The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is exploring options to alleviate the burden of additional debt on countries seeking to recover from financial crises, in response to criticisms of its current system, which is considered excessively punitive.

This week, the IMF’s executive board held a meeting to discuss three potential changes to the “surcharge” system. Informed sources told foreign media that the changes could be implemented jointly or separately, with no final decisions made yet.

Surcharges are imposed on countries that exceed their allocated share of IMF resources or that take longer to repay loans.