Global public debt is projected to exceed 100% of gross domestic product by 2029, two years earlier than previously forecast, prompting the International Monetary Fund to demand faster action to reduce fiscal deficits and debt. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said concrete policy measures remain insufficient and identified rising U.S. and Chinese debt as the main reasons for the worsening outlook. She said the U.S. fiscal position is unsustainable after discussions with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who agreed on the need to reduce the deficit and debt. Persistent inflation could lead the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and other central banks to raise interest rates further, increasing borrowing costs and debt-service burdens. Georgieva also warned that Middle East energy and transport disruptions could sharply contract commodity exporters. The IMF forecasts Qatar's economy will shrink 8.6% this year, reversing a 6.1% growth projection made before the war with Iran, although the country has fiscal buffers to absorb the shock. Prolonged LNG-market uncertainty could add pressure to energy prices, bonds, currencies and global supply chains.