A special focus on the 2026 IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings.

On April 16 local time, at the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, it was noted that a report highlighted that against a backdrop of geopolitical shocks facing the global economy, while Asia is still regarded as a key pillar supporting global growth, the region's high dependence on energy imports makes it particularly vulnerable to the impacts of rising oil and gas prices driven by tensions in the Middle East.

The Director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department stated during a press conference that if the energy shock intensifies further, its effects will become more pronounced. According to IMF calculations, under an adverse scenario assuming oil prices in 2026 rise by approximately 60% compared to previous forecasts and remain elevated into 2027, the cumulative output of major Asian economies could decline by 0.8% by 2027, with the potential to approach 2% in an extreme case.

Concurrently during the Spring Meetings, a breakfast meeting for G20 finance ministers and central bank governors was held. With the upcoming hearings for candidates for the position of Federal Reserve Chair next week, and former US President Donald Trump again threatening to dismiss current Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Powell himself became the central figure surrounded by media on site.