IMF and World Bank wrapped up Bangkok talks on Oct 18, warning that rising debt, energy costs, and the AI boom strain global growth.

Finance ministers and central bankers spent the week on those risks. The IMF expects the world economy to grow 3.1% in 2026 and 3.4% in 2027.

It sees inflation rising to 4.7% this year before easing to 4.1% in 2027.

The war in West Asia has pushed energy prices up, and countries that import oil and gas feel it most.

The IMF said economies that gain from AI investment cope better than poorer, energy-importing ones.

Debt is the next problem. The World Bank said aid to developing countries fell 23% in 2025, the biggest yearly drop on record.

Their external debt has reached $12.3 trillion. IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva urged the US and other rich nations to tackle their own debts.

Jobs got attention too. World Bank President Ajay Banga said 1.2 billion young people in developing countries will reach working age over the next 10 to 15 years.

The world is on track to create far fewer jobs than that. Banga wants a mix of public funding, private investment and philanthropy to close the gap, and the bank says it raised a record $112 billion in private capital in fiscal 2026.

Interest rates were the other big talking point. US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh gave no hint about the Fed’s October and December decisions, which follow a rate rise in September.

Georgieva backed the Fed, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan, arguing that raising rates now beats larger hikes later.

Ten-year government bond yields in the US, Germany and Japan have reached their highest levels since 2002, 2009 and 1996 respectively.

The IMF sees Asia-Pacific growth slowing to 4.8% in 2026 from 5% in 2025, then to 4.4% in 2027.

For now, the global economy is holding up. The IMF still says the risks lean to the downside.

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