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International Financial Institutions

MMS (University of Mumbai)

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LESSON 15
INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
STRUCTURE
15.0 Objectives
15.1 Introduction
15.2 International Sources of finance
15.3 The World Bank
15.3.1 International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development
15.3.2 International Development Association
15.3.3 International Finance Corporation
15.3.4 The multilateral investment guarantee agency
(MIGA)
15.3.5 What does the World Bank do?
15.3.6 Where does the World Bank get its money?
15.3.7 Who runs the World Bank?
15.4 International monetary fund
15.4.1 Origins of IMF
15.4.2 Members and administration
15.4.3 Statutory purposes
15.4.4 Financial assistance
15.5 SDRs
15.6 Asian development bank (ADB)
15.7 Summary
15.8 Keywords

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15.9 Self assessment questions

15.10 References/Suggested readings
15.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this lesson, you should be able to-
• Describe the working and objectives of some of the
international financial institutions;
• Explain the various dimensions of World Bank and IMF;
and
• Know how the international financial institutions are
regulated.
15.1 INTRODUCTION
At the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 it was decided to
establish a new monetary order that would expand international
trade, promote international capital flows and contribute to monetary
stability. The IMF and the World Bank were borne out of this
Conference of the end of World War II. The World Bank was
established to help the restoration of economies disrupted by War by
facilitating the investment of capital for productive purposes and to
promote the long-range balanced growth of international trade. On the
other hand, the IMF is primarily a supervisory institution for
coordinating the efforts of member countries to achieve greater
cooperation in the formulation of economic policies. It helps to
promote exchange stability and orderly exchange relations among its
member countries. It is in this context that the present chapter
reviews the purpose and working of some of the international financial
institutions and the contributions made by them in promoting

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economic and social progress in developing countries by helping raise

standards of living and productivity to the point of which development
becomes self-sustaining.
15.2 INTERNATIONAL SOURCES OF FINANCE
One major source of financing is international non-profit
agencies. There are several regional development banks such as the
Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank and Fund
and the Caribbean Development Bank. The primary purpose of these
agencies is to finance productive development projects or to promote
economic development in a particular region. The Inter-American
Development Bank, for example, has the principal purpose of
accelerating the economic development of its Latin American member
countries. In general, both public and private entities are eligible to
borrow money from such agencies as long as private funds are not
available at reasonable rates and terms. Although the interest rate can
vary from agency to agency, these loan rates are very attractive and
very much in demand.
Of all the international financial organisations, the most familiar
is the World Bank, formally known as the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The World Bank has two
affiliates that are legally and financially distinct entities, the
International Development Association (IDA) and the International
Finance Corporation (IFC). Exhibit 1 provides a comparison among
IBRD, IDA and IFC in terms of their objectives, member countries,
lending terms, lending qualifications as well as other details. All three
organisations have the same central goals: to promote economic and

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social progress in poor or developing countries by helping raise

standards of living and productivity to the point at which development
becomes self-sustaining.
Toward this common objective, the World Bank, IDA and IFC
have three interrelated functions and these are to lend funds, to
provide advice and to serve as a catalyst in order to stimulate
investments by others. In the process, financial resources are
channelled from developed countries to the developing world with the
hope that developing countries, through this assistance, will progress
to a level that will permit them, in turn, to contribute to the
development process of other less fortunate countries. Japan is a
prime example of a country that has come full circle. From being a
borrower, Japan is now a major lender to these three organisations.
South Korea is moving in a direction similar to that of Japan nearly a
quarter of a century ago.
EXHIBIT 1: THE WORLD BANK AND ITS AFFILIATES
The World Bank International Finance
International International Corporation (IFC)
Bank for Development
Reconstruction Association
and development
(IBRD)

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The World Bank International Finance

International International Corporation (IFC)
Bank for Development
Reconstruction Association
and development
(IBRD)
Objectives of the To promote economic progress in To promote economic
institutions developing countries by providing progress in developing
financial and technical assistance, countries by helping to
mostly for specific projects in both mobilise domestic and
public and private sectors foreign capital to
stimulate the growth of
the private sector
Year established 1945 1960 1956
Number of 144 131 124
member countries
(April 1983)
Types of countries Developing The poorest: 80% All developing countries,
assisted countries of IDA credits go from the poorest to the
other than the to countries with more advanced.
very poorest. annual per capita
Some incomes below $
countries 480. Many of
borrow a these countries
‘blend’ of are too poor to be
IBRD loans able to borrow
and IDA part or any of
credits. their
requirements on
IBRD terms.

