MINSK, 18 October (BelTA) - Belarus and the IMF are not planning to discuss a new loan program during the next IMF mission, Pavel Kallaur, Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB), told the media on the sidelines of the 14th international forum on banking information technologies BankIT'2017, BelTA has learned.
The IMF mission, which will begin in Belarus on 26 October is a scheduled one, an annual one, under Article IV. “Of course, we will consider the overall macroeconomic situation in the country, the changes that occurred during the current year, and the things that we have outlined in the five-year program. With regard to the specific program that could support the developments in Belarus financially, this matter will not be on the agenda of the next mission,” Pavel Kallaur said.
He noted that the program with the IMF provided for the financial support for specific changes in the country. “These changes were set forth in our five-year program. But, we held different opinions as to the speed of these changes, in particular, with regards to the utility tariffs. I think that first we must decide how we are going to proceed with the economic reforms inside the country and then revisit the issue of support from international organizations. We must answer a series of questions, including the question of fiscal risks: how we will manage them, how we will assess them. This is very difficult work, but it needs to be done inside the country,” he said.
The mission of the International Monetary Fund will work in Belarus from 26 October to 10 November.
The 14th international forum on banking information technologies BankIT'2017 is taking place in Minsk on 18-20 October. The forum has gathered more than 1,500 heads and experts in the financial, IT and management sector from more than ten countries. The program of the forum will include 14 breakout sessions, including discussions featuring more than 60 speakers. A major block of themes comprises modern requirements to IT banking platforms, data management, digital cooperation with clients and the use of the block chain technology in the banking sector.
BankIT is the only specialized event in Eastern Europe that unites the top management of banks, IT companies and other business sectors, and also representatives of state stakeholders and experts in IT development. Since 2004 forum participants have been successfully cooperating in addressing top priority tasks, using efficiently the opportunities provided by the forum organizers. In 2011 the event was visited by more than 820 managers and experts in the financial, IT and management sectors. The number of participants exceeded 1,400 in 2016.
