More Iraq News Posted by Tishwash at TNT 7-10-2026
TNT:
Tishwash: KRG to end cash salary payments as banking transition to conclude by August
2026-07-08 | 15:15
The Kurdistan Regional Government will fully shift public-sector salary payments to the banking system after Aug. 31, ending cash payroll distribution for employees and pensioners covered by the MyAccount program.
The MyAccount project said Aug. 31 is the final deadline for beneficiaries to collect their bank cards from the banks where they opened their accounts. After that date, salaries will no longer be paid in cash, and beneficiaries who have not received their cards were urged to visit their designated banks.
The latest official figures show 862,168 public-sector salary recipients have registered with MyAccount and collected their bank cards, or 96% of all beneficiaries.
Registration rates vary by governorate. Erbil has registered 379,204 beneficiaries, or 99% of eligible recipients, and Duhok 188,164, also 99%. Halabja has registered 15,886, or 93%, and Sulaymaniyah 278,913, or 92%.
The announcement marks the final step in the KRG’s rollout of MyAccount, a program launched in 2023 to replace cash salary payments with direct deposits into personal bank accounts.
In May, the KRG said nearly 800,000 public-sector beneficiaries were receiving their salaries through MyAccount. At the time, officials reported more than 900,000 registrations, more than 800,000 bank cards issued and over 600 ATMs installed across the Kurdistan Region. The government said the ATM network would keep expanding as more beneficiaries join.
The program lets beneficiaries access their salaries through bank branches, ATMs and electronic banking services instead of collecting cash through the government’s previous payroll system.
Tishwash: Pressure mounts to finalize the cabinet; Parliament urges blocs to settle on nominees, vote imminent.
MP Abbas Al-Maliki stressed that the delay in completing the cabinet does not serve the political process, calling on political blocs to expedite the resolution of this issue and send the names of the remaining ministers to the House of Representatives in preparation for voting on them.
Al-Maliki said that the continued delay in completing the government formation is affecting the government's work and hindering the implementation of its program, noting that the House of Representatives informed the political blocs of the need to agree on the candidates and send their names to be presented to Parliament.
He added that political activity between the various forces is still ongoing with the aim of reaching understandings regarding the vacant ministries, noting that there are intensive contacts and consultations to accomplish this entitlement.
Al-Maliki explained that there is a trend to resolve the issue of completing the ministerial cabinet during the upcoming sessions of the House of Representatives, which will contribute to completing the government formation and ending one of the most prominent outstanding political issues. link
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Tishwash: Saleh: President Zaidi's visit to Washington and the launch of the "Energy and Development Fund" lay the foundation for a new phase in Iraq.
The Prime Minister’s financial advisor, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, confirmed that the Prime Minister’s anticipated visit to Washington, D.C., along with the launch of the joint Iraqi-American “Energy and Development Fund”, represent the beginning of a new phase in the path of economic and investment development in Iraq.
Saleh said the Prime Minister’s policy is based on linking a portion of oil revenues to the Resources Development Fund, with the aim of providing sustainable financing for major strategic projects, particularly in the energy, electricity and infrastructure sectors.
He explained that there is initial cooperation between Iraq and the United States to activate the “Energy and Development Fund”, noting that Al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington will contribute to resolving the main issues related to the mechanisms of the fund’s work and launching its projects.
He added that the expected funding for the fund could reach about $400 billion over thirty years, according to gradual growth linked to the performance of the projects and implementing companies, which would ensure the sustainability of funding and promote economic development.
Saleh explained that the fund will open accounts in reputable American banks to secure financing for electricity and infrastructure projects, stressing that one of its most prominent advantages is that it is not linked to the federal budget law, which is often delayed in its approval, which gives executive bodies greater flexibility in completing projects.