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The World Bank International Finance

International International Corporation (IFC)
Bank for Development
Reconstruction Association
and development
(IBRD)
Types of activities Agriculture and rural Agribusiness,
assisted development, energy, education, development, finance
transportation, companies, energy,
telecommunications, industry, fertiliser, manufacturing,
mining, development finance mining, money and
companies, urban development, capital market
water supply, sewerage, institutions, tourism and
population, health and nutrition. services, utilities.
Some nonproject lending,
including structural adjustment.
Terms of lending:
Average maturity Generally 15 to 50 years 7 to 12 years
period 20 years
Grace period Generally 3 to 5 10 years An average of 3 years
years
Recipients of Governments, Government. Private enterprises;
financing government But they may government organisations
agencies and relend funds to that assist the private
private state or private sector.
enterprises organisations.
which can get a
government
guarantee for
the IBRD loan.

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The World Bank International Finance

International International Corporation (IFC)
Bank for Development
Reconstruction Association
and development
(IBRD)
Government Essential Essential Neither sought nor
guarantee accepted
Main method of Borrowings Grants from in Borrowings and IFC’s own
raising funds capital markets world’s capital, subscribed by
governments. member governments.
Main sources of Financial Governments of Borrowings from IBRD.
funds markets in US, US, Japan,
Germany, Germany,
Japan and France, other
Switzerland. OECD countries
and certain
OPEC countries.
Source: The World Bank and international Finance Corporation
(Washingto0n, D.C. The World Bank, 1983).

15.3 THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank group is a multinational financial institution
established at the end of World War II (1944) to help provide long-term
capital for the reconstruction and development of member countries.
The group is important to multinational corporations because it
provides much of the planning and financing for economic
development projects involving billions of dollars for which private
businesses can act as contractors and suppliers of goods and
engineering related services.

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The purpose for the setting up of the Bank are

• To assist in the reconstruction and development of
territories of members by facilitating the investment of
capital for productive purposes, including the restoration
of economies destroyed or disrupted by war, the
reconversion of productive facilities to peacetime needs
and encouragement of the development or productive
facilities and resources in less developed countries.
• To promote private foreign investment by means of
guarantees or participation in loans and other
investments made by private investors; and when private
capital is not available on reasonable terms, to
supplement private investment by providing, on suitable
conditions, finance for productive purposes out of its own
capital, funds raised by it and its other resources.
• To promote the long-range balanced growth of
international trade and the maintenance of equilibrium in
balance of payments by encouraging international
investment for the development of the productive
resources of members, thereby assisting in raising
productivity, the standard of living and condition of
labour in their territories.
• To arrange the loans made or guaranteed by it in relation
to international loans through other channels so that the
more useful and urgent projects, large and small alike,
can be dealt with first.

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• To conduct its operations with due regard to the effect of

international investment on business conditions in the
territories of members and, in the immediate post-war
years, to assist in bringing about a smooth transition
from a wartime to a peacetime economy.
The World Bank is the International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (IBRD) and the International Development
Association (IDA). The IBRD has two affiliates, the International
Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee
Agency (MIGA). The Bank, the IFC and the MIGA are sometimes
referred to as the “World Bank Group”.
15.3.1 International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development
The IBRD was set up in 1945 along with the IMF to aid in
rebuilding the world economy. It was owned by the governments of
151 countries and its capital is subscribed by those governments; it
provides funds to borrowers by borrowing funds in the world capital
markets, from the proceeds of loan repayments as well as retained
earnings. At its funding, the bank’s major objective was to serve as an
international financing facility to function in reconstruction and
development. With Marshall Plan providing the impetus for European
reconstruction, the Bank was able to turn its efforts towards the
developing countries.
Generally, the IBRD lends money to a government for the
purpose of developing that country’s economic infrastructure such as
roads and power generating facilities. Funds are directed towards

