Every two years the World Bank Treasury hosts public debt managers mainly from developed and emerging market countries to discuss recent trends and the challenges they are facing in managing public debt portfolios. The theme of the 2016 Sovereign Debt Management Forum is “Sovereign Debt Management in Emerging Markets: Is the Party Over?”. The program will address challenges for debt managers arising from the world economy after the crisis, which has been marked by low interest rates, diverging macro/monetary policies and tepid global growth. With widening imbalances in the fiscal and external accounts, emerging markets are facing higher borrowing requirements as risk aversion creeps up and capital flows recede. The conference will bring into focus a range of technical issues associated with implementing sound practices in public debt management.

The conference will include presentations, panel discussions, and workshops led by country representatives and experts from the international financial and development communities, including the World Bank. In addition to the main themes of the conference, breakout sessions will cover risk management tools, the choice between USD and EUR-denominated debt, the role of debt managers in managing fiscal risks, debt management strategies for commodity exporters, the relevance of retail debt programs today, and debt management IT systems.