Iceland was the first country devastated by the financial crisis. Lehman Brothers failed on September 15 2008. By October 9, its three big banks – Glitnir, Landesbanki and Kaupthing – had collapsed. The UK government seized Landesbanki UK under anti-terror laws, while Gordon Brown, the prime minister, threatened to seize Icelandic assets in the UK. On October 24, Iceland agreed a deal with the International Monetary Fund.
On October 27 2011, I attended a conference jointly organised by the IMF and the government of Iceland to celebrate Iceland’s graduation from the programme and evaluate the outcome of the rescue. I also moderated the final panel.
The programme remains controversial. Jón Daníelsson of the London School of Economics presented a critique during the conference. Others presented critiques from outside.
