Iraq Economic News and Points To Ponder Saturday Afternoon 3-14-26
International Development And Iraqi National Bank Lead The Private Banking Sector In Iraq
Economy 2026-03-13 The Iraq Future Foundation issued its annual report on the performance of private banks in Iraq for the year 2025, revealing that the Supreme Iraqi Bank and the International Development Bank continue to top the list of the largest private banks in the country, with assets exceeding 3 trillion dinars each.
According to the report, the two banks together account for approximately 27.8% of the total assets of the private banking sector inIraqThis reflects a clear concentration in the banking market in favor of institutions.
For major financial institutions.
The report indicated that the bankAl AhlyThe Iraqi Bank leads the market share with 17.5%, while the International Development Bank comes in second with a 10.3% share of total banking sector assets.
The report also classifies both banks as market leaders, noting their 16.8% deposit growth during the period under review and their combined 31% share of total cash credit extended in the private banking sector.
According to the report, this performance reflects the expansion of lending activity, increased customer confidence in major banks, and the growing role of private banks in financing economic activities within Iraq.
The Iraq Future Foundation confirmed that the report's findings are based on a comprehensive analysis of the performance profiles and financial data of private banks, in addition to monitoring the most significant developments in the Iraqi banking sector during the year. https://www.alsumaria.tv/news/economy/558795/التنمية-الدولي-والأهلي-العراقي-يتصدران-القطاع-المصرفي-الخاص-في-العراق
The Prime Minister's Advisor: The Government Will Resort To Borrowing To Secure Salaries If The War Continues
Baghdad ( NINA ) – The Prime Minister's financial advisor, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, confirmed that the government will resort to domestic borrowing if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, indicating that Iraq is financially secure for five months.
Salih told the official news agency, "There is an impact from the disruption of Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz on the overall financial and economic situation in the country, but it is not yet apparent because the oil is exported and then the price is set."
He explained that "the impact will begin to appear in about two months, around the fifth or sixth month, due to the halt in exports, and a settlement will most likely occur because estimates indicate that the blockade will last a maximum of four months." He clarified
that "the government has no option but to resort to borrowing to provide salaries and meet external obligations," indicating that "Iraq will go through a period of austerity during the two months we mentioned, in terms of wages, pensions, and social welfare."
He indicated that "one of the solutions the government will adopt is domestic borrowing, and there is cooperation between the monetary and financial authorities, because Iraq's reserves are good and allow it to borrow," explaining that "Iraq's monetary reserves support its ability to obtain domestic loans, which will increase if the crisis continues, but Iraq is resilient and will not be greatly affected if this crisis continues for 4 or 5 months." / https://ninanews.com/Website/News/Details?key=1286539
Iraqi Factions Offer A Reward Of 150 Million Dinars For Information About The Presence Of Americans In The Country
Friday, March 13, 2026 Baghdad – One News 3/13/2026 Armed groups in Iraq have announced a financial reward for information about American soldiers or military officials working in Iraq and the region.
A statement released on Friday (March 13, 2026) said that “the tightening of the noose around Americans on the ground has reduced their security options,” adding that some of them “have been forced to take up alternative civilian positions that they believe are safer.”
The statement explained that the announcing party has allocated a financial reward of 150 million Iraqi dinars in exchange for providing information about those targets.
The statement indicated that the reward “includes anyone who provides information, whether Iraqi or foreign resident within the country,” and that it would be paid in exchange for “accurate proactive information that leads to the execution of arrests or the field neutralization of high-ranking officials in the US military or intelligence agencies.”
The statement also mentioned that the delivery of information and data would be through “security channels at the headquarters of the factions spread throughout Iraq,” with a pledge to “guarantee complete confidentiality and protect the identity of the source of information.”
