The average level of tax revenues among OECD countries was largely unchanged in 2023 as governments sought to ease cost-of-living pressures amid growing spending challenges related to climate change and ageing populations, according to a new report released today. Revenue Statistics 2024 shows that the average tax-to-GDP ratio for OECD countries was 33.9% in 2023, 0.1 percentage points (p.p.) below its level in 2021 and 2022, but above its pre-pandemic level of 33.4% in 2019. In 2023, the tax-to-GDP ratio increased in 18 of the...

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Understanding the drivers of the current downturn in commercial real estate (CRE) can provide insights into the outlook for the market and potential spillovers to the financial system and wider economy. The CRE market is facing the simultaneous effects of higher interest rates, falling demand due to a structural shift towards remote working and rising costs from higher sustainability-linked capex requirements. Understanding the role of each factor in driving prices and firms’ profits can provide some insight into how financial...

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By Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, IMF | Good morning, and welcome. Let me start by thanking Bert and the Statistics Department for organizing the 12th IMF Statistical Forum on ‘Measuring the Implications of AI on the Economy.’ You always choose a topic that is timely and important—and also fascinating! It has been just two years since generative AI emerged from the lab and became a tool that anyone with internet access can use. We still feel the excitement of something...

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Economic growth remains fragile, while concerns about global trade outlook add to geopolitical and policy uncertainty High valuations and risk concentration make markets more susceptible to sudden corrections Policy uncertainty, weak fiscal fundamentals in some countries and sluggish potential growth raise concerns about sovereign debt sustainability Credit risk vulnerabilities in some euro area households and firms could lead to weaker asset quality for banks and non-bank financial intermediaries if downside risks to growth materialise The European Central Bank (ECB)...

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By Luis de Guindos | Meeting the EU’s climate neutrality targets calls for deep structural changes and significant private funding, requiring a healthy financial system. That’s why we’ve tested how resilient banks, investment funds and insurers are to stresses arising during the green transition. ECB Vice-President Luis de Guindos explains the findings. Achieving a carbon-neutral European Union by 2050 will require a resilient financial sector to provide the funding for the necessary investment. In other words, the financial system needs...

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The Council today adopted new rules on clearing services that revise the European market infrastructure regulation and directive (EMIR). The new rules aim to make the EU clearing landscape more attractive and resilient, to support the EU’s open strategic autonomy and to preserve the EU’s financial stability. The European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) lays down rules on over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives, central counterparties (CCPs) and trade repositories. The new rules improve EU clearing services by streamlining and shortening procedures, improving consistency between rules and strengthening CCP supervision. In...

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Speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at "Les Essentiels des Bernardins", Paris It is both an honour and a privilege to address you at the esteemed Collège des Bernardins, a site rich in history and intellectual tradition. As I stand in this restored medieval college, I am reminded of the profound role that monastic institutions have played in spreading Christian values throughout Europe. In these environments, ideals of social responsibility flourished through communal living. The principle of “ora et labora”...

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