Jordan IMF deal clears path for $294m tranche

The International Monetary Fund reached a staff-level agreement with Jordan on Tuesday that clears the way for the release of $294 million under the country's four-year bailout programme.

The payment is subject to approval by the IMF's executive board. Jordan began a nearly $1.2 billion bailout programme in 2024, and an additional $700 million in funding was added a year later.

IMF mission chief Cesar Serra said programme performance remained strong despite uncertainty linked to the war in the Middle East. He said all quantitative performance criteria and most structural benchmarks for the sixth review had been met.

The IMF left Jordan's 2026 growth forecast largely unchanged at 2.7 percent. It said the war had weighed on Jordan through lower tourism inflows, higher trade and transport costs, weaker foreign direct investment and energy price volatility, but that those pressures had so far been largely offset.

The Fund said Jordan could strengthen reforms by enhancing private sector competition, increasing labour market flexibility and encouraging firms to enter the formal economy. Jordan has about $480 million in debt to the IMF due by the end of 2027.