El Salvador nears IMF review and disbursement

San Salvador, Sept 22 (Prensa Latina) El Salvador will submit requests to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for waivers regarding unmet criteria, as the country has so far only completed the first review of the program scheduled for June 2025.

September 24, 2026
15:00

A meeting with the IMF Executive Board is scheduled for October 1; the agenda includes analyzing modifications to the performance of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program and a disbursement of $140 million.

According to the financial institution, the second and third reviews under the EFF—approved in February 2025 with financing of approximately $1.4 billion—will be analyzed on that day.

An analysis by economist Cesar Villalona, published by Diario Colatino, notes that the government cut its budget in 2025, while public debt closed at $33.897 billion—an increase of $1.671 billion compared to 2024.

The report specifies that the government’s 2026 budget is $1.805 billion lower than the 2024 budget. This is occurring against a backdrop of public sector layoffs, deteriorating public services, a collapse in the agricultural sector, rising inflation, and a debt load that grew to $34.960 billion by July.

jdt/arm/mem/tdd