ChainCatcher news, International Monetary Fund (IMF) spokesperson Julie Kozack stated on Thursday that the organization is continuing to assess the impact of U.S. President Trump's tariff plan (including the new 25% auto tariff), but its baseline forecast does not anticipate an economic recession in the United States.When asked about Trump's tariff plan at the IMF's regular press conference, Kozack said that tariffs imposed on goods from Canada and Mexico, if sustained, would have a "significant adverse impact" on the economic outlook of those countries, but she declined to provide specific details. She stated that the IMF is continuing to evaluate the impact of the various tariff measures announced by Trump on other regions.

ChainCatcher news, according to CrowFund Insider, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the seventh edition of the Balance of Payments Manual (BPM7) on March 20, which for the first time incorporates digital assets such as cryptocurrencies into the global economic reporting framework, marking the first update of the manual since 2009. Under the new framework, digital assets are categorized into fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens, and further classified based on whether they carry related liabilities:Unbacked assets like Bitcoin are classified as non-productive non-financial assets, categorized under the capital account;Digital currencies like stablecoins that are backed by liabilities are considered financial instruments;Platform tokens like ETH and SOL, if held cross-border, may be classified as equity-like instruments;Staking and cryptocurrency yield activities are regarded as sources of dividend income;Mining and staking-related services are recognized as exportable computer services.The IMF plans to promote the widespread adoption of BPM7 and the latest national accounts system before 2029-2030.

ChainCatcher news, according to South Korea's Economic TV, the Bank of Korea has clearly stated that it has "never considered including Bitcoin in its foreign exchange reserves." In response to written inquiries from National Assembly member and Planning and Finance Committee member Cha Gyu-geun on the 16th, the Bank of Korea stated, "We believe it is necessary to approach the issue of including Bitcoin in foreign exchange reserves with caution."This is the first time the Bank of Korea has expressed its position on the issue of Bitcoin reserves, and the primary reason for its negative stance is the high volatility of Bitcoin prices. In this regard, the Bank of Korea pointed out, "If the virtual asset market becomes unstable, there is a risk that the transaction costs of Bitcoin may increase sharply during the liquidation process. We believe that Bitcoin also does not meet the International Monetary Fund (IMF) standards for foreign exchange reserve calculations. To date, we have never discussed or considered including Bitcoin in our foreign exchange reserves." The Bank of Korea added, "As far as we know, some countries like the Czech Republic and Brazil hold a positive attitude towards this, but the European Central Bank (ECB), the Swiss National Bank, and the Japanese government have all expressed opposition."

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that at this stage, El Salvador's purchase of Bitcoin does not violate the terms of the loan agreement signed earlier, but discussions on this matter will be held.It is reported that El Salvador reached a $1.4 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund in January this year, which required the country to abandon the adoption of Bitcoin and cancel Bitcoin's legal tender status. However, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele stated that despite the IMF's requests, the El Salvadoran government will not stop purchasing Bitcoin.Bitcoin analyst John Dennehy revealed that the agreement between El Salvador and the IMF was approved on January 29 and published in the official gazette the next day, but the effective date is April 30.