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developing countries at more advanced stages of economic and social

growth. Also, funds are lent only to members of the IMF, usually when
private capital is unavailable at reasonable terms. Loans generally
have a grace period of five years and are repayable over a period of
fifteen or fewer years.
The projects receiving IBRD assistance usually require
importing heavy industrial equipment and this provides an export
market ror many US goods. Generally bank loans are made to cover
only import needs in foreign convertible currencies and must be
repaid in those currencies at long-term rates.
The government assisted in formulating and implementing an
effective and comprehensive strategy for the development of new
industrial free zones and the expansion of existing ones; reducing
unemployment, increasing foreign-exchange earnings and
strengthening backward linkages with the domestic economy;
alleviating scarcity in term financing; and improving the capacity of
institutions involved in financing, regulating and promoting free
zones.
The World Bank lays special operational emphasis on
environmental and women’s issues. Given that the Bank’s primary
mission is to support the quality of life of people in developing member
countries, it is easy to see why environmental and women’s issues are
receiving increasing attention. On the environmental side, it is the
Bank’s concern that its development funds are used by the recipient
countries in an environmentally responsible way. Internal concerns,

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as well as pressure by external groups, are responsible for significant

research and projects relating to the environment.
The women’s issues category, specifically known as Women In
Development (WID) is part of a larger emphasis on human resources.
The importance of improving human capital and improving the welfare
of families is perceived as a key aspect of development. The WID
initiative was established in 1988 and it is oriented to increasing
women’s productivity and income. Bank lending for women’s issues is
most pronounced in education, population, health and nutrition and
agriculture.
15.3.2 International Development Association
The IDA was formed in 1960 as a part of the World Bank Group
to provide financial support to LDCs on a more liberal basis than
could be offered by the IBRD. The IDA has 137 member countries,
although all members of the IBRD are free to join the IDA. IDA’s funds
come from subscriptions from its developed members and from the
earnings of the IBRD. Credit terms usually are extended to 40 to 50
years with no interest. Repayment begins after a ten-year grace period
and can be paid in the local currency, as long as it is convertible.
Loans are made only to the poorest countries in the world, those with
an annual per capita gross national product of $480 or less. More
than 40 countries are eligible for IDA financing.
An example of an IDA project is a $8.3 million loan to Tanzania
approved in 1989 to implement the first stage in the longer-term
process of rehabilitating the country’s agricultural research system.

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Cofinancing is expected from several countries as well as other

multilateral lending institutions.
Although the IDA’s resources are separate from the IBRD, it has
no separate staff. Loans are made for similar projects as those carried
out by IBRD, but at easier and more favourable credit terms.
As mentioned earlier, World Bank/IDA assistance historically
has been for developing infrastructure. The present emphasis seems
to be on helping the masses of poor people in the developing countries
become more productive and take an active part in the development
process. Greater emphasis is being placed on improving urban living
conditions and increasing productivity of small industries.
15.3.3 International Finance Corporation
The IFC was established in 1956. There are 133 countries that
are members of the IFC and it is legally and financially separate from
the IBRD, although IBRD provides some administrative and other
services to the IFC. The IFC’s main responsibilities are (i) To provide
risk capital in the form of equity and long-term loans for productive
private enterprises in association with private investors and
management; (ii) To encourage the development of local capital
markets by carrying out standby and underwriting arrangements; and
(iii) To stimulate the international flow of capital by providing financial
and technical assistance to privately controlled finance companies.
Loans are made to private firms in the developing member countries
and are usually for a period of seven to twelve years.
The key feature of the IFC is that its loans are made to private
enterprises and its investments are made in conjunction with private

