‘Take some pain today for growth tomorrow’: Why policymakers should heed IMF’s call

DESPITE Asean’s economic vibrancy, the region is rarely at the centre of global financial diplomacy.

However, that changes next week when Bangkok hosts the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank Annual Meetings from Oct 12 to 18.

In her agenda-setting curtain-raiser speech in Singapore on Wednesday (Oct 7), IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva warned that “winter is coming” – an allusion to TV series Game of Thrones and seasonal pressures soon arriving in the Northern Hemisphere.