IMF to consider $20b Argentina deal in informal meeting

NEW DELHI, Mar 22 (Reuters): The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will discuss a new $20 billion loan for Argentina during an informal meeting next week, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

The IMF will discuss a four-year extended fund facility of about 15 billion Special Drawing Rights, the report said. A spokesperson for the IMF declined comment on the report. The Argentine government did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Argentina's lower house on Wednesday passed a decree issued earlier in the month supporting a new IMF program, allowing the government to begin talks with the IMF to bolster central bank reserves and potentially undo capital controls.