Exclusive-Argentina poised to get CAF loan for $913 million IMF payment -sources

Jorgelina do Rosario
Updated ·2 min read
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FILE PHOTO: The IMF logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington

By Jorgelina do Rosario

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentina is set to receive financing from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) to make a $913 million payment due to the IMF next week, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Argentina, whose $44 billion International Monetary Fund programme makes it the largest debtor to the fund, is due to make the capital payment on Dec. 21.

South America's second largest economy suffers from deeply negative reserves and had to make use of loans from CAF as well as Qatar, and a swapline with China's central bank to make recent payments to the fund on time.

A spokesperson for Argentina's new President Javier Milei did not immediately reply to a request for comment. CAF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Argentina's new Economy Minister Luis Caputo met CAF Executive President Sergio Diaz-Granados on Monday, one source said.

All financing by CAF will need to be signed off by its board.

Caputo said in an interview televised on Wednesday evening that the government would make the payment to the IMF, but did not detail how.

Separately, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that IMF staff would hold an informal briefing with the fund's board on Argentina on Monday.

Using CAF funds will allow Argentina's new government to circumvent using the PBOC swapline, which helped the previous government repay debt owed to the IMF.

Argentina's libertarian president repeatedly insulted communist-run China in his election campaign, but has sounded more conciliatory towards the country's second-largest trade partner since winning the vote in November.

On Tuesday, Caputo announced a slate of economic measures including a more than 50% devaluation of the peso to 800 per U.S. dollar and energy and transportation subsidy cuts in a bid to dig the country out of a deep economic crisis.

Argentina's total sovereign debt exceeds $400 billion, and payments due to the IMF and other creditors total about $4 billion in January alone.

(Reporting by Jorgelina do Rosario in Buenos Aires, writing by Karin Strohecker in London, editing by Elisa Martinuzzi and Alexander Smith)