World Bank

Chronology of Coverage

1. Mar. 20, 2015

   Editorial criticizes Obama administration for its role in pushing China to create Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, potential rival to World Bank, by denying China significant role in World Bank; contends administration's actions have led to embarrassing and dangerous situation in which allies have flocked to invest in Chinese bank, making future regulation difficult. MORE

2. Feb. 25, 2015

   Unnamed Frenchwoman working on a World Bank project is kidnapped along with her Yemeni translator in front of a ministry office in Sana, Yemen; French Pres Francois Hollande vows to do everything to secure her release; kidnapping underscores Houthi government's inability to secure the capital. MORE

3. Oct. 14, 2014

   World Bank president Dr Jim Yong Kim, frustrated with slow global response to Ebola outbreak, has made fighting epidemic his mission, driving bank to act on Ebola with uncharacteristic speed; bank has committed $400 million to fighting disease. MORE

4. Oct. 10, 2014

   American officials are quietly lobbying against China's plan to form big, internationally funded bank; are engaged in vigorous campaign to persuade important allies, like Australia and South Korea, to shun the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; United States Treasury Dept has criticized the bank as a deliberate effort to undercut the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. MORE

5. Oct. 10, 2014

   Presidents of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, nations most affected by the Ebola outbreak, implore world leaders to increase their support to fight the disease; speak at meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington. MORE

6. Sep. 28, 2014

   News analysis; United States is missing from World Bank declaration calling on all nations to enact laws forcing industries to pay for carbon emissions that scientists say are the leading cause of global warming; declaration, signed by 74 countries and more than 1,000 businesses, notes that governments can either directly tax carbon pollution or create market-based cap-and-trade systems, which force companies to buy government-issued pollution. MORE

7. Aug. 18, 2014

   Editorial warns that federal trial in Brooklyn involving accusations that Arab Bank in Jordan handled transactions for known terrorists may discourage banks from arranging remittances for migrant workers in wealthy countries on grounds that legal risk is too high; says departure of banks from remittance business would threaten years of progress on lowering remittance fees; urges World Bank to avert situation by becoming remittance center. MORE

8. Jul. 16, 2014

   Leaders of so-called BRICS group of nations that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa announce that they are establishing a development bank to challenge influence of World Bank and International Monetary Fund; New Development Bank, based in Shanghai, will open with initial capitalization of $50 billion, and India will name bank's first president. MORE

9. Jul. 10, 2014

   Editorial laments news that big banks are leaving money transfer business, arguably most effective antipoverty effort in the world for migrants working in rich countries who regularly transfer money home; calls for other low-cost options for cash transfers, including possibility of making World Bank a remittance center. MORE

10. Jun. 11, 2014

    World Bank, in new forecast, downgrades its estimate of world's economic expansion, with developing economies posting disappointing growth rates and frigid winter in United States and crisis in Ukraine weighing on growth too; institution now anticipates global growth of just 2.8 percent in 2014, picking up to 3.5 percent in 2016. MORE

11. Jun. 7, 2014

    World Bank says China is likely to meet its economic growth target of 7.5 percent in 2014. MORE

12. May. 28, 2014

    Employees at World Bank are calling first restructuring in nearly two decades a nightmare, saying process is killing productivity and morale; World Bank leader Jim Yong Kim says that his plan, which involves breaking down regional 'silos' and squeezing out inefficiencies, is necessary to keep institution relevant. MORE

13. Apr. 13, 2014

    Concerns expressed at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual spring meetings are less about crisis and more about complacency; while euro zone has re-emerged from recession, emerging market jitters have quieted and American fiscal battles have abated, recovery remains fragile; in many cases, growth remains sluggish, leaving a jobs gap of 62 million. MORE

14. Apr. 2, 2014

    World Bank says it is nearly doubling its potential lending to so-called middle-income countries like China, India and Brazil, adding about $100 billion in new financing capacity over the next decade. MORE

15. Feb. 28, 2014

    World Bank reports that world loses or wastes 25 to 33 percent of the food it produces for consumption; such losses can mean difference between adequate diet and malnutrition in places where undernourishment is common, such as Africa and South Asia. MORE

