¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP

IBRD Articles of Agreement: Article II

ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT

(As amended effective June 27, 2012)

ARTICLE II: Membership in and Capital of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP

  • SECTION 1. Membership 
  • SECTION 2. Authorized Capital 
  • SECTION 3. Subscription of Shares 
  • SECTION 4. Issue Price of Shares 
  • SECTION 5. Division and Calls of Subscribed Capital 
  • SECTION 6. Limitation on Liability 
  • SECTION 7. Method of Payment of Subscriptions for Shares 
  • SECTION 8. Time of Payment of Subscriptions 
  • SECTION 9. Maintenance of Value of Certain Currency Holdings of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP 
  • SECTION 10. Restriction on Disposal of Shares

SECTION 1. Membership

(a) The original members of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP shall be those members of the International Monetary Fund which accept membership in the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP before the date specified in Article XI, Section 2 (e).

(b) Membership shall be open to other members of the Fund, at such times and in accordance with such terms as may be prescribed by the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP.

SECTION 2. Authorized Capital

(a) The authorized capital stock of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP shall be $10,000,000,000, in terms of United States dollars of the weight and fineness in effect on July 1, 1944. The capital stock shall be divided into 100,000 shares1having a par value of $100,000 each, which shall be available for subscription only by members.

(b) The capital stock may be increased when the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP deems it advisable by a three-fourths majority of the total voting power.

SECTION 3. Subscription of Shares

(a) Each member shall subscribe shares of the capital stock of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP. The minimum number of shares to be subscribed by the original members shall be those set forth in Schedule A. The minimum number of shares to be subscribed by other members shall be determined by the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP, which shall reserve a sufficient portion of its capital stock for subscription by such members. 

(b) The ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP shall prescribe rules laying down the conditions under which members may subscribe shares of the authorized capital stock of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP in addition to their minimum subscriptions.

(c) If the authorized capital stock of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP is increased, each member shall have a reasonable opportunity to subscribe, under such conditions as the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP shall decide, a proportion of the increase of stock equivalent to the proportion which its stock theretofore subscribed bears to the total capital stock of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP, but no member shall be obligated to subscribe any part of the increased capital.

SECTION 4. Issue Price of Shares

Shares included in the minimum subscriptions of original members shall be issued at par. Other shares shall be issued at par unless the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP by a majority of the total voting power decides in special circumstances to issue them on other terms.

SECTION 5. Division and Calls of Subscribed Capital=

'The subscription of each member shall be divided into two parts as follows:

(i) twenty percent shall be paid or subject to call under Section 7 (i) of this Article as needed by the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP for its operations;

(ii) the remaining eighty percent shall be subject to call by the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP only when required to meet obligations of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP created under Article IV, Sections 1 (a) (ii) and (iii).

Calls on unpaid subscriptions shall be uniform on all shares.

SECTION 6. Limitation on Liability

Liability on shares shall be limited to the unpaid portion of the issue price of the shares.

SECTION 7. Method of Payment of Subscriptions for Shares

Payment of subscriptions for shares shall be made in gold or United States dollars and in the currencies of the members as follows:

(i) under Section 5 (i) of this Article two percent of the price of each share shall be payable in gold or United States dollars, and, when calls are made, the remaining eighteen percent shall be paid in the currency of the member;

(ii) when a call is made under Section 5 (ii) of this Article, payment may be made at the option of the member either in gold, in United States dollars or in the currency required to discharge the obligations of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP for the purpose for which the call is made;

(iii) when a member makes payments in any currency under (i) and (ii) above, such payments shall be made in amounts equal in value to the member's liability under the call. This liability shall be a proportionate part of the subscribed capital stock of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP as authorized and defined in Section 2 of this Article.

SECTION 8. Time of Payment of Subscriptions

(a) The two percent payable on each share in gold or United States dollars under Section 7 (i) of this Article, shall be paid within sixty days of the date on which the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP begins operations, provided that

(i) any original member of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP whose metropolitan territory has suffered from enemy occupation or hostilities during the present war shall be granted the right to postpone payment of one-half percent until five years after that date;

(ii) an original member who cannot make such a payment because it has not recovered possession of its gold reserves which are still seized or immobilized as a result of the war may postpone all payment until such date as the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP shall decide.

(b) The remainder of the price of each share payable under Section 7 (i) of this Article shall be paid as and when called by the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP, provided that

(i) the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP shall, within one year of its beginning operations, call not less than eight percent of the price of the share in addition to the payment of two percent referred to in (a) above;

(ii) not more than five percent of the price of the share shall be called in any period of three months.

SECTION 9. Maintenance of Value of Certain Currency Holdings of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP

(a) Whenever (i) the par value of a member's currency is reduced, or (ii) the foreign exchange value of a member's currency has, in the opinion of the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP, depreciated to a significant extent within that member's territories, the member shall pay to the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP within a reasonable time an additional amount of its currency sufficient to maintain the value, as of the time of initial subscription, of the amount of the currency of such member which is held by the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP and derived from currency originally paid in to the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP by the member under Article II, Section 7 (i), from currency referred to in Article IV, Section 2 (b), or from any additional currency furnished under the provisions of the present paragraph, and which has not been repurchased by the member for gold or for the currency of any member which is acceptable to the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP.

(b) Whenever the par value of a member's currency is increased, the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP shall return to such member within a reasonable time an amount of that member's currency equal to the increase in the value of the amount of such currency described in (a) above.

(c) The provisions of the preceding paragraphs may be waived by the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP when a uniform proportionate change in the par values of the currencies of all its members is made by the International Monetary Fund.

SECTION 10. Restriction on Disposal of Shares

Shares shall not be pledged or encumbered in any manner whatever and they shall be transferable only to the ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵAPP.

 

Last Updated: Mar 25, 2015