He pointed out that the fund will adopt an integrated monitoring system, including prior monitoring of contracting procedures and subsequent monitoring of implementation phases, which will enhance transparency and raise the efficiency of investment project management. link
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Tishwash: Al-Bayati: We are waiting for a roadmap from the Ministry of Finance to address the economic challenges.
MP Mohammed al-Bayati confirmed on Wednesday that he is awaiting a roadmap from the Ministry of Finance for managing the financial situation in the coming period, given the challenges facing the Iraqi economy.
Al-Bayati told Al-Maalouma that "Iraq is going through a difficult financial phase due to its declining ability to export oil at high levels," noting that "the Ministry of Finance faces significant challenges, and we are waiting for a roadmap that clarifies the features of the next phase, the proposed solutions, and the mechanisms for correcting the financial course."
He added that "the Ministry of Finance faces complex challenges, and this is undeniable," explaining that "the next phase will be one of searching for exceptional solutions to address the significant decrease in budget revenues."
He pointed to "the importance of developing realistic and objective solutions that contribute to achieving financial stability and ensuring the state's ability to face the upcoming economic challenges." link
Tishwash: American newspaper: Iraq agreed to block dollars from reaching Iran and factions in order to resume currency shipments.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday evening that Iraq has agreed to new controls aimed at preventing the flow of dollars to Iran and its militia allies, in exchange for the Trump administration lifting a four-month suspension on shipments of US currency to Baghdad, according to what it quoted from US and Iraqi officials.
According to the newspaper report , which was followed by Shafaq News Agency, the US Treasury Department had stopped delivering banknotes in late February with the start of the war on Iran, depriving the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi of much-needed cash liquidity from oil sales revenues deposited with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
With Iraqi oil exports almost completely halted due to the war, the US government exerted what the newspaper described as "enormous" pressure on Baghdad to reduce its ties with Tehran, which had used its neighbor as a major source of dollars in violation of US sanctions, according to the report.
The newspaper considered this move part of a broader effort by the US administration to urge Baghdad to move closer to Washington in the aftermath of the conflict.
Officials, as quoted by the newspaper, said that the Federal Reserve canceled at least two cash shipments on the instructions of the Treasury Department, one of which was worth nearly $500 million.
Deliveries of US dollars, aboard cargo planes chartered by the Iraqi government, resumed late last month, according to Iraqi officials.
In return, Baghdad promised to take measures to prevent Iran and its allies from obtaining dollars from Iraqi exchange companies and from paying the salaries of members of pro-Iranian "militias," according to the report.
A U.S. Treasury official said that shipments of U.S. dollars to Iraq have resumed after Baghdad committed to additional safeguards to prevent armed groups from exploiting the country's financial system.
The newspaper also quoted Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Abudi as saying that financial transfers had resumed, but he declined to comment on the measures that Baghdad had agreed to restrict the dollar.
The terms agreed upon by Iraq were not previously disclosed. The New York Times had previously reported on the resumption of dollar shipments.
The Wall Street Journal noted that al-Zaidi, a little-known political figure who has never held office, is expected to meet with President Trump later this month in Washington.
She added that al-Zaidi was chosen by the elected Iraqi parliament as prime minister last May, after a long standoff between the United States and Iran over the selection of the country's next leader.
The report confirmed that al-Zaidi received Trump's endorsement despite owning a bank that the US Treasury Department had banned from dealing in dollars due to suspected dealings with an Iranian-linked militia leader. Iranian officials also publicly supported al-Zaidi's selection, according to the report.
He added that the White House's support came with a demand from al-Zaidi to exclude Iranian-backed militias from the next Iraqi government and reduce Tehran's influence in Baghdad. Al-Zaidi also ordered these militias to disarm and place their members under state control, according to the newspaper.
But the American demands, according to the report, involve serious political risks for al-Zaydi, and progress in reducing the influence of the "militias" is slow, according to analysts.
According to the report, previous Iraqi prime ministers have had little success in challenging the "militias," which enjoy strong support in parliament.link