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business. In addition to funds contributed by IFC, funds are also

contributed to the same projects by local and foreign investors.
IFC investments are for the establishment ne1x enterprises as
well as for the expansion and modernization of existing ones. They
cover a wide range of projects such as steel, textile production,
mining, manufacturing, machinery production, food processing,
tourism and local development finance companies. Some projects are
locally owned, whereas others are joint ventures between investors in
developing and developed countries. In a few cases, joint ventures are
formed between investors of two or more developing countries. The
IFC has also been instrumental in helping to develop emerging capital
markets.
15.3.4 The multilateral investment guarantee agency
(MIGA)
The MIGA was established in 1988 to encourage equity
investment and other direct investment flows to developing countries
by offering investors a variety of different services. It offers guarantees
against noncommercial risks; advises developing member
governments on the design and implementation of policies,
programmes and procedures related to foreign investments; and
sponsors a dialogue between the international business community
and host governments on investment issues.
15.3.5 What does the World Bank do?
The World Bank is the world’s largest source of development
assistance, providing nearly $30 billion in loans, annually, to its client
countries. The Bank uses its financial resources, its highly trained

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staff and its extensive knowledge base to individually help each

developing country onto a path of stable, sustainable and equitable
growth. The main focus is on helping the poorest people and the
poorest countries hut for all its clients, the Bank emphasises the need
for: investing in people, particularly through basic health and
education; protecting the environment; supporting and encouraging
private business development; strengthening the ability of the
governments to deliver quality services efficiently and transparently;
promoting reforms to create a stable macroeconomic environment
conducive to investment and long-term planning; focusing on social
development, inclusion, governance and institution building as key
elements of poverty reduction. The Bank is also helping countries to
strengthen and sustain the fundamental conditions that help to
attract and retain private investment. With Bank support- both
lending and advice- governments are reforming their overall economies
and strengthening banking systems. They are investing in human
resources, infrastructure and environmental protection which
enhance the attractiveness and productivity of private investment.
Through World Bank guarantees, MICA’s political risk insurance and
in partnership with IFC’s equity investments, investors are minimising
their risks and finding the comfort to invest in developing countries
and countries undergoing transition to market-based economies.
15.3.6 Where does the World Bank get its money?
The World Bank raises money for its development programmes
by tapping the world’s capital markets and in the case of the IDA,
through contributions from wealthier member governments. IBRD,

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which accounts for about three-fourths of the Bank’s annual lending,

raises almost all its money in financial markets. One of the world’s
most prudent and conservatively managed financial institutions, the
IBRD sells AAA-rated bonds and other debt securities to pension
funds, insurance companies, corporations, other banks and
individuals around the globe. IBRD charges interest from its
borrowers at rates, which reflect its cost of borrowing. Loans must be
repaid in 15 to 20 years; there is a three to five year grace period
before repayment of principal begins. IDA helps to promote growth
and reduce poverty in the same ways as does the IBRD but using
interest free loans (which are known as IDA “credits”), technical
assistance and policy advice. IDA credits account for about one-fourth
of all Bank lendings. Borrowers pay a fee of less than 1 per cent of the
loan to cover administrative costs. Repayment is required in 35 to 40
years with a 10 years grace period. Nearly 40 countries contribute to
IDA’s funding, which is replenished every three years. IDA’s funding is
managed in the same prudent, conservative and cautious way as is
the IBRD’s. Like the IBRD, there has never been default on an IDA
credit.
15.3.7 Who runs the World Bank?
The World Bank is owned by more than 180 member countries
whose views and interests are represented by a board of governors
and a Washington based board of directors. Member countries are
shareholders who carry ultimate decision making power in the World
Bank. Each member nation appoints a governor and an alternate
governor to carry out these responsibilities. The governors, who are

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usually officials such as ministers of finance or planning, meet at the

