IMF head Christine Lagarde gestures during a news conference at the G20 meeting at the ministry in Paris
IMF head Christine Lagarde gestures during a news conference at the G20 meeting at the ministry in Paris October 15, 2011. REUTERS

REUTERS - The International Monetary Fund is estimating it needs to raise up to $600 billion in new resources to lend to countries struggling with the fallout from the euro zone debt crisis, IMF sources said on Wednesday.

While the IMF estimates it will need $500 billion of the money to lend to member countries, the remaining $100 billion will be used as a protection buffer, the sources, who were present at an IMF board discussion on Tuesday, told Reuters.

The IMF also estimated there a $1 trillion global financing gap over the next two years if global economic conditions worsened considerably, the sources added.

IMF International Monetary Fund European union International Monetary Fund