Monday Iraq News Posted by Tishwash at TNT 8-24-2026
TNT:
Tishwash: Al-Halbousi affirms Parliament's readiness to support financial inclusion
Speaker of Parliament Hebat al-Halbousi and First Deputy Speaker Adnan Faihan al-Dulaimi discussed, in two separate meetings, with the Governor of the Central Bank, Nizar Nasser Hussein, ways to enhance financial and monetary stability and develop the performance of the banking sector in the country.
A statement issued by the media office of the Speaker of Parliament indicated that Speaker Halbousi received the Governor of the Central Bank and his accompanying delegation to discuss monetary policy and prospects for developing the financial system.
The Speaker affirmed his support for the Central Bank's vision for modernizing legislation related to banking operations, expressing Parliament's readiness to support the necessary legislative amendments to accelerate digital transformation and expand financial inclusion, thereby reducing cash transactions and enhancing transparency, as well as combating money laundering and corruption.
In a separate meeting, attended by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Uday Awad, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Adnan Faihan al-Dulaimi, received the Governor of the Central Bank to discuss economic matters and address current challenges.
Faihan stressed the importance of adopting a balanced monetary policy based on a proactive vision capable of dealing with risks away from immediate solutions, in a way that preserves the strength of the national currency and supports confidence in the banking sector, stressing the Council’s keenness to provide the necessary legislative and regulatory cover to protect the national interest and market stability. link
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Tishwash: The Federal Ministry of Finance invites a delegation from Kurdistan to Baghdad to discuss the region's share of the budget.
Member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Ikhlas al-Dulaimi, announced on Sunday that the Federal Ministry of Finance had sent an official request to the Kurdistan Regional Government to send a delegation to Baghdad to discuss the region’s share in the 2027 general budget law.
Al-Dulaimi, a member of the Democratic Party bloc, said, "The region's share in the budget law has become 14% according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Planning, and we seek to have a real study of the region's situation in the budget law."
She added that "the region has not received investment budgets or operational budgets throughout the previous years, but only salaries, and there were many problems with it."
She continued: "The Kurdistan Region is seeking to receive its full rights, just like the other provinces," stressing that "the region has handed over all oil and non-oil revenues to the federal government." link
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Tishwash: With the participation of 250 trainees, the Central Bank discusses the outcomes of the national and mutual evaluation.
Baghdad - Media Office, August 23, 2026
The National and Mutual Assessment Team for Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks at the Central Bank of Iraq organized a specialized training workshop entitled “Outputs of the National and Mutual Assessment,” based on the outputs of the action plan recommended by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The workshop was attended by more than 250 trainees, including a number of employees from banking and non-banking financial institutions, with the aim of enhancing their practical capabilities in the procedures recommended by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the application of preventive measures regarding the most influential predicate offenses in the Iraqi economy, and identifying, assessing and managing the risks associated with money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of arms proliferation.
The training program included an explanation and discussion of a number of key topics, including the results of the national risk assessment, in addition to the outputs of the action plan and the recommended procedures, exploring ways to improve the number and quality of reports, examining mechanisms for implementing enhanced due diligence towards persons exposed to risks by virtue of their position, as well as managing the risks of terrorist financing and the associated risk indicators.
The program included the use of practical cases and applied questions to enable participants to employ theoretical concepts in the work environment, and to enhance their ability to analyze risks and take appropriate action according to the level of risk.
This program stems from efforts to raise the efficiency of relevant authorities and enhance their ability to meet imposed obligations, based on the provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Law No. (39) of 2015, and in line with international standards and the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and in a way that contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing system and creating a unified understanding in Iraq. link
Tishwash: To maintain the strength of the currency, Fayhan calls on the central bank to refrain from knee-jerk reactions.
The First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Adnan Faihan, stressed today, Sunday (August 23, 2026), the need to deal with economic risks and challenges, away from immediate solutions and reactions, in a way that enhances market stability and maintains the strength of the national currency, indicating the parliament’s keenness to support policies and procedures aimed at enhancing financial stability.