16. Jan. 15, 2014

    World Bank's economists expect global growth to increase from 2.4 percent in 2013 to 3.2 percent in 2014, and to maintain that level for the next two years; warn, however, of possible turbulence. MORE

17. Jan. 11, 2014

    World Bank ombudsman issues a stinging critique of the bank’s private-sector arm over a loan to a Honduran palm-oil company engaged in a violent conflict with farm workers over land tenure. MORE

18. Oct. 14, 2013

    Fiscal woes of United States dominate meetings of World Bank and International Monetary Fund, as world leaders forcefully warn of consequences should US fail to raise debt ceiling and reopen its government; confidence remains that impasse will be settled before default occurs, but foreign leaders say even a near-default will lead to higher borrowing costs and slowdown of global economy. MORE

19. Oct. 14, 2013

    Fiscal deadlock in Washington dominates meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, but leaders also discuss such issues as a coming 'rebalancing' of economic growth, where rich economies speed up while growth in middle-income economies slows down. MORE

20. Oct. 8, 2013

    World Bank lowers its growth forecast for large parts of eastern Asia; growth in the region that includes China, Thailand and the Philippines will be 7.1 percent in 2013 and 7.2 percent in 2014, according to the bank’s new projections, from 7.8 percent and 7.6 percent. MORE

21. Oct. 7, 2013

    World Bank president Jim Yong Kim has sweeping plan to sort sprawling bank’s operations by the kinds of projects involved, like agriculture or energy, rather than by region; reorganization, first in nearly two decades, is meant to encourage collaboration. MORE

22. Sep. 16, 2013

    World Bank president, Jim Yong Kim, says China should hit its gross domestic product growth target of 7.5 percent this year; warns rising interest rates in emerging markets, in response to reports that the United States is preparing to scale back its buying of government bonds, show that significant risk remains. MORE

23. May. 5, 2013

    Annie Lowrey It's the Economy column examines efforts by World Bank to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030; notes modest goal seems possible because organization is only aiming to raise everyone above $1.25-a-day income threshold, which would keep people from starving but not meet other vital needs. MORE

24. Apr. 22, 2013

    Some European leaders gathering at annual spring meetings for World Bank and International Monetary Fund signal new willingness to slow pace of budget cuts and bolster growth on Continent; growth-oriented strategies promoted by both organizations have long been ignored in favor of austerity-only measures. MORE

25. Apr. 19, 2013

    World Bank will honor three winners of its Sanitation Hackathon, competition to find technological solutions that address poor sanitation and hygiene in third world; winning projects address access to functional toilets and clean water, among other issues. MORE

26. Apr. 16, 2013

    Europe is divided over road to recovery, with some officials clinging to pursuit of strict austerity and others calling for easing of monetary policy and some stimulus; tension will be on full display during spring meetings of International Monetary Fund and World Bank. MORE

27. Mar. 27, 2013

    Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, five emerging world economic powers, gather in Johannesburg for summit meeting at which they plan to announce creation of new development bank, in direct challenge to dominance of World Bank and International Monetary Fund. MORE

28. Jan. 28, 2013

    World Bank announces long-awaited to deal to allow Myanmar to clear part of its decades-old foreign debt, totaling about $900 million, opening door for lending to jump-start its lagging economy. MORE

29. Jan. 16, 2013

    World Bank's latest Global Economic Prospects report describes 'dramatic' easing of financial conditions around the world, but still warns that global growth will continue to be sluggish for years to come. MORE

30. Oct. 26, 2012

    Treasury economist rummaging in department's library discovers transcript of 1944 Bretton Woods conference, event that cast foundations of modern international monetary system; transcript provides new insight into the World War II meeting, at which 44 allied nations created the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. MORE

31. Jul. 3, 2012

    New World Bank president Jim Yong Kim says the institution might help crisis-plagued high-income countries as a technical consultant, in addition to its core goal of eradicating global poverty. MORE

32. Jun. 13, 2012

    World Bank warns that fears about the euro zone have reduced investor tolerance for risk, leading the bank to predict slumping growth in coming years and urge poorer economies to protect themselves by reducing their debts. MORE

