Lebanon and the IMF: New baseline with clarity of intent

If you have read Executive’s 4-part explainer (see I, II, III, and IV) on Lebanon and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), you may have gained some new insights on the nature, history and aims of the fund as well as on which types of economies tend to benefit from IMF loans and which tend to end up in greater debt, increased inflation, and with little to no long-term improvement. Now, halfway through the second quarter of 2025, a new government is taking charge of a tentatively post-war economy. The region and the world have dramatically diverged from the realities of just two years ago. With changes occurring at what some perceive as a rapid rate and what others view as too slow, Lebanon is ready for economic and political progress. The question remains as to whether that progress would be accelerated or slackened by an agreement with the IMF. Lebanon