Bank of England chief joins IMF walkout during Russian address in Bangkok
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey joined finance leaders in walking out of a meeting of the International Monetary Fund's steering committee in Bangkok when Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov addressed the session in Russian.
The Bank of England confirmed that Bailey took part in the walkout, The Guardian reported. Bailey left alongside counterparts from France, Germany and a number of Scandinavian and Baltic countries.
German Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said nearly half of all delegates took part in the joint departure when Siluanov started speaking. The chair of the steering committee, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan, acknowledged the walkout.
U.S. Treasury Undersecretary Erin Browne told Reuters that Washington supported Russia's presence despite concerns from European countries. That account of the U.S. position was included in reporting on the Bangkok session published on October 17, 2026.
Reports of the walkout in Bangkok were published by both Reuters and The Guardian on October 17, 2026. The session was a meeting of the IMF steering committee held as part of the Fund's 2026 Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand.
The IMF had announced in April 2026 that its next IMFC meeting would be held in October 2026 in Bangkok. The Fund issued the Chair's Statement of the Fifty-fourth Meeting of the IMFC in Bangkok on October 17, 2026, according to the IMF.
The statement welcomed the 'Bangkok Blueprint' initiative to strengthen digital finance security and cyber resilience. The chair of the committee said the global economy is resilient, Reuters reported.
