IMF South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center

09/09/2026

🔍 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭?

Unlike commercial banks, central banks are not subject to Basel capital requirements. Their financial strength needs to be viewed through a different lens - that reflects their unique policy mandate and ability to issue domestic currency as well as balance sheet structure. What matters is whether a central bank has sufficient financial strength to implement its policies effectively and independently.

To explore these issues, IMF SARTTAC and IMF CCAMTAC brought together central bank officials from South Asia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Mongolia for the workshop "𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲", held in New Delhi from Aug 31 – Sep 3. Participants discussed the role of central bank balance sheets in supporting monetary operations, IFRS adoption, methods for forecasting balance sheet developments, approaches to stress testing and assessing policy solvency, and the importance of transparency and communication in maintaining public trust and policy credibility.

Many thanks to our participants for the engaging discussions and valuable exchange of country experiences!

09/09/2026

Pleased to see SARTTAC featured in The Economic Times coverage of the meeting between 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧 and 𝐈𝐌𝐅 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞. The article notes India's valued support for SARTTAC and the shared commitment to strengthening economic cooperation and resilience across the region.

The discussions covered India-IMF relations, the country's evolving growth trajectory, and the implications of shifts in the global economic environment, including India's trade agenda and developments in the global trading system, including recently concluded bilateral trade agreements.

07/09/2026

Very grateful to 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐌𝐬. 𝐉𝐮𝐡𝐢 𝐌𝐮𝐤𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐣𝐞𝐞 for chairing our annual Steering Committee meeting. Madam Joint Secretary, you said, "SARTTAC should aspire to become South Asia's leading regional hub for building future-ready economic institutions, being a regional institution assisting economic policymaking in the region." Here at SARTTAC, we shall aspire to do just that!

03/09/2026

𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫!

Our 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 on September 1 was a fantastic opportunity to hear from our membership and development partners. At SARTTAC, we need continuous feedback and conversations to continue refining our training and technical cooperation. Members and partners gave us great feedback and suggestions.

From strengthening public financial management and revenue administration to advancing financial sector supervision, statistics, and central banking capacity, the discussions underscored the value of collaboration, peer learning, and country-led reforms. We were very happy that there was also broad consensus for our work plan for the year ahead.

A sincere thank you to our member countries, partners, and Steering Committee members for their continued support and engagement. Together, we are building stronger institutions and fostering sustainable economic development across the region.

We are particularly thankful to India, our largest contributor and host, our five other member countries, and our generous development partners: Australia, the European Union, and the Republic of Korea.

02/09/2026

𝐀 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐂'𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲.

We are delighted to welcome Harald Finger as 𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐂'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫. Harald brings a wealth of experience in macroeconomic, financial, and policy issues, along with deep expertise across both emerging and advanced economies in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

As Harald takes the helm, we would also like to recognize and thank Giorgia Albertin for her leadership and dedication. Through her vision and commitment, Giorgia strengthened SARTTAC's impact across South Asia and deepened the partnerships that are central to our mission. Her contributions have left a lasting mark on the center and the countries we serve.

We look forward to continuing our work with member countries and partners under Harald's leadership as we support stronger institutions and sustainable economic development across the region.

As one chapter closes and another begins, we celebrate Giorgia's legacy, welcome Harald to the SARTTAC family, and look forward to the journey ahead together.

More details: https://www.sarttac.org/content/sarttac/en1/Harald-Finger-details.html

01/09/2026

𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.

From improving public financial management to strengthening central banking and economic policymaking, capacity development is about turning knowledge into action.

Through training, technical assistance, regional collaboration, and knowledge sharing, IMF SARTTAC partners with member countries across South Asia to help build the skills, systems, and institutions needed to meet today's challenges and nurture tomorrow's opportunities.

This short video highlights the partnerships and impact at the heart of our work.

🎬Take a look!

25/08/2026

𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧.

SARTTAC recently delivered a National Training on Accrual Accounting for government officials in Bhutan, supporting the country's transition toward accrual-based IPSAS reporting.

Participants explored key implementation requirements, including reporting frameworks, accounting policies, legal reforms, and the treatment of assets, liabilities, and commitments.

Through practical exercises, they strengthened their readiness to implement reforms and improve public sector financial reporting. 36 government officials took part in the training during August 17-21.

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰!

10/08/2026

24 mid-career officers from the Generalists’ cadre of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) completed a one-week training on macroeconomic analysis and policymaking, strengthening their understanding of key macroeconomic issues and analytical tools. The course covered macroeconomic accounts, drivers of economic growth, fiscal, monetary and exchange rate policies, financial stability, public debt sustainability, and applied these concepts with data to India's evolving macroeconomic opportunities and challenges. The course also featured lectures by RBI officials, including Mr. Ayyappan Nair, General Manager, Financial Stability Department, and Ms. Sangita Misra, Director, Monetary Policy Department, who shared valuable insights on financial stability and monetary policy and its transmission in India respectively.

07/08/2026

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐏𝐅𝐌) 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤: Thirty-two mid-level officials from Bangladesh completed a five-day training program on good practices in public financial management. The course covered medium-term budgeting, revenue and expenditure forecasting, strategic budgeting, public investment management, fiscal risk management, cash management and use of AI in PFM, complemented by hands-on group exercises to strengthen participants’ practical skills and capacity for effective fiscal management.

31/07/2026

Strengthening Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Skills: IMF SARTTAC successfully delivered two capacity development courses for Indian Economic Service (IES) and Indian Statistical Service (ISS) probationary officers during July 6-24, 2026. The Macroeconomic Diagnostics course (July 6-15) strengthened participants' ability to assess the country’s macroeconomic conditions, monetary and fiscal policy stance, financial stability, sectoral vulnerabilities, and debt sustainability. The Financial Programming and Policies (FPP) course (July 16-24) enhanced understanding of linkages between the real, fiscal, monetary, and external sectors, macroeconomic imbalances, and policy responses.

The programs were enriched by distinguished guest speakers from the Government of India, including Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor, M*F; Mr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and Mr. Arunish Chawla, Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, M*F.