International Financial Institutions: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Origin of International Monetary Fund (IMF) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also called the Fund is an International monetary institution/ supranational financial institution established by 45 nations under the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944. Such an institution was necessary to avoid repetition of the disastrous economic policies that had contributed to Great depression of 1930’s. The principal aim was to avoid the economic mistakes of the 1920s and 1930s. It started functioning from March 1, 1947. In June, 1996, the Fund had 181 members. The IMF was established to promote economic and financial co-operation among its members in order to facilitate the expansion and balanced growth of world trade. It performs the activities like monitoring national, global and regional economic developments and advising member countries on their economic policies (surveillance); lending member hard currencies to support policy programmes designed to correct BOP problems; offering technical assistance in its areas of Continue reading