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This paper focuses on Barbados' Third Review Under the Extended Arrangement, Requests for Augmentation of Access, and Modification of Performance Criteria. Barbados continues its strong implementation of the comprehensive Economic Recovery and Transformation plan aimed at restoring fiscal and debt sustainability and increasing reserves and growth. The ongoing global coronavirus pandemic poses a major challenge for the economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism, and is expected to have a large impact on the balance of payments and the fiscal accounts. State-owned enterprise (SOE) reform remains an essential element of Barbados' economic program. In order to secure fiscal space for investment in physical and human capital, transfers to SOEs need to decline after the global coronavirus pandemic with a combination of stronger oversight of SOEs, cost reduction, revenue enhancement, and mergers and divestment. Progress in restoring fiscal sustainability must be safeguarded by adopting a new central bank law that limits its financing of the Government to short-term advances and strengthens the central bank's mandate, autonomy, and decision-making structures. A strong recovery after the global pandemic will depend on accelerating structural reforms. There is much room for improvement in the business climate. Establishing a credit registry and credit collateral registry, in addition to broadening the types of eligible collateral, would facilitate access to credit.

Economic stabilization

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After inputs from country authorities, outside experts, and staff; after extensive deliberations at the Executive Board; after further guidance from ministers and governors at the IMFC meetings-after all that, we need to move from diagnosis to action. The goal of making surveillance as interconnected as the world economy remains an inherently long-term endeavor. Nevertheless, building on recent progress, we can do better even in the near term. I want to take this opportunity to put forward some specific measures, based on Executive Directors' many thoughtful comments and suggestions (Table 1).

Economic stabilization.

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In crisis times, depositors get anxious, can run on banks, and withdraw their deposits. Correlated withdrawals of bank deposits could be mitigated if bank deposits are more diversified, that is, held by more individuals. This paper examines the link between the broader access to bank deposits prior to the 2008 crisis and the dynamics of bank deposit growth during the crisis, while controlling for relevant covariates. Employing proxies for access to deposits and the use of bank deposits, the authors find that greater access to bank deposits can make the deposit funding base of banks more resilient in times of financial stress. Policy efforts to enhance financial stability should thus not only focus on macroprudential regulation, but also recognize the positive effect of broader access to bank deposits on financial stability.

Economic stabilization.

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After inputs from country authorities, outside experts, and staff; after extensive deliberations at the Executive Board; after further guidance from ministers and governors at the IMFC meetings-after all that, we need to move from diagnosis to action. The goal of making surveillance as interconnected as the world economy remains an inherently long-term endeavor. Nevertheless, building on recent progress, we can do better even in the near term. I want to take this opportunity to put forward some specific measures, based on Executive Directors' many thoughtful comments and suggestions (Table 1).

Economic stabilization.

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Global economic activity is experiencing a broad-based and sharper-than-expected slowdown, with inflation higher than seen in several decades. The cost-of-living crisis, tightening financial conditions in most regions, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic all weigh heavily on the outlook. Global growth is forecast to slow from 6.0 percent in 2021 to 3.2 percent in 2022 and 2.7 percent in 2023. This is the weakest growth profile since 2001 except for the global financial crisis and the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global inflation is forecast to rise from 4.7 percent in 2021 to 8.8 percent in 2022 but to decline to 6.5 percent in 2023 and to 4.1 percent by 2024. Monetary policy should stay the course to restore price stability, and fiscal policy should aim to alleviate the cost-of-living pressures while maintaining a sufficiently tight stance aligned with monetary policy. Structural reforms can further support the fight against inflation by improving productivity and easing supply constraints, while multilateral cooperation is necessary for fast-tracking the green energy transition and preventing fragmentation.

Economic stabilization.