IMF posts $2.3 billion income

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has estimated a total net income, including income from surcharges applied to higher access borrowing from the fund, at SDR 1.5 billion ($2.3 billion) in the fiscal year 2012.

“The net income will be added to the IMF’s precautionary balances which are projected to reach SDR 9.5 billion at end-fiscal year 2012, according to the executive board of IMF that completed its annual review of the fund’s income position for the financial year ending on April 30, 2012 (fiscal year 2012).

The board also set the margin for the lending rate of IMF credit for the fiscal year 2013 and 2014. The executive board recently also agreed to increase the indicative medium-term target for precautionary balances from SDR 15 billion to SDR 20 billion in light of the increase in total fund credit and commitments.

The IMF charges member countries a basic rate of charge on use of IMF credit, which is determined as the SDR interest rate plus a margin expressed in basis points. The board agreed to maintain the margin for this rate of charge unchanged at 100 basis points for fiscal years 2013 and 2014.

A new rule for setting the basic rate of charge was adopted by the executive board in December last year, effective for fiscal year 2013 onwards. The new rule is an important step in fully implementing the new income model, under which the margin is set so as to cover the IMF’s lending related intermediation costs and allow for a buildup of reserves.

Consistent with the board-endorsed principle that the margin should be stable and predictable, under the new rule the margin is set for a period of two financial years. It has also projected annual net income of SDR 2.3 billion ($3.5 billion) and SDR 2.1 billion ($3.2 billion), for fiscal years 2013 and 2014, respectively.

The projections are subject to a high degree of uncertainty and are sensitive to the timing and amounts of disbursements under approved arrangements included in the projections, possible new arrangements, and the performance of the fund’s investment portfolio, it said, adding that the projected net income will add to needed precautionary balances.

The executive board also adopted a number of other decisions that have a bearing on the fund’s finances including the transfer of amounts attributable to net operational income and surcharges in fiscal year 2012 to the fund’s investment account, placement of net income to the fund’s reserves, and to continue special charges on certain overdue obligations.