Bangkok’s IMF-World Bank meetings reveal how practical international cooperation is evolving
ONE of the most revealing discussions that I was invited to speak at during the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok concerned something seemingly mundane: credit-risk data.
Convened by the Dutch and British governments, the asset-management company ILX and the Global Emerging Markets Risk Database, the gathering had policymakers, members of the senior management of the World Bank Group, development institutions, rating agencies and private-investment companies dive into the weeds of statistics.
The aim was to increase visibility of developing countries’ financial data, which should catalyse private-sector investment in innovative ways.