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Sustainable lending practices
The Recommendation on Sustainable Lending Practices and Export Credits is designed to ensure that export credits do not contribute to the run-up of unsustainable external debt by lower-income countries. Although its scope is limited to export credits, its operational nature provides a blueprint that could be applied to all types of official cross-border financing.
Policy sub-issue
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Adherents to the Recommendation on Sustainable lending practices
Sustainable lending practices
The 2024 Recommendation on Sustainable Lending Practices and Officially Supported Exports Credits (Sustainable Lending Recommendation) is the latest in a long line of export credit standards on sustainable lending practices.
The principles and guidelines applied by the Adherents to this Recommendation ensure that their export finance lending practices for public sector debtors in low-income countries are fully consistent with the joint Debt Sustainability Analysis of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. As such, the Recommendation is designed to ensure that official export credits will never contribute to the run-up of unsustainable debt by lower income countries.
Key messages
- 2024 Recommendation on Sustainable Lending Practices and Officially Supported Export Credits – it is almost identical to the 2018 Recommendation, the only difference is that the reference to the World Bank’s Non-Concessional Borrowing Policy (NCBP) has been replaced by the World Bank’s Sustainable Development Finance Policy (SDFP).
- 2018 Recommendation on Sustainable Lending Practices and Officially Supported Export Credits – it is largely based on the 2016 Principles and Guidelines.
- 2016 Principles and Guidelines to Promote Sustainable Lending Practices in the Provision of Official Export Credits to Low Income Countries
- 2008 Principles and Guidelines to Promote Sustainable Lending Practices in the Provision of Official Export Credits to Low Income Countries
- 2007 Statement of Principles
- 2001 Statement of Principles
The Sustainable Lending Recommendation is built on two pillars:
- respecting the debt limits for low-income countries set by the IMF and the World Bank, and
- promoting transparency by providing information to the IMF and World Bank on the export credits provided by Adherents in these countries.
It stands apart compared to other existing debt sustainability initiatives because it comprises measures that are to be applied on a loan-by-loan basis:
- Adherents have committed to not provide export credits to the public sector of countries with a “zero” limit on non-concessional borrowing by the IMF or the World Bank.
- For countries with a “non-zero” limit on non-concessional borrowing, Adherents have committed to:
- seek assurances from appropriate government authorities in the debtor country that the transaction is in accordance with the limits set by the IMF and World Bank, and
- inform the IMF and World Bank about their intention to provide an export credit;
- Adherents have agreed to provide detailed information on all official export credit loans and guarantees provided to lower-income countries (private and public sectors) to the IMF and World Bank on an annual basis.
- Debt sustainability analysis low-income countries
- Sustainable Development Finance Policy
- List of lower income countries subject to OECD Sustainable Lending Recommendation (Excel)