Wed. Iraq News Posted by Tishwash at TNT 8-26-2026

TNT:

Tishwash:  The Central Bank of Iraq reveals the amount of local currency in circulation.

Data from the Central Bank of Iraq’s economic indicators revealed on Tuesday that the total currency issued by the bank in the markets rose to 111.189 trillion dinars by the end of June 2026, compared to 99.799 trillion dinars at the end of 2025, an increase of about 11.4 trillion dinars.

According to data seen by Shafaq News Agency, net currency outside banks reached 101.966 trillion dinars at the end of last June, compared to 92.560 trillion dinars at the end of 2025, an increase of about 9.4 trillion dinars.

In contrast, the currency held by banks rose to 9.223 trillion dinars at the end of last June, compared to 7.239 trillion dinars at the end of 2025, an increase of about 1.98 trillion dinars.

The data indicates that currency outside banks constituted about 91.7% of the total currency issued at the end of June,  while the share of currency held in bank vaults amounted to about 8.3%, reflecting the continued heavy reliance of the Iraqi economy on cash transactions outside the banking system.  link

Tishwash:  The Prime Minister's advisor told Baghdad Today: The 2027 budget will be ready to be presented to the Cabinet within days.

 The financial advisor to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, confirmed on Wednesday (August 26, 2026) that "the 2027 budget will be ready to be presented to the Council of Ministers within days," indicating that it "will adopt the 'program budget' formula to ensure control over spending and combat financial waste."

Saleh told Baghdad Today that “the 2027 budget is characterized by being a disciplined budget that addresses waste in financial spending operations, and the old methods of managing public money will gradually disappear,” noting that “the budget includes two parts, investment and operational, and the spending mechanisms are linked to specific programs and projects.”

The Prime Minister's advisor added that "the budget will focus on necessary defense expenditures," noting that "if oil exports stabilize, a supplementary budget may be approved after the middle of the year." link

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Tishwash:  Despite government denials, a member of the Finance Committee confirms the imminent removal of zeros from the dinar.

Jamal Kojar, a member of the Finance Committee in Parliament, confirmed today (Tuesday , August 25 , 2026) that there is a government trend towards officially removing zeros from the Iraqi dinar and issuing a new paper currency.

According to The New Arab Network, as translated by Baghdad Today, Kujer said, “The government believes that removing zeros from the currency will bring great benefits to the country, explaining that there are requirements with ‘international’ standards that will be achieved by removing the zeros, including the transition to electronic currency trading, which will bring benefits in terms of combating corruption and developing commercial trading,” according to the network.

He added that "the Iraqi market also needs small denominations for local use, which is not currently possible with the presence of zeros," stressing that "the main goal is to prevent currency smuggling abroad, and to limit its circulation outside the Iraqi banking system, and thus reduce corruption."

He explained that “all criminal activities in the world are carried out through money that is traded outside the country’s banking system,” adding, “The government may put in place safeguards that enhance transparency in financial transactions by digitizing the currency after removing zeros from it, which helps in the process of combating financial corruption.”

The network also indicated that "the Iraqi government received recommendations from international bodies, including the United States, to remove zeros from the Iraqi currency, arguing that this would help to strengthen confidence in the Iraqi dinar and thus contribute to attracting more foreign investments," while also confirming in its report that the Central Bank of Iraq "has not yet provided a timetable for implementing the process of removing zeros," as it described it.

It should be noted that "government statements issued earlier denied the existence of efforts to remove zeros from the Iraqi currency, after the Minister of Communications, Mustafa Sand, announced that there was a government intention to remove them."   link

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Tishwash:    The direction of the Iraqi economy

 Amid the complex conditions and circumstances that the region and the world are going through, and the negative repercussions they have on the Iraqi economy, the government is trying to move towards a new path aimed at strengthening economic stability and preparing the foundations for the next stage.

However, these efforts face challenges rooted in the nature of the Iraqi economic structure, and in the entanglement of relationships governed by a system of laws and legislation that sometimes conflict and contradict the economic approach that is supposed to govern the course of the state, according to what was approved by the constitution.

The situation becomes more dangerous as Iraq enters a phase of financial and economic pressures that it has not witnessed with such intensity for years. These pressures are directly affected by regional and international developments, especially the repercussions of conflicts that have affected trade, energy, and supply routes, most notably the Strait of Hormuz, and the resulting disruptions that have extended their effects to markets, energy prices, and the movement of the global economy.

Some might believe the crisis will end once the Strait crisis is resolved and shipping returns to normal, but the economic reality is far more complex. Crises don't end with the resolution of their immediate causes; rather, they leave behind lasting effects that require time, comprehensive measures, and integrated policies to address and restore the economy to its normal course.

The fundamental problem lies in the very nature of the Iraqi economy, which remains heavily dependent on oil revenues. This makes it extremely sensitive to fluctuations in oil prices, supply disruptions, and changes in global markets. We have repeatedly warned against what can be termed the “oil illusion”—the belief that high oil revenues can permanently address structural imbalances in the economy. The reality is that oil, however high its revenues, cannot alone establish a stable and sustainable economy.

Faced with this reality, the government is moving at a seemingly slow pace in a challenging economic environment. Projects and strategies intended to usher in a new era continue to encounter implementation obstacles, and the path to development remains stalled. Furthermore, agreements signed between Iraq, the United States, and Turkey face challenges that require immediate attention and swift resolution.

Time is not on Iraq's side. Every delay in implementing economic and strategic projects means continued reliance on an economic model whose fragility has been proven by repeated crises, and at the same time means the loss of opportunities that could contribute to building a more diversified economy capable of withstanding shocks.

Hence, what is required is not merely managing the current crisis or waiting for the exceptional circumstances to end, but rather investing in it as an opportunity to reconsider the entire structure of the Iraqi economy, and to move from an economy dependent on oil revenues to an economy based on production, investment, energy, transportation, trade, industry, agriculture and services. link

Tishwash:  "Borrowing Law": The Iraqi Parliament awaits the green light from the government

Turki, a member of the parliamentary finance committee, confirmed that the House of Representatives is waiting for the government to officially send the draft borrowing law to parliament, in order to avoid a financial gap and to ensure that the law does not differ from the vision and policy of the Iraqi government.

Turki told Shafaq News Agency that "the parliamentary finance committee submitted the draft borrowing law to the Speaker of Parliament, but Speaker Hebat al-Halbousi believes that the draft law should be sent from the government before it is read in Parliament."

He added that "the Speaker of Parliament believes that the draft borrowing law should be officially reviewed by the government, and that it should be read and voted on in the Cabinet before being sent to Parliament."

Turki pointed out that "the borrowing law is of great importance in supporting the government and the investment budget of the Iraqi state, especially after the suspension of many investment projects."

It should be noted that the law on borrowing, grants and subsidies is an exceptional and temporary measure that Iraq is moving towards enacting, in order to compensate for the absence of the federal budget and to secure the necessary government spending.

Last month, the parliamentary finance committee revealed that it had discussed the draft law on borrowing, grants and subsidies with Finance Minister Faleh al-Sari, stressing that the law would be an alternative to the general budget law for 2026, in preparation for its inclusion on the agenda of the House of Representatives.

The head of the parliamentary finance committee, Uday Awad, told Shafaq News Agency that "the committee hosted Al-Sari to discuss a number of proposed laws, most notably the law on borrowing, grants and subsidies, which aims to maximize public revenues in a way that supports the Iraqi state treasury."  link