The IMF conducts its Article IV Consultation with the Macao Special Administrative Region
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Mission conducted its Article IV Consultation with the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) during 14-23 July 2026 and preliminarily concluded its assessments of Macao SAR’s macroeconomic and financial conditions.
In the Staff Concluding Statement of the 2026 Article IV Mission, the IMF Mission highlighted that Macao’s economy has demonstrated resilience despite heightened global uncertainty. The IMF Mission envisaged that Macao’s economy would expand by 3.3% this year, with the medium-term growth rate stabilising at around 3.0%. Meanwhile, the IMF Mission affirmed the SAR Government’s fiscal strength and assessed that the local financial system remained broadly resilient, with financial businesses becoming increasingly diversified.
The IMF Mission acknowledged the orderly progress that Macao has achieved in advancing appropriate economic diversification. The IMF Mission underscored that harnessing the manufacturing edge of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and the SAR’s close ties with Portuguese-speaking countries would open up new opportunities for Macao’s development. Besides, the IMF Mission concurred that the SAR Government’s Guidance Fund is poised to play a catalytic role and would be conducive to supporting the diversification efforts of local enterprises.
On the front of policy recommendations, in order to achieve the objectives set out in the Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Macao Special Administrative Region (2026-2030), the IMF Mission shared various directions for fostering sustainable economic growth, these include optimising business environment, enhancing the efficiency of public administration, advancing fiscal management, attracting and cultivating skilled talents, as well as leveraging digitalisation and artificial intelligence to boost productivity and expedite industrial transformation. The IMF Mission also recommended the SAR Government to further strengthen investment in climate-adaptation-related infrastructure to enhance Macao’s climate resilience.
After disseminating the Concluding Statement, the IMF would publish a detailed Staff Report of 2026 Article IV Consultation with the Macao Special Administrative Region within two months. The SAR Government conveyed a strong sense of gratitude toward the IMF Mission for its visit and professional assessment, and will continue to consolidate Macao’s sound fiscal and financial foundation, with a view to pursuing appropriate economic diversification and high-quality development.
The IMF’s Concluding Statement on completing the 2026 Article IV Consultation with the Macao Special Administrative Region:
link(https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2026/07/29/mcs-07292026-peoples-republic-china-macao-sar-cs-2026-aiv-mission)
