WASHINGTON: Jordan has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund that would unlock about $200 million once approved, giving the country fresh support under two existing lending arrangements as it manages pressure from regional tensions on energy costs and tourism. The IMF said the agreement covers the fifth review of Jordan’s Extended Fund Facility and the second review of its Resilience and Sustainability Facility. The package totals roughly $197 million, combining about $140 million under the EFF and about $57 million under the RSF.
The announcement marks an important step, but not a completed payout. The IMF said the staff-level agreement still requires approval by the fund’s management and executive board before any disbursement can be made. That keeps the process in the formal review stage, while still signaling continued backing for Jordan’s economic program. The latest development also highlights the IMF’s view that Jordan remains broadly aligned with agreed reform targets even as regional spillovers continue to weigh on growth, external balances, energy costs and tourism-related activity.
In its assessment, the IMF said Jordan’s performance under the program remained strong, with all quantitative performance criteria for the fifth EFF review met and structural benchmarks progressing as scheduled. It also said the reform measure due under the second RSF review was implemented on time. Those findings are central to the agreement because they show the prospective funding is tied to verified policy execution, fiscal discipline and resilience-related reforms, rather than to a new emergency financing arrangement outside the country’s existing IMF framework.
Jordan program clears review hurdle
The IMF said Jordan’s economy grew 2.8% in 2025 and that momentum appeared to strengthen in early 2026, even as the regional environment remained difficult. It now expects growth to ease to 2.7% in 2026, reflecting the effect of conflict-related disruptions on tourism and higher energy costs. Inflation is projected at about 2.3% this year, while the current account deficit is expected to reach 6.9% of gross domestic product, based on the assumption that disruptions begin to normalize around the middle of 2026.
The fund said Jordanian authorities responded to recent shocks with measures designed to safeguard energy security, preserve supply chains, maintain adequate liquidity and direct support toward vulnerable groups. At the same time, it said fiscal and monetary policy remained prudent, a balance that has been central to Jordan’s engagement with the IMF. The latest agreement therefore reflects both the immediate policy response to regional disruptions and the broader effort to keep the country’s reform program moving while reducing pressure on households, businesses and key service sectors.
IMF review shapes Jordan’s 2026 outlook
Jordan’s current IMF framework rests on two separate arrangements that define the latest package. The four-year Extended Fund Facility, approved in January 2024, totals about $1.2 billion and is aimed at supporting macroeconomic stability and structural reform. The 30-month Resilience and Sustainability Facility, approved in June 2025, totals about $700 million and targets longer-term vulnerabilities, including challenges in the water and electricity sectors and the need to strengthen resilience to public health shocks.
For Jordan, the agreement offers another indication that the IMF sees the overall program as broadly on track, while for markets and policymakers it provides a clearer signal on the country’s financing path in 2026. The immediate development, however, is limited to staff endorsement of the next step, not the release of funds. The proposed disbursement will move ahead only after approval by IMF management and the executive board, the final procedural stage in the review process. – By Content Syndication Services.