HighlightThis edition of the Global Trade Update presents the latest data and trends in international trade.Global trade grew by $2.5 trillion in 2025, increasing by about 7.5% to a record of $35 trillionTrade in goods drove most of the expansion, growing by about 7% and adding roughly $1.8 trillion to global growth.Trade in services grew by arou...
Widening global current account imbalances are best addressed by simultaneous domestic policy adjustments. Industrial policy and tariffs offer a costly fix with unreliable effects on imbalances.Global current account imbalances are widening again, reversing a decade of steady decline following the global financial crisis. History suggests a clear risk: wid...
Technological revolutions have long served as key engines of economic transformation and social progress. Each wave of innovation, from the Industrial Revolution to the current Digital Revolution, has fundamentally reshaped the way societies are organized, how economies grow, and how people live and work.Today, rapid advances in artificial intelligence and...
DOWNLOAD PICTUREAsian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President Zou Jiayi met with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of Bangladesh as part of her listening tour of members, which this week also included Cambodia, Malaysia and the Lao PDR. The engagement reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to paying careful attention to members’ needs and strengthening sup...
NGO Affairs Bureau, UNDP and Australia promote digital systems and responsible AI to improve NGO services, transparency and accountability in BangladeshOfficials from NGOAB, UNDP and the Australian High Commission attend the orientation workshop on the NGOAB Online Solution and AI for NGOs in Dhaka under the ISPAT Project.An orientation workshop on “NGOAB...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEWashington, DC – April 1, 2026: The Heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank Group have agreed to form a coordination group to maximize their institutions’ response to the energy and economic impacts of the war in the Middle East. They issued the following joint statement:The Mi...
Press Briefing ahead of UniPod Flag-Off by the Deputy Chief of Staff Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia and UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Elsie AttafuahAbuja, Nigeria, 1 April 2026 – The Federal Government of Nigeria, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is set to launch a nationwide network of University Innovat...
HighlightThe Strait of Hormuz remains practically closedUnder normal conditions, it is one of the world’s most vital arteries of energy-related trade, accounting for a significant share of global oil and gas supplies – the foundation of much of what the world produces, trades and consumes.Key takeawaysSoaring oil and gas prices may inflate the ...
Washington, DC: On March 18, 2026, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed the IMF staff paper on Macroeconomic Developments and Prospects in Low-income Countries (LICs). The paper defines LICs as the 70 countries eligible for the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust facilities.[1]LICs are navigating a fluid global environ...
Holistic strategy covers wholesale, business‑to‑business, retail and cross‑border paymentsForward-looking approach promotes competitive, innovative and resilient European paymentsEurosystem outlines position on tokenised settlement assets, including tokenised deposits and stablecoinsThe Eurosystem has today published its comprehensive payments stra...
