Paraguay will preside over the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, to be held in Thailand, from 12 to 18 October 2026, the first time in over 70 years the country has held the role. Paraguay’s Central Bank (BCP) made the announcement. The 2026 IMF And World Bank Annual Meetings will take place in Bangkok.
What the role means
BCP President Carlos Carvallo will chair the Board of Governors, the main decision-making body of both institutions.
The meetings will take place at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok. Organizers expect more than 15,000 participants from 191 countries to attend.
The Annual Meetings bring together finance ministers, central bank governors, private sector leaders, academics and civil society representatives. Key events include the Plenary session, Development Committee, and the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC). These advisory bodies guide governments on global economic outlook, poverty reduction, and aid effectiveness. The 2026 agenda will cover growth, financial stability, jobs, climate change, and digital transformation.
A year of three presidencies
The Bangkok meetings complete a year in which Paraguay is chairing three major international financial bodies simultaneously, the IDB, the World Bank Group and the IMF.
Earlier in 2026, Paraguay hosted the Annual Assemblies of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and IDB Invest at the CONMEBOL District in Luque, on the outskirts of Asunción.
Organizers do not permanently hold the Annual Meetings in Bangkok. Under the institutions rotation system, the event is held for two consecutive years at IMF and World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C., and every third year in a member country. Bangkok last hosted the meetings in 1991.
Paraguay’s role at the 2026 IMF and World Bank meetings
Paraguay holds investment-grade credit ratings from both Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s and has been among the faster-growing economies in South America in recent years. The government says the 2026 chairmanship reflects recognition of macroeconomic stability and strengthens global investment ties.
Chairing the 2026 IMF and World Bank meetings does not confer additional voting power. It does, however, place Paraguay, at the centre of a forum that shapes the direction of global economic policy.
