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CAIRO (Reuters) – Lebanon has received preliminary approval to increase the value of a World Bank reconstruction loan to $400 million from $250 million, Finance Minister Yassine Jaber said in a statement on Wednesday. The Lebanese prime minister said in March that the World Bank had presented a $1 billion programme for the reconstruction of …

Lebanon receives preliminary approval to increase World Bank loan to $400 million Read More »

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand may need at least 500 billion baht ($15 billion) for economic stimulus measures to address the impact of U.S. tariffs, its finance minister said on Wednesday. The measures will focus on boosting domestic consumption and investment, as well as providing soft loans, Pichai Chunhavajira told reporters. Thailand is among Southeast Asian nations …

Thailand may need $15 billion of stimulus to cope with US tariffs, minister says Read More »

BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s plan to facilitate cross-border financial services will help promote greater international usage of the yuan, a senior central bank official said on Wednesday, at a time global trade tensions have intensified. The central bank published a plan earlier this week encouraging state-owned enterprises to prioritise yuan usage in payment and settlement as …

China says plan to boost cross-border financial services will boost yuan usage amid trade tensions Read More »

By Sfundo Parakozov and Kopano Gumbi JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa’s annual inflation rate fell for the first time in five months in March to its lowest level since June 2020, due to a drop in fuel costs and softer price rises for tuition. Headline consumer inflation eased to 2.7% year-on-year from 3.2% in February, below …

South African inflation falls to five-year low in March as fuel, education costs ease Read More »

By Gayatri Suroyo and Stefanno Sulaiman JAKARTA(Reuters) -Indonesia’s central bank held policy rates steady for a third consecutive review on Wednesday, as expected, aiming to maintain rupiah exchange rate stability amid global trade tensions. Bank Indonesia kept the benchmark 7-day reverse repurchase rate, known as BI Rate, unchanged at 5.75%, as expected by all but …

Indonesia central bank holds policy rates to keep rupiah stable Read More »

By Uditha Jayasinghe COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka is on track to post growth of 3.5% this year, the World Bank said in its latest report on Wednesday, unchanged from its October forecast, but faces challenges from hefty U.S. tariffs and high poverty rates. The island nation posted growth of 5% last year, rebounding from …

Sri Lanka’s economy to grow 3.5% in 2025 despite US tariff headwinds, World Bank says Read More »