Bolivia receives US$326 million in SDRs from IMF

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Bolivian government received US$326.4 million from an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program on Monday, August 23.

“The Central Bank of Bolivia (BCB) informs the public that the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a general allocation of 456 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), or US$650 billion, to improve global liquidity and address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result of this distribution, Bolivia received SDR 230.1 million, or about USD326.4 million, on August 23, 2021. This amount was calculated based on Bolivia’s share of the country’s quota with the international organization. The BCB is “committed to the country’s stability and economic and social development,” the BCB said in a communiqué.

The issuer stated that this disbursement is part of a fund established by the IMF for all countries to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

These funds are intended to “improve liquidity” in light of the impact of the pandemic and the decision of the IMF Board of Governors, which allocated a total of 456 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) for the entire world.

In February of this year, the government of Luis Arce repaid the IMF a loan of US$327 million managed by the transitional government, resulting in an outlay of US$24.3 million in foreign exchange, for which US$351.5 million was returned.