Pakistan has been named the incoming chair of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) for next year, for the first time since 1953, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Friday.
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, who is also Pakistan’s governor to the World Bank, was formally announced as the incoming chair during the plenary session of the 2026 WBG-IMF Annual Meetings in Bangkok, according to the ministry’s statement.
The IMF-World Bank annual meetings — scheduled to run from October 12 to 18 — have brought together more than 15,000 participants from 191 countries, including central bank governors, economic policymakers and business leaders, for discussions on the world economy.
The statement described the development as a “historic milestone”, noting that Pakistan would return to the chairmanship for the first time since 1953.
