Established in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international financial institution accountable to the governments of its 190 member countries. Its primary mission is to ensure the stability of the international monetary system—the system of exchange rates and international payments that enables countries (and their citizens) to transact with each other. The IMF's core functions include economic surveillance by monitoring the financial and economic policies of its members, providing loans to member countries experiencing balance-of-payments problems, and offering practical technical assistance and training in areas of its expertise.

Founded in

United States