After Restoring Stability, Argentina Needs to Turn Hard-Won Gains into Lasting Prosperity

Credit IMF Photo/Nicholas KarlinOpinion by Kristalina Georgieva (washington dc)Tuesday, August 04, 2026Inter Press Service WASHINGTON DC, August 4 (IPS) - My first meeting in Buenos Aires began with an unexpected gift. Economy Minister Luis Caputo presented me with an Argentine national team jersey bearing my name and the number 10—Lionel Messi’s iconic number. It was a fitting start to my first official visit. When Messi finally lifted the World Cup in Qatar, he was 35 years old—an age when many footballers have already retired. His triumph was the culmination of years of perseverance, setbacks, and relentless dedication. It underscored how great achievements require persistence—and can take longer than expected.Economic transformation follows a similar path. Restoring stability is difficult. Making it endure is even harder. The greatest rewards come only after years of persistence.That stuck with me during my visit to Argentina this week. Everywhere I went, I encountered people looking beyond today’s challenges and asking what their country could become over the next decade.For a country that has spent much of its recent history focused on the next crisis, shifting attention to a...