Costa Rica unlocks $519 mln from IMF for economic reform, climate programs

(Reuters) – Costa Rica has unlocked a total of around $519 million for its economic reform program and a climate and sustainability program, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said yesterday.

Around $274 million went to the economic reform program, which is one installment in the more than $1 billion Costa Rica has received from the IMF under the arrangement, the fund said.

Another $245 million goes to the resilience and sustainability arrangement.

The Central American country met its fiscal targets by large margins, Kenji Okamura, acting chair of the IMF board, said in a statement.

“While there is scope for further monetary easing in 2023, policies should remain attentive to risks to the inflation outlook,” he added.

The IMF pegged Costa Rica’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth for this year at 3.0% and at 3.2% in 2024.