IMF Bonds Are Coming Soon, but You Won’t Be Able to Buy Any
By Bob Davis
The International Monetary Fund is putting final touches on its plans to issue its first bonds. Russia has already said it would buy $10 billion of the bonds, which would be priced in the IMF’s quasi-currency, “special drawing rights.” SDRs are a basket of currencies consisting of the euro, yen, pound sterling and U.S. dollar. As of Friday, 1 SDR equals $1.55. China, Brazil and India also have said they are interested in buying IMF bonds, with China likely to purchase more than $20 billion of instrument. The IMF wants to issue bonds as a way to build up its lending war chest as the global economic nosedive continues. But don’t start lining up at the IMF to buy some yourselves. Only the IMF’s 185 member nations and some central banks will be eligible to purchase them and trade them — among themselves. Some at the World Bank worry that the IMF bonds might push up borrowing rates somewhat for the Bank, though IMF officials doubt the IMF bond issuance will be large enough to affect World Bank borrowing costs much And don’t expect to see a physical bond certificate or coupons. The IMF isn’t designing a paper bond with some fancy lettering or a picture of, say, the IMF headquarters or John Maynard Keynes. All the transactions will be handled electronically.
