Other trade-related activities - IMF

The TIM was introduced in April 2004 to assist member countries in meeting balance of payments shortfalls that might result from multilateral trade liberalization. The TIM is not a special lending facility that will provide new resources under special terms. Rather, the TIM is a policy designed to increase the predictability of resources that are available under existing facilities. The TIM allows the IMF to provide loans under one of its facilities to a developing country whose balance of payments is suffering because of multilateral trade liberalization, either because its export earnings decline when it loses preferential access to certain markets or because prices for food imports go up when agricultural subsidies are eliminated. Three member countries (Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic, and the Republic of Madagascar) have so far requested and obtained support in accordance with the TIM.