Introduced as an improved version in 1987. International Monetary Fund (IMF) provides poorer countries concessional loans medium-term (5 to 10 years) for arranged payments balance adjustments. Some 65 countries are eligible for assistance under the ESAF. The improvement over 1986 is that now IMF has triple the resources and more closely monitors borrower performance. It follows the same policy framework paper as the original structural adjustment facility (SAF) introduced in 1986.