Bank’s annual meetings each fall. They decide on key Bank policy
issues, admit or suspend country members, decide on changes in the
authorised capital stock, determine the distribution of the IBRD’s net
income and endorse financial statements and budgets.
15.4 INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) came into official
existence on December 27, 1945, when 29 countries signed its Articles
of Agreement (its Charter) agreed at a conference held in Bretton
Woods, New Hampshire, USA, from July 1-22, 1944. The IMF
commenced financial operations on March 1, 1947. Its current
membership is 182 countries. Its Total Quotas are SDR 212 billion
(almost US$300 billion), following a 45 per cent quota increase
effective from January 22,1999.
• Staff: approximately 2,700 from 110 countries.
• Accounting Unit: Special Drawing Right (SDR). As of
August 23, 1999, SDR I equalled US $1.370280.
IMF is a cooperative institution that 182 countries have
voluntarily joined because they see the advantage of consulting with
one another on this forum to maintain a stable system of buying and
selling their currencies so that payments in foreign currency can take
place between countries smoothly and without delay. Its policies and
activities are guided by its Charter known as the Articles of
Agreement.
IMF lends money to members having trouble meeting financial
obligations to other members, but only on the condition that they

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undertake economic reforms to eliminate these difficulties for their

own good and that of the entire membership. Contrary to widespread
perception, the IMF has no effective authority over the domestic
economic policies of its members. What authority the IMF does
possess is confined to requiring the member to disclose information on
its monetary and fiscal policies and to avoid, as far as possible,
putting restrictions on exchange of domestic for foreign currency and
on making payments to other members.
There are several major accomplishments to the credit of the
International Monetary System. For example, it
• sustained a rapidly increasing volume of trade and
investment;
• displayed flexibility in adapting to changes in
international commerce;
• proved to be efficient (even when there were decreasing
percentages of reserves to trade);
• proved to be hardy (it survived a number of pre-1971
crises, speculative and otherwise, and the down-and-up
swings of several business cycles);
• allowed for a growing degree or international cooperation;
• established a capacity to accommodate reforms and
improvements.
To an extent, the fund served as an international central bank
to help countries during periods of temporary balance of payments
difficulties by protecting their rates of exchange. Because of that,

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countries did not need to resort to exchange controls and other

barriers to restrict world trade.
15.4.1 Origins of IMF
The need for an organisation like the IMF became evident during
the great depression that ravaged the world economy in the 1930s. A
widespread lack of confidence in paper money led to a spurt in the
demand for gold and severe devaluation in the national currencies.
The relation between money and the value of goods became confused
as did the relation between the value of one national currency and
another.
In the 1940s, Harry Dexter (US) and John Maynard Keynes (UK)
put forward proposals for a system that would encourage the
unrestricted conversion of one currency into another, establish a clear
and unequivocal value for each currency and eliminate restrictions
and practices such as competitive devaluations. The system required
cooperation on a previously unattempted scale by all nations in
establishing an. innovative monetary system and an international
institution to monitor it. After much negotiations in the difficult war
time conditions, the international community accepted the system and
an organisation was formed to supervise it.
The IMF began operations in Washington DC in May 1946. It
then had 39 members. The IMF’s membership now is 182.
15.4.2 Members and administration
On joining the IMF, each member country contributes a certain
sum of money called a ‘quota subscription’, as a sort of credit union
deposit. Quotas serve various purposes.

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• They form a pool of money that the IMF can draw from to
lend to members in times of financial difficulty.
• They form the basis of determining the Special Drawing
Rights (SDR).
• They determine the voting power of the member.
15.4.3 Statutory purposes
The purposes of the International Monetary Fund are:
• To promote international monetary cooperation through a
permanent institution that provides the machinery for
consultation and collaboration on international monetary
problems.
• To facilitate the expansion and balanced growth of
international trade and to contribute, thereby, to the
promotion and maintenance of high levels of employment
and real income and to the development of the productive
resources of all members as primary objectives of
economic policy.
• To promote exchange stability, to maintain orderly
exchange arrangements among members and to avoid
competitive exchange depreciation.
• To assist in the establishment of a multilateral system of
payments in respect of current transactions between
members and in the elimination of foreign exchange
restrictions which hamper the growth of world trade.
• To give confidence to members by making the general
resources of the Fund temporarily available to them under

