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Tishwash:  Private Banks Association: Iraq to adopt advanced trade finance system by end of 2024

The Iraqi Private Banks Association announced, on Wednesday, a move to adopt an advanced trade finance system by the end of the year.

The Executive Director of the Iraqi Private Banks Association, Ali Tariq, told the official agency, which was followed by "Al-Eqtisad News", that "work on the foreign trade financing platform began at the beginning of 2023 and is witnessing significant development," indicating that "it is expected that by the end of the year there will be a transition to another more advanced and accurate system to enhance control over foreign transfers related to trade."

He explained that "the new system will depend on correspondent banks instead of the current mechanisms, as each bank will have the ability to conduct transfers according to its capabilities and possession of correspondent accounts, whether in American banks or other banks that provide transfer services in different currencies."

He added, "This process will remain the same for the public and merchants wishing to transfer, as the requirements will not change significantly, but the accuracy of transfer operations will improve through the activation of control systems and regulations imposed by correspondent banks."

He stressed that "this transformation will increase public confidence in the Iraqi banking sector, as local banks will adhere to the instructions and mechanisms of international correspondent banks, which will enhance work within strict international systems and agreements."  link

Tishwash:  "Thousands of them are suspended" .. Draft laws challenge the remainder of the life of the current parliament

Former MP Hussein Al Aqabi confirmed the existence of thousands of suspended laws that need to be amended and cancelled, while he considered the draft laws an update for what remains of the life of the current parliament.

Al-Aqabi said, during his hosting in the {Free Talk} program broadcasted by Al-Furat satellite channel this evening, that: "We have a problem in the public authorities of the Iraqi state and it is concentrated in the legislative authority in which the form of the political conflict crystallizes and is in the sight and hearing of the public."

He added, "The outcomes of the electoral process since its formation until today do not match the size of the challenges we are experiencing today, especially in parliament, and the political forces do not follow up on their members in the legislative house and there are fundamental problems and important legislation that requires laws of high quality in terms of substance and content."

Al-Aqabi explained that "we have thousands of laws that are not legislated or need to be amended or cancelled and all these challenges go back to competent figures and the internal system must be activated, and Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani is supposed to play his pivotal role, especially with regard to the work of parliamentary committees and independent bodies."

He continued, "The vast majority of members of the House of Representatives do not read the budget law and quotas cannot be bypassed, but the most competent must be chosen, while the real estate law has not been presented in detail in the House of Representatives."

Al-Aqabi continued, saying, “According to the statement of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, there is a desire to change a number of ministers. As for the leaks, some of them were made through simple eavesdropping devices, and others show a political aspect. This is a disregard for the issue of corruption, which makes them public actions that do not require supernatural abilities to uncover them. The reason is that whoever feels safe from punishment misbehaves.”  link

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Tishwash:  Gold reserves boost confidence in national currency

Baghdad: The pillar of the emirate 

Gold plays a vital role in the monetary reserves of countries for several reasons related to financial stability, hedging against economic risks, enhancing confidence in the national currency, as well as being an effective tool for hedging against inflation. This prompted the Central Bank of Iraq, on several occasions and in successive years, to increase its gold reserves, which reached 148 tons and 305 ounces.  

Regarding the reason that prompted banks to rely on the yellow metal and nothing else, financial expert Mahmoud Dagher explained to “Al-Sabah” that the reason central banks, including the Central Bank of Iraq, increased their purchases of monetary gold is because it is suitable as a reserve compared to industrial gold, indicating that the Chinese Central Bank and the Indian Reserve are among the largest buyers of gold in the world.

Total reserves

Dagher added that the Central Bank of Iraq has increased its gold holdings more than once during the past two years, the last of which was in the first quarter of 2024, until the total gold reserves reached 148 tons and 305 ounces after the last deal in May 2024 by 2 tons and 644 ounces. 

Bank assets

He explained that although gold is not the best asset for generating returns when investing compared to currencies, deposits and securities that are permitted to be acquired within the assets of central banks, it is a haven for balance between other assets whose values ​​are affected by the nature of the economic cycle (recession and inflation), noting that the price of gold decreases during recession and increases during inflation, reflecting its balancing role.

Global trend

He added that gold is also a haven when currencies fluctuate sharply against each other, as happened in the last two years for the ruble, yuan and rupee, and thus reduces the impact of what is called currency risk, pointing out that the Central Bank of Iraq did not deviate from the global trend in buying gold despite the rise in its price accompanying the global wave of inflation that hit major economies until it approached 10%; because the rule of purchasing assets by central banks is based on the principle of buying the asset when its price falls in the hope of selling it when it rises, which did not happen with gold because expectations during the last two years were towards an increase in gold prices in addition to the continued significant fluctuation of currencies among themselves.

Avoid inflation

For her part, the economic affairs specialist, Dr. Ikram Abdul Aziz, said that Iraq is the fourth Arab country in possessing large quantities of gold as an element indicating the soundness of the Iraqi economy, indicating that gold and hard currency reserves become a supportive means and an important framework for hedging and avoiding inflation and rising prices.

Abdul Aziz added, in an interview with "Al-Sabah": Gold and foreign currency work to preserve the value of money and the resulting interest; therefore, countries seek to own large quantities of gold, noting that owning large quantities of gold reserves in light of the current fluctuations, geopolitical changes and the situation of the Iraqi economy is a safe haven to preserve value and hedge against inflation.

Development paths

She explained that the presence of large quantities of gold at the Central Bank of Iraq is an important element in limiting dollar control and reducing instability, noting that Iraq achieved this increase in its gold reserves to serve development paths.

She added that the Central Bank of Iraq has a variety of reserves, including gold, whose stock is an effective means and a basic pillar for maintaining purchasing power, stressing that the presence of strong reserves and their diversity in the investment portfolio of the Central Bank of Iraq is a basic pillar and a factor that limits the rise in prices and hedges against inflation, and thus confidence in the existing economic system is achieved. link

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