Scott Bessent to skip IMF meetings in Bangkok

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will not attend the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok next week, a Treasury Department official confirmed Friday.

The department said Deputy Treasury Secretary Francis Brooke and Under Secretary for International Affairs Erin Browne will instead lead the US delegation.

Bessent had been expected to chair a Thursday meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors, with the United States holding the group's rotating presidency. A US official said Bessent has “domestic engagements,” without giving further details.

The Bangkok meetings come weeks before US midterm elections and amid elevated bond yields and domestic pressure over the war with Iran. The Treasury Department said US officials would work with partners on growth, global imbalances and sovereign debt transparency.