The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has maintained its 5.5 per cent growth projection for Argentina in 2025, despite global trade uncertainty, Perfil reported.

In its latest global assessment, the multilateral lender cited “positive data” seen in the early months of the year. It acknowledged that tighter fiscal policy had been offset by a rise in market confidence, allowing it to hold its forecast despite mounting global uncertainty.

“We still have that forecast basically because of the positive numbers we saw,” said Petya Koeva Brooks, a senior economist at the IMF, speaking at a press conference as quoted by the Times. “Despite the fiscal adjustment, there was an increase in confidence and that allows us to sustain the projection.”

However, Brooks warned that the outlook was subject to greater risk amid rising financial restrictions and price effects triggered by an increasingly unstable global context.

IMF Chief Kristalina Georgieva has repeatedly expressed support for President Javier Milei's government. At the opening of the IMF and World Bank Spring Meeting in Washington earlier this week, she claimed that Argentina's future depends on “sticking to the reforms” and building confidence that “this time is different.”

Georgieva praised Argentina's shift "from deficit to surplus" and acknowledged the transition from high to low inflation. She also made a striking comment about Argentine savings habits, quoted by Tiempo Argentino as stating: “I was told, I don't know if it's true, that there are more than $200bn under the mattress and God knows where. If that money were invested in Argentina, imagine what that country would be like.”

“This time it's different, and we must stay the course so that the country can legally become a prosperous place where people can enjoy themselves,” Georgieva concluded, throwing her weight behind Milei’s austerity measures and cost-cutting efforts.

This vote of confidence from the fund comes at a crucial juncture for Argentina's bold economic reform programme. While early indicators appear encouraging, particularly after the securing of a fresh $20bn IMF deal for Argentina, complemented by a World Bank $12bn three-year package and an IDB $10bn disbursment, the sustainability of Milei's austerity measures will face ongoing challenges from both domestic political resistance and an increasingly volatile global economic environment, roiled by the erratic trade policies of US President Donald Trump. The coming months will test whether initial market optimism can translate into a lasting economic recovery.