The media office of the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament said in a statement received by 964 Network that “the First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Adnan Faihan, received today, Sunday, in his office, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Nizar Nasser, in the presence of the Chairman of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Uday Awad, to discuss a number of economic and monetary files, and to discuss ways to enhance financial and monetary stability, in order to contribute to supporting the national economy and facing current challenges.”
According to the statement, Faihan stressed “the importance of adopting a balanced and effective monetary policy based on a proactive vision capable of anticipating changes and dealing with economic risks and challenges, away from immediate solutions and reactions, in a way that enhances market stability, maintains the strength of the national currency, and supports confidence in the banking sector.”
Faihan expressed “the Council’s keenness to support policies and procedures aimed at enhancing financial stability, and providing the necessary legislative and regulatory cover to address economic challenges in accordance with a clear vision and in line with the requirements of the national interest.” link
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Tishwash: Iraq Finance Committee and CBI Discuss Crisis Resolution Strategies
At a Glance
Iraqi Parliamentary committee hosted CBI officials over the financial crisis.
Discussions focused on optimizing deficit-financing strategies and engineering proactive economic crisis solutions.
Agenda items included addressing public sector payroll delays, inflation metrics, and foreign exchange reserves.
The Iraqi Parliamentary Finance Committee hosted Central Bank officials on Sunday to discuss strengthening monetary policy, financing the budget deficit, and implementing reforms to resolve the financial crisis.
Key Statement and Focus Area
Lawmaker Uday Awad Kadhim stressed “the importance of establishing advanced mechanisms to strengthen monetary policy, support financial and monetary stability, and work on maximizing revenues to help boost the country's financial economy.”
The CBI Governor provided a detailed explanation regarding the bank’s direction in monetary policy for the upcoming fiscal years.
Uday Awad Kadhim chaired a meeting of the Finance Committee, during which the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Nizar Nasser Hussein, the Deputy Governor, Shaimaa Abbas, and the senior staff were in attendance.
The high-level session focused on evaluating monetary frameworks, optimizing deficit-financing strategies, and engineering proactive fiscal solutions to navigate the ongoing economic crisis.
The committee reviewed inflation metrics, foreign exchange reserves, and the underlying factors causing public sector payroll delays.
The lawmakers evaluated the Central Bank’s revenue-generation strategy, foreign currency auction data, local exchange rates, and subsidized dollar distribution channels for travelers.
Additionally, the committee examined mechanisms for financing the budget deficit, including the possibility of lending to the government or discounting treasury bills to finance the deficit, along with its impact on the monetary system and the national economy.
The committee also examined deficit-financing options like government lending and treasury bill discounting to assess their impact on the national economy.
During the meeting, the CBI Governor detailed the bank’s monetary policy direction for upcoming fiscal years, outlining “mechanisms to maintain monetary stability, manage liquidity, and enhance the role of the policy interest rate, explaining the impact of monetary policy on economic activity and the importance of a gradual transition to support the real economy.”
Discussions examined banking sector development and structural economic reforms to bolster financial stability.
The panel further analyzed the Central Bank’s 2025 fiscal records to verify reserve sustainability and strengthen economic resilience.
FYI
Iraq is experiencing a severe fiscal crisis, shifting from a budget surplus to a 21.24 trillion IQD deficit in the first half of 2026.
This shortfall stems from regional disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which have bottlenecked southern crude oil exports. Consequently, falling revenues have caused lengthy public sector salary delays and widespread market stagnation.
While some officials are pushing for emergency measures like printing money, experts warn this could destabilize the country's current inflation rate.
Earlier, Lawmaker Dilan Ghafoor told Channel8 that the Iraqi Council of Representatives will conduct the reading of the Borrowing and Grants Bill of 2026, which defines the borrowing authorities of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance.
The Iraqi government is also reportedly seeking to pass a bill to delete zeros from the currency, aiming to restore liquidity to banks and activate the electronic system for financial transactions in the country. link