Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Biden administration publicly keeps distance from IMF leader

Biden administration publicly keeps distance from IMF leader

Kristalina Georgieva allegedly acted improperly in helping compile the “Doing Business” report for the World Bank, which saw China’s ranking improve.

The Biden administration is publicly keeping its distance from the leader of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, ahead of a key meeting Friday that could decide her fate.

Why it matters: The global economy is at risk from any new COVID-19 variant. The IMF is confronting a credibility crisis, and questions about whether China is exerting undue influence on multilateral institutions in Washington. As the fund's biggest shareholder, the U.S. has an important say in its future direction.

*  Georgieva was scheduled to join President Biden at his COVID-19 summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month — but never appeared with him.

*  So far, the administration has adopted a wait-and-see approach as key senators urge the president to "ensure full accountability."

Between the lines: Losing the head of the IMF would present another political headache for Biden and weaken an institution serving as an international firefighter for countries facing economic collapse.

*  “There is a review currently underway with the IMF Board and Treasury has pushed for a thorough and fair accounting of all the facts,” said Alexandra LaManna, a spokesperson at the Treasury Department.

*  “Our primary responsibility is to uphold the integrity of international financial institutions."

Driving the news: The world’s central bankers and finance ministers are scheduled to converge in Washington for the annual IMF and World Bank meetings, marking the first in-person gathering in two years.

*  Georgieva spent hours before the IMF executive board on Wednesday defending herself.

*  She faces allegations she acted improperly in helping to compile the annual “Doing Business” report for the World Bank, which saw China’s ranking improve.

*  “I am pleased that I finally had the opportunity to explain to the IMF Board my role in the Doing Business report and how I respected the integrity of the report,” Georgieva said in a statement.

*  “I look forward to an expeditious resolution of the matter in a way that preserves the core strengths of the IMF and the World Bank as strong multilateral institutions that fulfill their important missions during these times of unprecedented crisis.”

Flashback: The IMF lost its managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, in 2011 following allegations he sexually assaulted a hotel maid.

*  He was replaced by Christine Lagarde, who left to lead the European Central Bank. Georgieva followed Lagarde at the IMF.

Go deeper: The World Bank commissioned WilmerHale, a global law firm, to conduct an internal review examining whether bank officials manipulated data in the annual “Doing Business” report.

*  The review examined the role played by Georgieva — at the time the World Bank’s CEO — in the context of China's improved ranking. That review, in turn, triggered a review by the IMF.

*  After the World Bank published the WilmerHale findings, The Economist called for Georgieva to resign.

*  On Thursday, Anne O. Krueger, a former chief economist at the World Bank and top IMF official, questioned Georgieva’s ability to run the fund.

*  “Should Georgieva remain in her position, she and her staff will surely be pressured to alter other countries’ data and rankings,” she wrote on Project Syndicate.

But, but, but: Georgieva, a Bulgarian economist, has her defenders, including Joseph Stiglitz, a former World Bank economist and Nobel laureate.

*  He's called the WilmerHale investigation “a hatchet job."

The intrigue: By tradition, European leaders get to decide who leads the IMF, while the U.S. gets to pick the head of the World Bank.

*  That arrangement has been challenged by emerging economies in Latin America, Asia and Africa.

*  Were Georgieva to be forced out, the delicate political balance over who leads what multilateral institution could be upset, and Europe’s leadership of the fund may no longer be a foregone conclusion.

*  It also would mean that the fund's current N0. 2, Geoffrey Okamoto, a former Republican congressional official installed by President Trump, would lead the fund.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×