WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund will convene an extraordinary meeting of its steering committee on Friday to discuss the Fund’s response to the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic, a source familiar with the plans said on Thursday.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday asked G20 leaders to back a doubling of the $50 billion in emergency financing the Fund has already made available to help poor and middle-income countries deal with the health and economic impact of the pandemic.
She also asked G20 leaders to boost global liquidity through a sizeable SDR (Special Drawing Right) allocation, as was done during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, as well as expanded use of swap type facilities at the Fund.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal)
