The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic reported that Governor Héctor Valdez Albizu participated in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, held from 21 to 26 April 2025, focusing on global risk transmission and the Dominican Republic’s macroeconomic outlook. He met with Rodrigo Valdés, Director of the IMF Western Hemisphere Department, to discuss risks from the international environment and the monetary and financial measures adopted by the BCRD to mitigate their impact. In remarks at the IMF constituency meeting chaired by the Brazil seat, Valdez Albizu pointed to a new wave of shocks linked to changes in United States trade, regulatory and migration policy, alongside ongoing geopolitical conflicts. He highlighted GDP growth of 5.0% in 2024 and projected expansion of around 4.0% to 4.5% in 2025, with year-on-year inflation at 3.58% in March 2025 and within the 4.0% ± 1.0% target range since early 2023. He also cited a 2024 current account deficit of 3.3% of GDP fully covered by foreign direct investment exceeding USD 4.5 billion, and international reserves above USD 15 billion, around 12% of GDP and about five months of imports. Separate meetings included discussions with the Inter-American Development Bank on a proposal for central banks to act as an institutional manager for the strategic investment of international reserves and on technical capacity-building for the BCRD in areas including asset management, financial regulation and payment systems. The BCRD technical team also met global financial institutions and investors, including J.P. Morgan, BNP Paribas and Bank of America, on topics linked to foreign investment attraction and financing capacity under volatility scenarios.

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