International+Monetary+Fund

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Monetary_Fund

[|www.imf.org]

Imf Origins Conceived 1944 in bretton woods NH Found in 1945 by signing Articles of Agreement 45 governments participating Reason Formed to prevent repetition of great depression Discourage protectionist policies of the 30s Stats 185 member countries hq in Washington dc Mr Dominique Strauss-Kahn is director Aims Improve economic cooperation Ensure stability of international monetary system (exhange rates, international payments) Provides financial and technical advice to member countries Lends foreign exchange to countries with debt Maintains a reserve of basket currencies (pound sterling, dollar, yen... Collect money from contributing countries (more from larger economies)  Conduct global economic studies  Collaborate with World Bank and UN to fight poverty  Structure  executive board with 24 member  8 single countries with largest economies  16 constituencies (groups of countries)