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adequate safeguards, thus providing them with

opportunity to correct maladjustment in their balance of
payments without resorting to measures destructive to
national or international prosperity.
• In accordance with the above, to shorten the duration and
lessen the degree of disequilibrium in the international
balances of payments of members.
15.4.4 Financial assistance
The IMF lends money only to member countries with balance of
payments problems. A member country with a payments problem can
immediately withdraw from the IMF the 25 per cent of its quota. A
member in greater difficulty may request for more money from the IMP
and can borrow up to three times its quota provided the member
country undertakes to initiate a series of reforms and uses the
borrowed money effectively. The frequently used mechanisms by the
IMF to lend money are
1. Standby Arrangements
2. Extended Arrangements
3. Structural Adjustment Mechanism (With low interest
rates)
Regular IMF facilities
• Standby Arrangements (SBA) are designed to provide
short-term balance of payments assistance for deficits of a
temporary or cyclical nature, such arrangements are
typically for 12 to 18 months. Drawings are phased on a
quarterly basis, with their release made conditional on

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meeting performance criteria and the completion of

periodic programme reviews. Repurchases are made 31/4
to 5 years after each purchase.
• Extended Fund Facility (EFF) is designed to support
medium-term programmes that generally run for three
years. The EFF aims at overcoming balance of payments
difficulties stemming from macroeconomic and structural
problems. Performance criteria are applied, similar to
those in standby arrangements and repurchases are made
in 4½ to 10 years.
Concessional IMF facility
• Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) was
established in 1987 and enlarged and extended in 1994.
Designed for low-income member countries with
protracted balance of payments problems, ESAF drawings
are loans and not purchases of other members’
currencies. They are made in support of three year
programmes and carry an annual interest rate of 0.5 per
cent, with a 51h year grace period and a 10 year maturity.
Quarterly benchmarks and semi-annual performance
criteria apply; 80 low income countries are currently
eligible to use the ESAF.
15.5 SDRs
As time passed, it became evident that the Fund’s resources for
providing short-term accommodation to countries in monetary
difficulties were not sufficient. To resolve the situation, the Fund, after

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much debate and long deliberations, created new drawing rights in

1969. Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), sometimes called paper gold,
are special account entries on the IMF books designed to provide
additional liquidity to support growing world commerce. Although
SDRs are a form of money not convertible to gold, their gold value is
guaranteed, which helps to ensure their acceptability. Initially, SDRs
worth $9.5 billion were created.
Participant nations may use SDRs as a source of currency in a
spot transaction, as a loan for clearing a financial obligation, as a
security for a loan, as a Swap against currency, or in a forward
exchange operation. A nation with a balance of payments need may
use its SDRs to obtain usable currency from another nation
designated by the fund. A participant also may use SDRs to make
payments to the Fund, such as repurchases. The Fund itself may
transfer SDRs to a participant for various purposes including the
transfer of SDRs instead of currency to a member using the Fund’s
resources.
By providing a mechanism for international monetary
cooperation, working towards reducing restrictions to trade and
capital flows and helping members with their short-term balance of
payments difficulties, the IMF makes a significant and unique
contribution to human welfare and improved living standards
throughout the world.

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Services
Besides supervising the international monetary system and
providing financial support to member countries, the IMF assists its
members by:
• Providing technical assistance in certain areas of its
competence.
• Running an educational institute in Washington and
offering training courses abroad.
• Issuing wide variety of publications containing valuable
information and statistics that are useful not only to the
member countries but also to banks, research institutes,
university and the media.
15.6 ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB)
The Asian Development Bank is a multilateral developmental
finance institution founded in 1966 by 31 member governments to
promote social and economic progress of Asian and the Pacific region.
The Bank gives special attention to the needs of smaller or less
developed countries and gives priority to regional/non-regional
national programmes.
In early 1960, the United National Economic Commission for
Asia and Far East (UNECAFE) estimated that Asia and the Pacific
region had an annual deficit of US $ one billion. The ADB was formed
to fill this gap. The inaugural meeting was held in Tokyo and the
newly named bank was installed in Manila (Philippines). The first
President was Mr. Wanatanade and during his initial years the bank
conducted regional surveys to develop a fuller understanding of the