This statement comes amid escalating regional tensions and the ongoing war in the Middle East, which has been reflected on the Iraqi scene through mutual attacks and escalating threats against US forces deployed in the country.
https://1news-iq.net/الفصائل-العراقية-تحـدد-مكافأة-150-مليو/
US Calls On Iraq To Dismantle “Iran-Aligned Militias” After Attacks
2026-03-14 Shafaq News- Baghdad The United States on Saturday urged Iraq to move swiftly against “Iran-aligned militias,” warning that persistent strikes on infrastructure and international interests —including in Iraqi Kurdistan— could deepen instability in the country.
A US State Department spokesperson told Shafaq News that Washington condemns recent strikes on infrastructure in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, attributing them to Tehran and its affiliated armed factions.
The comments followed a March 9 phone call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, during which both sides reviewed security developments across the region. According to the spokesperson, Rubio criticized the attacks linked to Iranian-backed groups during the conversation and urged Baghdad to take decisive measures, including dismantling those factions and preventing further assaults on domestic and international targets.
Rubio also stressed the importance of ensuring that Iraqi territory is not used to threaten the United States or regional stability, while expressing Washington’s expectation that Baghdad will strengthen state control over armed actors.
Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran on Feb. 28, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have experienced a series of drone and rocket attacks attributed to Iran-aligned armed factions amid the wider regional escalation.
Read more: Proxy escalation: Iraq caught between diplomacy and battlefield reality
For Shafaq News, Mostafa Hashem, Washington, D.C.
https://www.shafaq.com/en/Iraq/US-calls-on-Iraq-to-dismantle-Iran-aligned-militias-after-attacks
“No Guarantees For Our Safety”: Drone Attacks Near Baghdad Airport Alarm Residents
2026-03-13 Shafaq News- Baghdad Repeated drone attacks targeting Baghdad International Airport have spread fear among residents living in surrounding neighborhoods, with locals describing the situation as “terrifying,” as the sound of drones and their interception at night has become constant.
Since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, factions operating under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella say they have carried out more than 200 attacks on US military facilities across Iraq. Several of the drones launched during the escalation have targeted the Diplomatic support Center inside the Baghdad airport complex, while others have flown over nearby residential districts before reaching the airport.
A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that some incidents have already affected residential areas. The source revealed to Shafaq News that a drone fell near houses in the al-Turath neighborhood in western Baghdad, injuring a woman, while a projectile landed in the al-Jihad neighborhood.
Security expert Jalil Khalaf linked the attacks to what he described as armed factions operating outside the authority of the federal government. In remarks to Shafaq News, he explained that Iraqi security institutions have struggled to contain these groups, which he said have chosen to strike US-linked targets in Iraq —such as the embassy or military sites— “even if they are empty.”
The danger for civilians persists even when drones are intercepted in the air, according to security expert Saif Raad. “When drones are targeted in the sky by air-defense systems belonging to either Iran or the United States, large parts of them remain intact,” Raad said, warning that the debris may include fuel, explosive materials, or secondary fragments capable of causing casualties and damaging homes or infrastructure.
Raad added that commonly used attack drones can carry explosive payloads of around 50 kilograms or more, meaning a crash or detonation in a populated area could cause severe damage, with shrapnel potentially spreading up to 200 meters.
For residents living near the airport, the threat has already altered daily routines. Haneen Khaled, who lives in a neighborhood close to Baghdad International Airport, explained to our agency that her family recently moved their sleeping arrangements to the ground floor of their home out of fear that debris from a drone could strike the upper floor. She added that her husband is considering covering the roof with sandbags as a precaution to reduce the impact if an explosive drone were to hit the building.
In the al-Budur residential complex adjacent to the airport, families say anxiety has become constant. “The attacks happen day and night,” Jamila Kamel said, adding that explosions leave residents and their children frightened because of their proximity to the airport.
Some residents in the complex have temporarily moved to relatives’ homes in other areas, fearing that a drone could fall on their houses.
“There are no guarantees for the safety of families here,” warned Abdul-Basit al-Dulaimi, a resident of the al-Furat neighborhood near the airport, noting that drones and air-defense interceptions occur above areas filled with women and children who are not part of the conflict.
Read more: Drone incidents reported across 14 Iraqi provinces in latest escalation