Showing 1 - 10 of 49
This UN debt initiative is different
News, Published on 07/04/2025
» Economic development requires financing that is affordable, accessible and has maturities matched to development outcomes. Yet for most developing countries, none of the above apply. Instead, an escalating "debt disaster" is unfolding across much of the developing world, exacerbated by a series of cascading global crises.
Govt keen to dangle debt relief
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 24/03/2025
» Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's recent idea to solve the problem of non-performing loans (NPLs) in the household debt sector is just a further extension of two similar programmes introduced by a previous Pheu Thai-led government to ease the financial burden of small debtors and SMEs.
Moving towards a fifth world order
Oped, Published on 26/10/2024
» The Bretton Woods institutions -- the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank -- are now 80 years old. But they are as under-resourced and poorly supported by national governments as at any time in their history. Their predicament is perhaps the clearest sign that economic and financial multilateralism is fragmenting along with the global economy. Worse, this fragmentation comes at a time of rising international tensions, financial fragility, sputtering growth, rising poverty, and mounting reconstruction bills in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, and elsewhere.
Financial crisis looms over Thailand
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 25/01/2024
» The definition of an "economic crisis" is much debated in Thailand. This is because one of the requirements for enacting the emergency fiscal borrowing decree is that the economy must be in crisis.
Debtors rock but creditors may not roll
Oped, Published on 26/12/2023
» In its latest World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that a rising share of countries -- 56% of low-income countries and 25% of emerging markets -- are "in or at high levels of debt distress".
A tale of liquidity and (too much) debt
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 05/10/2023
» Before starting the article, I want to convey a message to the government. The message is "Nothing is free; everything has to be paid for". Acting like Santa Claus is nice, but the government should be aware that every handout gift comes with a price tag.
Addressing the great debt conundrum
Oped, Published on 30/09/2023
» The exponential growth of international capital flows, predominantly in the form of debt, has been one of the great development successes of the past 50 years. But while foreign lending has played a pivotal role for developing economies, loans are a two-edged sword. When used judiciously, they can generate high returns, boost GDP growth, and improve the well-being of borrower countries. But if debts accumulate and the debt-servicing burden increases without a commensurate increase in repayment capacity, the consequences can be severe and even disastrous.
Why do I smell tom yum kung cooking?
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 10/08/2023
» Readers who follow my bi-weekly economic column will have no doubt that the tom yum kung I am referring to is not a traditional Thai soup dish but the financial crisis of 1997.
Financial systems failing Africa
News, Published on 23/06/2023
» The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, recently sounded an ominous alarm bell. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which aim to significantly reduce poverty around the world and create a better quality of life for all, are off track, he warned.
A world of debt is in need of more flexibility
Oped, Published on 30/05/2023
» Recent headlines seem to augur a global debt crisis. The US is teetering on the precipice of a self-inflicted default. Egypt, Ghana, Pakistan, and other countries face grave financial difficulties. And the Chinese are delaying or hampering multilateral efforts to restructure low- and middle-income countries' debt.