ChainCatcher news, according to BTCTN, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) believes that the African country of Namibia has no compelling reason to issue a retail Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and should instead focus on enhancing Instant Payment Solutions (IPS) to address issues of payment affordability and interoperability.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, El Salvador, under the leadership of President Nayib Bukele, apparently has no intention of stopping its accumulation of Bitcoin, regardless of the demands made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).Bukele posted on the X platform that El Salvador will not stop accumulating Bitcoin: "When the whole world rejects us, and most 'Bitcoin believers' abandon us, it did not stop then, it will not stop now, and it will not stop in the future. Proof of Work is greater than proof of complaint."In addition, El Salvador increased its holdings by another 1 BTC early this morning, bringing its total holdings to 6101.18 BTC.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is seeking to tighten restrictions on public sector purchases of Bitcoin in El Salvador as part of a $1.4 billion delayed financing arrangement with the country. On March 3, the IMF submitted new requirements for an extended fund arrangement to El Salvador, including a technical memorandum that explicitly states the condition that "the public sector of El Salvador shall not voluntarily accumulate Bitcoin."The memorandum also requires restrictions on the public sector issuing "any type of debt or tokenized instruments linked to or denominated in Bitcoin that constitutes a liability for the public sector." El Salvador's Executive Director Méndez Bertolo emphasized in a statement on February 26 that the IMF's extended fund mechanism aims to "improve governance, transparency, and resilience, boosting confidence and national growth potential."Bertolo stated, "At the same time, the risks associated with Bitcoin are being mitigated. Authorities have revised the Bitcoin law to clarify the legal nature of Bitcoin and removed the essential characteristics of legal tender. Acceptance of Bitcoin will be voluntary, taxes will be paid in U.S. dollars, and the public sector's role in Bitcoin projects will be limited." The plan is expected to attract "significant additional financial support" from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other regional development banks.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, data from the Central Bank of El Salvador shows that since October 2024, the proportion of cryptocurrency remittances in the country has remained below 1% of the total. This figure stands in stark contrast to the nearly 5% peak in October 2021 when the country adopted Bitcoin as legal tender.Financial writer John Paul Koning pointed out that although President Nayib Bukele has stated that traditional financial institutions charge up to 25% in fees for remittances, the official digital wallet Chivo offers zero fees, cryptocurrency remittances have failed to gain widespread adoption among the dollarized population in the country.According to an agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Salvadoran government will terminate or sell the operations of Chivo and revoke Bitcoin's legal tender status to reduce Bitcoin's share in its economy.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the Salvadoran Congress has swiftly passed legislation to amend its Bitcoin law to comply with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement.The new bill changes the requirement for the private sector to accept Bitcoin from mandatory to voluntary. This reform was passed with 55 votes in favor and 2 against.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its forecast for U.S. economic growth in 2025 to 2.7%, up from the October forecast of 2.2%; the expected economic growth rate for 2026 is 2.1%, higher than the previous forecast of 2.0%.Under the new U.S. government, policy changes are likely to drive inflation up in the short term, and excessive relaxation of regulatory measures may weaken financial safety protections and increase financial vulnerabilities.

ChainCatcher news, IMF spokesperson Kozak stated that the use of Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador will be voluntary when asked about it. The agreement reached between the IMF and El Salvador aims to mitigate potential Bitcoin risks based on the IMF policy framework. Furthermore, Kozak declined to comment on Trump's U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve plan, stating that a comprehensive assessment will be conducted when the policy is implemented.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, El Salvador has reached a $1.4 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), planning to receive funding support over the next 40 months. As part of the agreement, the country will make it voluntary for merchants to accept Bitcoin payments, while gradually reducing the government's involvement in Bitcoin-related projects, including a phased withdrawal from the management of the state-supported wallet app Chivo.The IMF stated that this move will significantly reduce the potential risks associated with Bitcoin projects, while clearly stipulating that the public sector's participation is limited to specific activities within the Bitcoin economy. Additionally, taxes will be paid only in U.S. dollars, not in Bitcoin. The agreement still requires approval from the IMF's executive board, marking the end of a four-year negotiation with the IMF since El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in June 2021. The IMF has previously warned that the speculative nature of Bitcoin could pose financial risks to the country. The agreement will also facilitate additional financing from institutions such as the World Bank, with total financing exceeding $3.5 billion.Nevertheless, El Salvador's presidential Bitcoin advisor Max Keiser expressed disdain on social media platform X, stating that the use of Bitcoin in the country "has never been so active and continues to grow." However, surveys show that 92% of Salvadorans have not used Bitcoin for transactions, an increase from 88% in 2023.

ChainCatcher news, according to Solid Intel, El Salvador may reduce its Bitcoin plan to reach a $1.3 billion agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).The El Salvadoran government will also commit to reducing the budget deficit by 3.5 percentage points over three years through spending cuts and increased taxes, and will advance this plan by passing an anti-corruption bill and increasing foreign exchange reserves from $11 billion to $15 billion.The IMF has opposed El Salvador's adoption of this digital currency, stating that it poses risks to financial stability and integrity, and urged the Bukele government to stop using cryptocurrency as legal tender.

