Argentina’s Economy Minister Luis Caputo and Chief of Staff Nicolas Posse will travel to Washington this week to attend the Spring Assembly of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. They will also meet with Treasury and IDB authorities and give a conference organized by JPMorgan.
The economic delegation, in addition to Caputo and Posse, will include the Secretary of Finance Pablo Quirno and the head of the Central Bank, Santiago Bausili. They will be participating in meetings within the framework of the organization’s Assembly and the G20. An official meeting with the directors of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva or Gita Gopinath, has not yet been confirmed, but they are expected to meet at the meetings.
Economy officials are enthusiastic about the upcoming review of their program, which could lead to a disbursement of about US$770 million. They are also hopeful about a new program that could expand their loan to Argentina, potentially providing around US$15,000 million to help with their financial situation. However, a spokesperson from the IMF mentioned that it’s “premature” to discuss this possibility at this moment.
The IMF Chief Economist Pierre Olivier Gourinchas mentioned that progress has been made in reducing inflation and achieving a fiscal surplus for the first time in a decade. Negotiations between technicians continue, with a focus on improving the quality of fiscal adjustments without disproportionately affecting vulnerable sectors. Caputo will also meet with officials at JPMorgan for a conference on economic issues in Latin America.
Meetings at Treasury and White House are key points of their trip, with discussions expected to focus on Argentina’s economic plan and potential new programs with
