Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega announced on Wednesday that his country will lend US$10 billion from its foreign exchange reserves to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Mantega said the loan will be made in the form of bonds, thus it will not affect Brazil's foreign exchange reserves, which currently total about US$200 billion.

With the loan, Brazil will join the group of 47 countries which regularly finance the IMF's operations.

"In the past, the IMF helped Brazil. Now, Brazil will loan to the IMF to make the international trade viable," Mantega said.

But Mantega said this manner of loan is "temporary" until the IMF reforms its shares system, increasing Brazil's and other emerging countries' shares.

Mantega also said that he does not expect the bonds' interest to be high, as the money is destined to help the IMF grant financing to countries affected by the international financial crisis that now need credit for their trade operations.

(Xinhua News Agency June 11, 2009)