33. Apr. 20, 2012

    World Bank and the African Development Bank suspend millions of dollars of aid to Guinea-Bissau as a way to press leaders of a military coup there to return power to civilians. MORE

34. Apr. 20, 2012

    Europe's problems will be at the forefront of discussions at the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank; some policy makers say the debt crisis is not only threatening the euro zone economy and the integrity of the common currency, but is also diminishing Europe's influence in world affairs. MORE

35. Apr. 17, 2012

    World Bank names Dartmouth College president Jim Yong Kim its next president; widely expected appointment continues the longstanding tradition of an American leading the Washington-based development institution; board for first time considered candidates from outside the United States. MORE

36. Apr. 10, 2012

    Dr Jim Yong Kim sketches his vision for the World Bank, including more receptivity to the views of the poorer countries that the institution finances; also responds to criticism related to his lack of experience in economics and foreign policy and his past critiques of the bank. MORE

37. Apr. 9, 2012

    Op-Ed article by author Benn Steil describes how an espionage scandal at the time of the creation of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank led to the convention of an American being chosen to lead the World Bank and a European being chosen to lead the IMF. MORE

38. Mar. 31, 2012

    Editorial concludes that Pres Obama’s nomination of Dartmouth College president Jim Yong Kim to head the World Bank is an inspired choice, but notes that other candidates with more international economic experience should be considered. MORE

39. Mar. 30, 2012

    United States announces that it will provide Tunisia with a $100 million cash infusion to pay its debts to the World Bank and other international banks. MORE

40. Mar. 30, 2012

    World Bank, for the first time, is considering more than one candidate for its five-year presidency; two candidates from developing nations, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Jose Antonio Ocampo, are challenging American nominee Jim Yong Kim, a move that reflects the fast-growing clout of emerging economies. MORE

41. Mar. 24, 2012

    White House names Jim Yong Kim, the president of Dartmouth College and a global health expert, as its nominee to lead the World Bank; Kim is an anthropologist and a physician and was a former director of the department of HIV/AIDS at the World Health Organization. MORE

42. Mar. 14, 2012

    Robert B Zoellick will step down as president of the World Bank, prompting debate about whether an American should be picked to replace him; White House has said it will pick an American for its nominee, a stance that has discouraged increasingly powerful emerging countries from proposing strong alternative; research and development groups are pushing for a fairer and more transparent selection process. MORE

43. Mar. 7, 2012

    Report by the World Bank shows a broad reduction in extreme poverty worldwide from 2005 to 2008, and indicates that the global recession, contrary to economists’ expectations, did not increase poverty in the developing world; world has met the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals to cut extreme poverty in half five years before its 2015 deadline. MORE

44. Feb. 28, 2012

    Study by the World Bank and a Chinese government research organization warns that the country’s economic growth is likely to diminish over the next few decades unless China alters its development model and rethinks the role of government in managing the economy; calls on nation to transition to a market economy, encourage private enterprise and confront inequality and environmental degradation. MORE

45. Feb. 24, 2012

    Flurry of reports from the People's Bank of China, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank suggest that China, which is preparing for a leadership change and is facing a longer-term contraction of its labor force, needs to continue with economic reforms. MORE

46. Feb. 16, 2012

    Robert B Zoellick will step down as the head of the World Bank when his five-year term expires on June 30. MORE

47. Jan. 26, 2012

    Venezuelan Foreign Ministry begins the process of pulling out of a World Bank arbitration forum that is considering about 20 cases involving property nationalized by President Hugo Chavez’s socialist government; ministry says its participation is banned by its constitution, which calls for disputes to be settled in Venezuelan courts. MORE

48. Jan. 18, 2012

    World Bank is urging developing nations to start planning for a major slowdown in global growth for 2012; says it expects the world economy to expand an aggregate 2.5 percent for the year, down from 2.7 percent in 2011. MORE

49. Nov. 23, 2011

    Ominous World Bank report finds that Afghanistan will suffer a recession in 2014 and beyond after foreign troops leave and aid dwindles, and if the security situation gets worse, the country could face complete economic collapse; notes that much of Afghan government's revenue is derived from American military and civilian spending. MORE

There are no additional abstracts to display.