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social and economic conditions of the Developing Member Countries

(DMC).
In 1974, the Asian Development Fund was established to
streamline the bank’s means of financing. During 1972-76, the Banks’
commitment to the DMCs increased from $316 million to 776 million.
In the late 70s, the bank recognised the need to develop additional
strategy to reduce poverty in the region, so they evolved the concept of
multi-project loans which was a cost-effective means for funding
projects too small for the Bank’s involvement.
In 1978, the Asian Development Fund was increased to 2.15
billion. 1986 was a significant year for the Bank because the Peoples
Republic of China joined the Bank and India received her first loan of
$100 million to the ICICI (Investment Credit and Investment
Corporation of India) for one lending to Private Sector enterprises. In
1993, annual lending commitments rose to $5 billion and the
cumulative total by 1991 was $37.6 billion for 1039 projects.
On the borrowing front, in 1991, the Bank offered Dragon
Bonds which was a US $ 300 million offering in the capital markets or
Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei.
The present President is Mr. Tadao Chino, who was Japan’s
former Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, before he
took over in January 1999.
Bank Profile
Over the past 41 years, the bank’s membership has grown from
31 to 57, of which 41 are from within the region and 16 from outside
the region.

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The Bank gives special attention to the needs of the smaller or

less developed countries and priority to regional, sub-regional and
national projects and programmes.
The Bank’s principal functions are
• To extend loans and equity investments for the economic
and social development of its Developing Member
Countries (DMCS);
• To provide technical assistance for the preparation and
execution of development projects and programmes and
for advisory services;
• To promote and facilitate investment of public and private
capital for development purposes; and
• To respond to requests for assistance in coordinating
development policies and plans of its DMCs.
Shareholders
The two largest shareholders of the Bank, as of31 December
1997, were Japan and the United States, each accounting for 16 per
cent of the total subscribed capital. Forty one regional members
accounted for 63 per cent of total shareholding while 16 non-regional
members contributed 37 per cent of the total.
Location
The Bank’s headquarters are in Manila, Philippines. It has
resident missions in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam and has opened resident missions in
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. These resident missions improve the
Bank’s coordination with the governments and donor agencies; assist

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with activities related to country programming and processing of new

loans and technical assistance projects; and help ensure project
quality.
15.7 SUMMARY
Of all the international financial organisations, the most familiar
is the World Bank, formally known as the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The World Bank has two
affiliates that are legally and financially distinct entities, the
International Development Association (IDA) and the International
Finance Corporation (IFC). Exhibit 1 provides a comparison among
IBRD, IDA and IFC in terms of their objectives, member countries,
lending terms, lending qualifications as well as other details. All three
organisations have the same central goals: to promote economic and
social progress in poor or developing countries by helping raise
standards of living and productivity to the point at which development
becomes self-sustaining.
Toward this common objective, the World Bank, IDA and IFC
have three interrelated functions and these are to lend funds, to
provide advice and to serve as a catalyst in order to stimulate
investments by others.
15.8 KEYWORDS
SDRs: Special drawing rights, sometimes called paper gold, are
special account entries on the IMF books designed to provide
additional liquidity to support growing world commerce.

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15.9 SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. What are the goals and functions of the World Bank, the
IDA and the IFC?
2. What are the role and functions of the IMF?
3. What role does the International Monetary Fund play in
determining the value of exchange rates?
4. How did the Bretton Woods agreement provide a stable
monetary environment?
5. What are Special Drawing Rights? Why were they created?
6. Enumerate the important purposes of the World Bank.
11. What are the objectives of the Asian Development Bank?
15.10 REFERENCES/SUGGESTED READINGS
• Madhu Vij: Multinational Financial Management, Excel
Books, 2001.
• Apte, PG: International Finance, TMH, ed. 2001.
• Kanneth J. Thygorson: Financial Market Institution, John
Willey, 1998.

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