IMF chief arrives in Montevideo for talks with Orsi and the economic team

Wednesday, July 29th 2026 - 23:03 UTC Georgieva wrote on the social network X that she was pleased to be in Uruguay and keen to learn more about a country that has built a solid record of macroeconomic stability International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva arrived in Montevideo for talks on Thursday with President Yamandú Orsi and the country's senior economic officials, on a visit made at the invitation of the Uruguayan government. After landing, Georgieva wrote on the social network X that she was pleased to be in Uruguay and keen to learn more about a country that has built a solid record of macroeconomic stability and resilient institutions. She added that she looked forward to discussing with officials and key stakeholders how to sustain progress for all Uruguayans. The Uruguayan stop closes a regional tour that began in Argentina, where Georgieva met on Monday with President Javier Milei and Economy Minister Luis Caputo. Argentina is the fund's largest borrower. Beyond the meeting with Orsi, the agenda includes talks with Economy and Finance Minister Gabriel Oddone and with central bank Governor Guillermo Tolosa, who has also served as Uruguay's governor at the IMF since April 2025. Georgieva will additionally take part in the annual economics conference organized by the central bank, which concludes on Thursday, and will meet private sector representatives. According to the Economy and Finance Ministry, the meetings will deepen dialogue on the country's economic priorities, its resilience and its international integration in a global environment marked by uncertainty. The ministry noted that the visit comes in a year when Uruguay is receiving technical assistance from the fund to improve the transparency and efficiency of its national accounts. Regional press coverage also frames the visit against fund recommendations on strengthening public finances and increasing fiscal effort. Between November 24 and December 5, 2025, an IMF technical mission visited Montevideo at the central bank's request to assist with monetary policy implementation and liquidity management. The fund concluded then that, despite recent progress, the conduct of Uruguayan monetary policy is hampered by high financial dollarization and the limited depth of the peso money market. The visit coincides with two anniversaries: 80 years of Uruguayan membership in the IMF and two decades since the country paid off its debt to the institution and stopped dealing with it through letters of intent. According to Uruguayan press reports, the last visit by an IMF managing director to the country was that of Dominique Strauss-Kahn in 2011.