ChainCatcher news, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommends that El Salvador narrow the scope of its Bitcoin law and strengthen regulatory oversight in ongoing negotiations regarding a potential loan program.The organization expressed concerns about the potential risks associated with El Salvador's adoption of Bitcoin, which is a key issue in the negotiations for the country's new loan program aimed at creating a policy framework that helps enhance productivity and strengthen economic reforms.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a blog post this week written by Shafik Hebous, Deputy Director of the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department, and another economist, Nate Vernon-Lin.The authors emphasized the environmental challenges posed by cryptocurrency mining and artificial intelligence data centers, noting that these sectors already account for 2% of global electricity consumption. They added, "According to our estimates based on projections from the International Energy Agency (IEA), this share could rise to 3.5% within three years."The report warns that this increasing energy use could lead to cryptocurrency mining contributing 0.7% of global carbon emissions by 2027, and emphasizes, "Expanding the analysis to data centers (according to IEA estimates) means that by 2027, carbon emissions from these sectors could reach 450 million tons, accounting for 1.2% of the global total."To address this issue, Hebous and Vernon-Lin proposed a targeted electricity tax, stating, "A tax system is a way to guide businesses to reduce emissions. According to IMF estimates, a direct tax of $0.047 per kilowatt-hour would encourage the cryptocurrency mining industry to curb its emissions in line with global targets."However, critics argue that these taxes could severely hinder the development of the cryptocurrency industry. Additionally, some studies have shown that the environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining remains relatively small compared to other major industries such as e-commerce or traditional finance.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the Deputy Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Fiscal Affairs Department, Shafik Hebous, and economist Nate Vernon-Lin from the Climate Policy Department stated that a tax of 0.047 yuan per kilowatt-hour "will drive the cryptocurrency mining industry to curb its emissions in line with global goals." If the impact of miners on local health is taken into account, the tax will rise to 0.089 dollars per kilowatt-hour. Increasing taxes will raise the average electricity price for crypto miners by 85%, generate an additional 5.2 billion dollars in global government revenue annually, and reduce emissions by 100 million tons per year, equivalent to Belgium's emissions.They claimed that the electricity consumed by a single Bitcoin transaction is roughly equivalent to the average electricity usage of a Pakistani person over three years, while the energy required for the AI model ChatGPT is ten times that of a Google search. The two also proposed a 0.032 dollars per kilowatt-hour energy usage tax on AI data centers, which would rise to 0.052 dollars when accounting for pollution costs, as "these data centers are often located in areas with greener electricity." IMF officials stated that this tax could generate 18 billion dollars in revenue for the government each year.

ChainCatcher message, the IMF indicates that the Federal Reserve should wait until at least the end of 2024 to lower the policy interest rate. For the Federal Reserve, it is prudent to wait for clearer evidence that inflation is consistently returning to the 2% target before cutting rates.

ChainCatcher news, according to CryptoSlate, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently released a report stating that amidst global financial instability, Bitcoin (BTC) is increasingly becoming a key channel for cross-border capital flows. The report highlights significant transaction volumes from countries like Argentina and Venezuela, where citizens face hyperinflation and strict financial controls. In these regions, Bitcoin has become a necessary financial tool for preserving wealth and accessing global markets, rather than just a speculative investment.However, the IMF report also warns that the widespread use of Bitcoin for cross-border flows may pose potential risks. The lack of oversight and the anonymity provided by cryptocurrencies could complicate efforts by regulators to monitor and control financial transactions to prevent illegal activities such as money laundering.

ChainCatcher news, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has requested the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) of Pakistan to impose capital gains tax (CGT) on cryptocurrency investments as one of the requirements for qualifying for a $3 billion bailout. The $3 billion assistance provided by the IMF aims to stabilize Pakistan's excessively inflated formal economy and prevent it from defaulting on its debts. If Pakistan agrees to these conditions, the IMF will disburse approximately $1.1 billion.