The amount is just below the funding limit that can be granted without a parliamentary vote.
“The contribution is part of the global effort to increase the resources of the IMF,” George Osborne, the chancellor of the exchequer, said in Washington on Friday.
“The world needs a strong IMF and we can be one of the many countries that will support the IMF,” he said.
In a joint statement the IMF’s members said: “Should these additional resources be used, they would support well designed IMF programmes with appropriate conditionality and risk mitigating measures would apply.”
Mr Osborne’s ability to raise the amount offered above the limit was constrained by opposition from eurosceptic MPs, who oppose Britain’s contributions to what is perceived to be a eurozone bailout fund.
Mr Osborne said the UK and other IMF members had called for certain conditions to be attached to their contributions.
“We want loans to be granted with full conditionality. And for there to be programmes of countries, not currencies,” the chancellor said, addressing concerns among his Conservative backbenchers that the eurozone, rather than individual states, could be favoured in the distribution of new funds.
Britain was joined by Australia, Singapore and South Korea who between them donated $26bn, according to the UK government.
The IMF has sought fresh funding commitments since the turn of the year in order to replenish its lending capacity and boost confidence that it has the will and wherewithal to tackle sovereign debt problems in Europe or elsewhere.
The fund had originally requested an additional $500bn of commitments in January, but Christine Lagarde, IMF managing director, has said in recent days that fewer resources were now needed because the severity of the eurozone crisis had waned, calling for “$400bn plus” instead.
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