TNT:

Tishwash: The Central Bank of Iraq lists the reasons for the decline in foreign exchange reserves.

The Central Bank of Iraq announced on Wednesday a decline in its foreign exchange reserves during the third quarter of 2024, explaining the reasons behind this decline.

The bank stated in a report seen by Shafaq News Agency that "Iraq's foreign currency reserves decreased by 0.52% during the third quarter of 2024, reaching 143.35 trillion dinars, compared to the same period in 2023, when reserves reached 144.10 trillion dinars."

The bank attributed this decline to "the Central Bank's resort to withdrawing cash liquidity from the market through enhanced cash sterilization operations, as part of its efforts to maintain monetary stability."

The report added, "As a result of these measures, cash receipts increased from 18.46 trillion dinars to 20.09 trillion dinars during the same period."

He also pointed out that "the decline in oil prices from $82.2 to $77.3 during the same period was another factor in the decline in foreign reserves."

The bank explained that "the increase in receipts led to the depletion of a portion of net foreign reserves, and the issued currency increased from 100.06 trillion dinars to 104.13 trillion dinars, as a result of the increase in public spending, which in turn led to an increase in public debt."

The Central Bank emphasized that "despite this decline, it still possesses large net foreign reserves relative to the money supply, which makes it relatively secure, according to international financial standards that set a minimum of 20%."

It is worth noting that the internal monetary sterilization policy involves the central bank selling or buying financial assets in foreign currency with the aim of avoiding impacting the monetary base and limiting the effects of inflation resulting from cash flows. link

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Tishwash: With the participation of the Minister of Finance, the meetings of the International Debt Management Conference resume in Geneva

The 14th session of the International Debt Management Conference, organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), resumed in Geneva from March 17 to 19, 2025, with the participation of Finance Minister Taif Sami.

The meetings covered several important topics, most notably "Governance, Accountability, and Transparency in a World of Financial Constraints," "The Relationship between Debt and Climate: Innovative Debt Tools for Managing Financial Risks,"

"Enhancing Debt Transparency: Rethinking Reporting and Ensuring Standards," and "Strategies for Managing Institutional Challenges to Establish a Sustainable Debt Management Office." link

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Tishwash: What are the reasons for the increasing presence of Egyptian companies in Iraq?... Clarification from Al-Sudani's advisor

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister's economic advisor, Mazhar Mohammed Salih, commented on the reasons for the recent increase in the presence of Egyptian companies in Iraq, stressing that the reason is due to the economic reforms and stability the country is witnessing.

Saleh said, "The capital wealth of countries is measured by several indicators, including the extent of physical capital accumulation, particularly in the construction sector." He noted that "Egypt is a leading country in this field, with its construction companies achieving significant success in development projects within Egypt, which has prompted them to expand their activities regionally."

He added, "The services program adopted by the Sudanese government as part of comprehensive economic reforms has contributed to creating an attractive investment environment for foreign companies, encouraging Egyptian companies to enter the Iraqi market strongly and contribute to development and reconstruction projects."

The economic advisor explained that "the political and economic stability in Iraq has boosted the confidence of foreign and Arab investors, including Egyptian companies, who have found promising opportunities to contribute to the implementation of major projects." He noted that "the strong historical relations between Iraq and Egypt have played a significant role in strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries."

Saleh pointed out that "the services government, headed by Al-Sudani, has placed economic facilitation and reforms at the top of its priorities, which has contributed to creating the appropriate environment for Egyptian companies to enter the Iraqi market and participate effectively in reconstruction and development projects."

On January 30, 2025, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and his Egyptian counterpart, Mostafa Madbouly, sponsored the signing ceremony of a number of memoranda of understanding between the two countries.

The bilateral memoranda between Iraq and Egypt included 12 paragraphs, the most prominent of which were related to trade, transportation, issues related to culture and antiquities, and other details link

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Mot .............. Moving On!!!