G20 podium
NEW DELHI: Top finance leaders from G20 nations recently met for their second meeting under the Indian G20 presidency. The two-day meeting was co-chaired by India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das. The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting took place on April 12-13, in Washington DC.
Around 350 delegates from G20 members, 13 invitee countries, and various international and regional organizations participated in the meeting, which took place on the margins of the 2023 Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group.
The FMCBG meeting had three sessions. The first one was on Global Economy and International Financial Architecture which discussed the key challenges to global economic outlook, including the conflict in Ukraine, food and energy insecurity, climate change, and recent risks to financial stability.
Global economic recovery
The members agreed on the G20’s contribution to building a common understanding for global economic recovery and protecting vulnerable countries and populations.
The second session on Sustainable Finance, Financial Sector, and Financial Inclusion deliberated on mobilizing resources for climate change, the role of multilateral financial institutions in catalyzing private finance flows for Sustainable Development Goals, and scaling up and encouraging wider adoption of social impact investment instruments.
Discussions also covered the macroeconomic and financial challenges posed by the cryptoassets ecosystem and potential global policy responses, taking into account the risks, especially to Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs). Members also discussed leveraging Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for financial inclusion and productivity gains.
Two-pillar tax package
The third session on International Taxation discussed the need for coordinated efforts towards effective implementation and wider adoption of the two-pillar international tax package. Ministers shared suggestions on how best the G20 can complement global efforts to enhance tax transparency.
In the run-up to the G20 FMCBG meeting, the G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies met with the major Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) on April 12 to discuss the status of implementation of recommendations of the G20 Independent Panel of MDBs on Capital Adequacy Frameworks (CAF). These updates will contribute to the preparation of the G20 Roadmap on CAF, which will be one of the key deliverables of the Finance Track under the Indian G20 Presidency.
The progress achieved during the second G20 FMCBG meeting will inform the discussions during the third meeting, which will be held in July in Gandhinagar, India, and subsequently the Leaders’ Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 9-10. The G20 is committed to addressing global economic challenges and promoting sustainable and inclusive growth for all.
