By Jorgelina do Rosario
LONDON (Reuters) – Argentina and the International Monetary Fund are close to an agreement on a delayed review of its $44 billion programme, three sources told Reuters, a key step that would put the country on track to unlock the next tranche of funding.
Government officials and IMF staff representatives are in talks over the seventh review of the 2022 loan, which was originally scheduled to be completed in November but delayed amid a change of government, as President Javier Milei took office on Dec. 10, the sources familiar with the matter said.
“An agreement is close, the country is working to get an approval this month,” one of the sources said, who asked not to be named because the talks are private.
A spokesperson for President Milei declined to comment. An IMF spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The seventh review, which revises the programme’s performance criteria until September, is key to put the deal back on course, as it had gone off track shortly after its latest formal assessment in August due to missed targets.
An IMF mission will arrive in Buenos Aires on January 4, the President’s spokesperson said on Tuesday, without adding further details.
(Reporting by Jorgelina do Rosario, editing by Karin Strohecker)
