Amman, April 15 (Petra) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on Wednesday that it has reached a staff-level agreement with the Jordanian government on the fifth review of the economic reform program under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement, as well as the second review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).

In a statement issued today, IMF Chief of Staff Cesar Serra said the Jordanian economy has continued to demonstrate resilience, supported by the government’s commitment to prudent macroeconomic policies and strong international backing.

He noted that real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth reached 2.8 per cent in 2025, adding that growth momentum is expected to strengthen in early 2026.

Serra said the Central Bank of Jordan has maintained inflation below 2 per cent, attributing this to its continued commitment to monetary stability and the support of substantial foreign exchange reserves. He added that the banking sector remains sound, with strong liquidity and capital buffers.

He highlighted government measures aimed at mitigating the economic impact of the ongoing war, including rising energy costs and disruptions to tourism flows, while maintaining fiscal and monetary discipline.

He said these measures included safeguarding energy security, ensuring continuity of supply chains, maintaining adequate liquidity in financial markets, and providing targeted support to vulnerable groups.

The IMF official said program performance remains strong despite the challenging external environment, noting that all quantitative performance criteria for the fifth EFF review have been met with comfortable margins, while structural benchmarks remain on track.

He added that the government remains committed to reducing public debt to 80 per cent of gross domestic product by 2028 through revenue-enhancing measures and improved spending efficiency.

Serra said completion of the fifth EFF review will unlock about $ 140 million, while the second RSF review will release approximately $ 57 million.

He stressed that structural reforms remain key to supporting private sector growth, improving the business environment, enhancing competition and labour market flexibility, and strengthening the social safety net.

He also noted that the Central Bank of Jordan, in cooperation with the World Bank, has issued executive regulations on climate-related disclosure and reporting, in line with Basel Committee on Banking Supervision guidelines and sustainability standards.

Serra said the agreement followed intensive discussions over the past two weeks between IMF staff and Jordanian officials, including Minister of State for Economic Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh, Minister of Finance Abdelhakim Shibli, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan, and Central Bank of Jordan Governor Adel Sharkas.

//Petra// AJ