Thailand Won Gold, IMF Chief Says, as Bangkok Annual Meetings Close

 

IMF chief praises Thai hospitality and silk, says Asia drove 68% of global growth, and tells the public to "adopt" AI as Ekniti thanks all Thais.

 

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has declared that Thailand "won the gold" at what she called the Olympics finals of global finance, as the 2026 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings closed in Bangkok on Sunday.

 

Speaking at a final briefing with Thai media, Georgieva said the meetings would be remembered by all who took part for the warmth, hospitality and kindness of the Thai people. She said she was very grateful to everyone in Thailand.

 

 

Silk and food

Asked about her decision to wear Thai silk, Georgieva said it had made a lasting impression on her, along with the taste of Thai food. She said she first realised there was nothing better for a woman to wear than Thai silk when she came to Bangkok to prepare for the meetings and saw an exhibition on the late Queen Mother, an ambassador of Thai silk.

 

In respect for the late Queen Mother and in appreciation of Thai culture, she said she resolved to wear one Thai silk outfit for each day of the week. Silk would remain part of her life and that of her daughter and granddaughter, she said.

 

On the final day she still had spare outfits, she added, prompting laughter and a remark from the interviewer that Thailand now had a new ambassador for Thai silk.

 

 

 

"Same boat"

Georgieva said the world had been through a series of shocks, which Thailand had also felt and adapted to. Thailand had promoted the theme of resilience, she said.

 

She said the meetings achieved three things. First, they united the world around the idea of interdependence, symbolised by the royal barge on stage: "We are all in the same boat."

 

Second, they reinforced the message that governments have a responsibility to cushion economies and people in a fast-changing world and to lead societies through change.

 

The third, she said, was how the meetings would be remembered: "It is the Olympics finals, and Thailand won the gold."

 

 

Asia and the next decade

Looking ahead, Georgieva described Thailand as a dynamic country with highly creative people, adjusting quickly to a changing world.

 

She said it was among the economies that had been fastest to integrate into the artificial intelligence (AI) value chain and that she expected this to continue over the next 10 years.

 

Asia was the most dynamic region in the world economy, she said, contributing 68% of global growth this year, with Thailand and the wider Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) at the heart of it.

 

In a decade, she said, she expected to see higher productivity and Thai people adapting rapidly. One thing she expected to remain unchanged: "smiles on the faces of Thai people. This is the country of smiles."

 

 

 

"Not your grandmother's IMF"

Asked about the Fund's changing role, Georgieva said the IMF also had to change. "I can tell the Thai people this is not your grandmother's IMF," she said. It was closer to its members, she said, and recognised that policies are for people.

 

The Fund must always consider how its advice to governments would affect men, women and children.

 

She thanked Thailand for placing fabric from different communities in every meeting room, which she said reminded delegates who they worked for: the people of member states.

 

She said she was proud of the IMF, describing it as highly professional and dedicated to giving good advice and, when needed, financing for countries in trouble.

 

 

A message on AI

Georgieva's advice to Thais on AI was brief. Whether people love it, hate it or fear it, she said, "it is here". She urged people to adopt it and use it for the betterment of themselves, their families, their communities and their countries.

 

As the briefing ended, she said she would be back in Thailand. Told by a journalist, "See you in the next 35 years," she replied, "I will be here."

 

 

Ekniti thanks

Thais Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas later joined Georgieva at the venue, where the two exchanged warm thanks.

 

In brief remarks to reporters, Ekniti said he wanted all Thais to be proud of their country. He thanked the IMF and World Bank teams and said the organisers had set a new standard. Anyone who had hosted an international event abroad, he said, would now have to use this one as the benchmark.

 

Speaking on behalf of the organisers, he thanked everyone behind the scenes, Thai and foreign, including those who made signs, the police who provided security, the people who transported artists and the taxi drivers.

 

Thais, he said, had shown the world they were good hosts. He said many visitors had told him they would return to Thailand to explore more. He also thanked the prime minister and the cabinet, as well as the media, for helping to put Thailand in the global spotlight.