful caller decades, and the IMF has bailed retired South America's second-biggest system 22 times successful the past.

Self-described "anarcho-capitalist" Milei came to bureau successful December pledging to chopped spending, tame ostentation and hole a steep fiscal deficit.

In the past six months, the peso has fallen astir 10 percent to the US dollar.

'Only a atrocious memory'

The caller indebtedness volition adhd to the existing $44 cardinal Argentina already owes the IMF nether a woody signed successful 2018 for the bank's biggest-ever loan.

Argentina has 1 of the highest ostentation rates successful the world, but nether Milei it has fallen from 211 percent year-on-year astatine the extremity of 2023 to 84.5 percent successful January.

The president has said a caller IMF woody volition assistance guarantee that "inflation is lone a atrocious memory."

Keeping ostentation astatine bay is Milei's main governmental superior arsenic the mid-term legislative run approaches with his enactment -- lacking a bulk successful Congress -- seeking to summation its seats.

Kozack said Thursday that Argentina has "embarked connected a genuinely awesome stabilization program" and "reforms are starting to carnivore fruit."

Caputo said the caller tally connected the peso was the effect of "an effort to destabilize the authorities of President Javier Milei," which helium blamed connected "the opposition."

The authorities has faced play protests by pensioners, precocious besides joined by football fans, unions and societal organizations, that this period erupted into convulsive clashes with police.

The country's main CGT national has called a wide onslaught for April 10.

In Argentina, determination are 5 antithetic speech rates for the dollar, with a flourishing achromatic marketplace wherever the alleged 'blue' dollar was quoted Wednesday astatine implicit 1,300 pesos per greenback portion the authoritative complaint stood astatine 1,091 pesos -- the largest spread successful much than six months.

Despite the government's committedness to lifting overseas speech controls successful spot since 2018, the scarcity of overseas currency has not allowed it to advance.

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Source: AFP

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