ARTICLES ABOUT THE WORLD BANK

U.S. Allies, Lured by China’s Bank

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

In significant ways, the flocking of Western nations to a potential World Bank rival is a problem of America’s own making.

March 20, 2015, Friday

MORE ON WORLD BANK AND: China , United States , International Relations , Banking and Financial Institutions , Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank , World Bank , Editorials , Cameron, David , Obama, Barack , Great Britain , International Monetary Fund , Asian Development Bank , United States International Relations

3 European Powers Say They Will Join China-Led Bank

By ANDREW HIGGINS and DAVID E. SANGER

Germany, France and Italy said that they would be part of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which Washington views as a rival to the World Bank.

March 18, 2015, Wednesday

MORE ON WORLD BANK AND: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank , France , Germany , Italy , China , Xi Jinping , World Bank , International Monetary Fund , International Relations , Banking and Financial Institutions

With Plan to Join China-Led Bank, Britain Opens Door for Others

By JANE PERLEZ

Britain’s joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank over American objections will encourage allies like South Korea and Australia to follow suit, analysts say.

March 14, 2015, Saturday

MORE ON WORLD BANK AND: China , Xi Jinping , South Korea , Australia , Japan , Asian Development Bank , Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank , Great Britain , International Monetary Fund , World Bank , Cameron, David , Obama, Barack , Abbott, Tony , Park Geun-hye

Despite Growth, Latin America Struggles With Chronic Poverty

By ERNESTO LONDOÑO

One in every five people in Latin America is chronically poor, according to a new report.

March 10, 2015, Tuesday

MORE ON WORLD BANK AND: Brazil , Caribbean Area , Honduras , Latin America , Nicaragua , Venezuela , World Bank , Poverty

French Development Worker Is Kidnapped in Yemen

By ALISSA J. RUBIN

A Frenchwoman working on a World Bank project was abducted in Sana, the Yemeni capital, with Yemeni officials saying Al Qaeda was probably responsible.

February 25, 2015, Wednesday

MORE ON WORLD BANK AND: Kidnapping and Hostages , Yemen , Houthis , World Bank , France , Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

What We're Reading

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Get recommendations from New York Times reporters and editors, highlighting great stories from around the web. Today, great reads from Amy Chozick, Quentin Hardy and others.

February 6, 2015, Friday

MORE ON WORLD BANK AND: Alexander, Elizabeth , Carter, Bill , Chozick, Amy , Confessore, Nicholas , De Soto, Hernando (1496/97-1542) , Dell'Antonia, Karin J , Hardy, Quentin , Michaels, Lorne , Schwartz, John , Wang, Eugene , New York City , Peru , Silicon Valley (Calif) , Awl, The , Hollywood Reporter , National Public Radio , New Republic , New York Times , New Yorker , World Bank , Computers and the Internet , Newspapers , Poverty , Reality Television

World Bank Lowers Expectations for Global Growth in 2015

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Global Economic Prospects report predicted an improvement in the United States economy but stagnation in Europe and a slowdown in China.

January 14, 2015, Wednesday

MORE ON WORLD BANK AND: International Trade and World Market , World Bank

A Global Gauge Finds Progress Against Poverty

By ANNA BERNASEK

The number of people worldwide who are living in extreme poverty has been declining sharply, partly attributable to rising incomes in India and China.

December 14, 2014, Sunday

MORE ON WORLD BANK AND: Poverty , China , India , Third World and Developing Countries , World Bank

Income Gap Shrinks in Chile, for Better or Worse

By EDUARDO PORTER

Income inequality in Chile and other parts of Latin America is narrowing, but the reason for the decline, yet to be determined, could be good news or bad.

December 3, 2014, Wednesday

MORE ON WORLD BANK AND: Chile , Income Inequality , Latin America , International Trade and World Market , Bachelet, Michelle , World Bank

Ebola’s Economic Cost Re-Examined

By RICK GLADSTONE

The World Bank chief economist for Africa said the cost may be $3 billion or $4 billion, not the worst-case outcome of more than $32 billion.

November 20, 2014, Thursday

MORE ON WORLD BANK AND: Ebola Virus , Africa , World Bank