The IMF and World Bank annual meetings ran from 12 to 18 October 2026 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, bringing finance ministers, central bankers and market participants together for a week of sessions.
What the outlook said
- Global growth forecast: 3.1% in 2026, rebounding to 3.4% in 2027
- Global headline inflation projected to rise to 4.7%
- India 2026 real GDP growth projected at 7.0%
- India consumer prices projected at 5.0%
The October World Economic Outlook was released on 13 October, in the middle of the meetings. The slower global figure reflects trade-policy uncertainty and higher energy costs, while the inflation path puts pressure on monetary authorities that had begun easing.
For India the projection is notable because domestic data released the same week showed retail inflation at 5.54% in September, above the central bank's midpoint target but still within its tolerance band.
Delegates at Bangkok discussed reserve adequacy, food-price volatility and the financing needs of middle-income economies. India's delegation used the meetings to press for reform of multilateral lending windows.
Sources: IMF annual meetings page, World Bank meeting materials, IMF India country page.
