02 September,2026 12:53 PM IST | Asheville | mid-day online correspondent
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. File Picture.
During her visit to the US, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has discussed the global economic outlook and India's evolving growth trajectory with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, according to news agency PTI.
Sitharaman met Georgieva on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meeting, in Asheville.
"The discussion also covered the structural shifts underway in India and the importance of appropriately reflecting these developments in macroeconomic assessments and growth projections," the Finance Ministry said in a statement.
The IMF Chief Georgieva on social media platform X said, "Excellent exchange of views with India's Finance Minister @nsitharaman - reflecting on India's stellar growth performance, the global outlook, and our shared resolve to work ever-more-closely together."
With India posting a higher than anticipated 7.8 per cent GDP growth for Q1FY27, she appreciated India's strong economic performance and track record, noting the strength built by the Indian economy, the Finance Ministry statement said.
Sitharaman highlighted India's strong macroeconomic fundamentals and the importance of robust, evidence-based surveillance frameworks that adequately reflect structural shifts in Emerging Markets Developing Economies (EMDEs).
The discussions between the Finance Minister and the IMF chief also revolved around IMF's capacity development initiatives, including support for strengthening institutional capacity, macroeconomic policymaking and statistical systems in EMDEs.
They highlighted the importance of continued India-IMF engagement in strengthening analytical capabilities, supporting sound macroeconomic policies and contributing to global economic resilience.
The Finance Minister is participating in the G20 FMCBG meeting and associated engagements in Asheville during her six-day visit to US from August 29 to September 2.
She also met the World Bank Group President Ajay Banga on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting in Asheville.
The Finance Minister and the World Bank Group Chief discussed evolving the partnership between India and the financial institution from a traditional lender-borrower relationship towards a strategic platform for global knowledge, innovation and private capital mobilisation, combining India's scale and implementation capacity with the World Bank Group's global expertise and financing instruments.
"The two leaders discussed further strengthening the India-World Bank Group partnership, including exploring a larger role for MIGA (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency) in India to deepen corporate, infrastructure and municipal bond markets through systematic use of guarantees and greater mobilisation of private capital," the Finance Ministry said.
The discussions between Sitharaman and Banga also covered a sector-based, programmatic approach to credit enhancement for infrastructure.
(With inputs from PTI)
