EXCLUSIVE-IMF board approves $45 bln Argentina program -sources

The International Monetary Fund's executive board on Friday approved a $45 billion program for Argentina after more than a year of negotiations, two sources with direct knowledge said, allowing the South American grains exporter to avoid a costly default with the Washington-based lender.

The agreement, which follows a staff-level agreement earlier in March, marks the 22nd IMF program for Argentina since it joined the Fund in 1956. It replaces a failed $57 billion program from 2018, the largest in the Fund's history, for which Argentina still owes over $40 billion.