US Treasury chief to skip IMF annual meetings in Bangkok

WASHINGTON, Oct 10: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will not attend the IMF and World Bank's annual meetings in Bangkok next week, a department official confirmed Friday, as domestic pressures grow over war with Iran and bond yields remain elevated.

Bessent was expected to chair a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors on Thursday, with the United States holding the rotating presidency of the grouping.

But the Treasury Department said that Deputy Treasury Secretary Francis Brooke and Under Secretary for International Affairs Erin Browne will instead lead the US delegation.

A US official added that Bessent has "domestic engagements," without providing further details.

The annual meetings, held outside the International Monterary Fund's Washington headquarters once every three years, come weeks before key US midterm elections this time.

President Donald Trump's Republican Party will be trying to retain control of Congress in the November vote, amid growing voter worries over affordability.�"AFP