IMF Sovereign Debt Restructuring Framework: Origin, Evolution and Latest Updates of its Main Components

The first introductory manual of the IMF framework for Sovereign Debt Restructurings (SDRs) is introduced in this article. SDR processes, in which billions of dollars are negotiated, constitute key elements for the healthy recovery of an over-indebted economy. However, there are no academic works th...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Manzo, Alejandro Gabriel
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2021
Country:Brasil
Institution:Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV)
Repository:Revista Direito GV
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.periodicos.fgv.br:article/83265
Online Access:https://periodicos.fgv.br/revdireitogv/article/view/83265
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Sovereign Debt Restructuring (SDR)
International Financial Architecture (IFA)
Fundo Monetário Internacional (FMI)
Reestruturação da Dívida Soberana (REDS)
Arquitetura Financeira Internacional (AFI)
Description
Summary:The first introductory manual of the IMF framework for Sovereign Debt Restructurings (SDRs) is introduced in this article. SDR processes, in which billions of dollars are negotiated, constitute key elements for the healthy recovery of an over-indebted economy. However, there are no academic works that analyze in depth the way in which the Fund organizes them. Based on official documents, this paper aims to bridge this gap by explaining how the components that shape the IMF SDR framework are articulated. To this end, the article analyzes: 1) the framework substantial and procedural rules in order to show it as an abstract normative structure as well as an action procedure applicable to specific cases; 2) the framework evolution, synthetically presenting the discussions that gave rise to its main components and justified its principal changes; 3) the framework latest updates, which modified sensitive areas of the Fund’s surveillance and financing functions. This analytical perspective closes a logical circle that shows the IMF SDR framework in a historical and integral manner and also gives an idealistic insider view to what the Fund is and how it operates.