Karin Strohecker

Europe needs a mindset shift to ensure more cross-border mergers and acquisitions and Greece hopes it can be at the center of some of them, the country's finance minister said, singling out infrastructure as a possible target sector.

Angola anticipates finalizing a debt-for-development swap with the World Bank before June, a senior debt management official said this week on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Washington.

The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday it remains unable to lend to Zimbabwe due to the country's outstanding arrears, but praised recent economic reforms as discussions progress on a potential staff-monitored program.

The fresh flare-up in trade tensions between the United States and China is a big risk to the outlook for Thailand's economic growth, the country's deputy central bank governor said, adding there was little room left to lower rates further.

Morocco will adjust its upcoming budget to prioritize spending on health and education as well as allocate some additional funds to reduce regional inequalities, Finance Minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui told Reuters.

Sub-Saharan African governments are paying more to borrow at home than abroad as they turn increasingly to domestic banks to plug financing gaps, deepening risks for lenders and squeezing private investment, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday.

South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago warned on Wednesday that rising global debt poses a risk to financial stability.

Top U.S. and Chinese officials joined a meeting on Wednesday of the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable, where a key topic was the lack of transparency about commercial bank loans that have complicated developing countries' debt restructuring efforts.

Egypt is poised to complete another debt swap before the end of this year with its European partners, according to Planning Minister Rania al-Mashat, adding that more such transactions were also in the pipeline for next year.

Pakistan is set to sign a preliminary deal on a review of its loan programme with the International Monetary Fund this week, the country's finance minister said, a key step to securing another $1.24 billion payout from the lender.

A global database of emerging market debt statistics created by top development banks is aiming to use artificial intelligence to parse risk more comprehensively for investors and help lower borrowing costs for developing countries.

The World Bank has lifted its growth outlook for the region encompassing the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan for 2025, though trimmed its forecast for next year, citing conflict and lower oil production in Iran and Libya.

The European Investment Bank has cut the decision making time for security and defence projects to six months and expects to see the sector's share of total spending meet or exceed a 3.5% target in 2025 before growing further, its president told Reuters.

Angola will decide by November whether to roll over its $1 billion total return swap deal with JPMorgan, or potentially raise the money on international capital markets, a senior debt official told Reuters.

Emerging market central banks implemented their largest rate-cutting push in years in July, while their developed market counterparts held steady as uncertainty over U.S. trade and tariff policies reverberated across global economies.

Nigeria needs to adapt its 2025 budget to lower oil prices and scale up cash transfers to shield the most vulnerable parts of its population that face hunger and poverty, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.

Ratings agency Moody's has slashed its rating on Afreximbank, the embattled African lender's second downgrade in four weeks, citing weaker-than-expected asset performance and warning that its access to funding sources was shrinking.

A soon-to-be-released review by the International Monetary Fund of Ukraine's debt sustainability is the next logical opportunity to restart broken-down talks over restructuring its GDP-linked warrants, said the country's debt chief Yuriy Butsa.

Turkish companies and banks will benefit from a lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, Onur Genc, chief executive officer of financial group BBVA said on Wednesday.

Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said there is a "financial gap" in the country's budget for next year, but that Ukraine is stronger than it was a year ago and capable of continuing to defend itself.