IMF Capacity Development

On July 6, officials from 35 IMF member countries arrived at Headquarters to attend the IMF course on Financial Development and Financial Inclusion.

For two weeks, participants had the opportunity to dive into the macroeconomic relevance of financial development and inclusion, learn about financial inclusion as an integral dimension of financial development, and review measures of financial inclusion, its macroeconomic impact, and the main policy strategies pursued.

This was also an opportunity for many participants to discover Washington, DC, for the first time, connect with participants from other parts of the world and IMF staff, and join in the excitement of the World Cup.

In a world marked by uncertainty and shocks, strengthening countries’ resilience to financial crime is more critical than ever. The IMF’s Anti–Money Laundering & Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) capacity development thematic fund remains a cornerstone of our support for member countries in safeguarding financial integrity, protecting macroeconomic stability, and strengthening sustainable growth.

During the 2026 steering committee meeting, chaired by Saudi Arabia, donor partners supporting the AML/CFT fund underscored the tangible results across a broad portfolio of 12 individual country initiatives, 2 regional projects, and 10 thematic programs. Recent work has supported the adoption of comprehensive AML/CFT legislation, the enhancement of risk-based supervision frameworks, and the strengthening of legal and regulatory frameworks.

Impact strongly depends on the engagement of country authorities—like in Algeria, which thorough sustained effort backed by IMF’s technical assistance was recently removed from the so-called grey list, identifying jurisdictions under increased monitoring by the Financial Action Task Force.

Looking ahead, as the current phase of AML/CFT fund's approaches its conclusion in 2027, priorities include consolidating results, scaling impact, and implementing the IMF’s response and action plan, following the independent evaluation. At the same time, the IMF is preparing the launch of an Anti‑Money Laundering and Anti‑Corruption (AMLAC) initiative, which will expand the scope of support for member countries to include the interlinkages between financial integrity, governance, and corruption risks.

The new initiative will continue to ensure strong governance, financial sustainability, and close alignment with the priorities of donor partners.

We are grateful for the unwavering support of AML/CFT fund's partners: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom).

💡 What encourages taxpayers to comply voluntarily?

The answer goes beyond enforcement.

The new IMF Institute Learning Channel playlist, Foundations of Payment and Debt Management, shows how payment and debt management frameworks support that process. It links the four pillars of tax compliance with a practical approach to debt management, helping administrations balance taxpayer support with enforcement when needed.

A quick, structured way to understand how compliance systems work in practice.

▶️ Watch the playlist: https://imfol.org/VITARA-PDMPL1FB