๐ฎ๐ถ๐ผ “Washington Hears Baghdad: Iraq’s Reforms Are Bold — But Are They Built to Last?” ๐๐
๐จ Highlight Summary:
๐ Baghdad made headlines this week at the IMF & World Bank meetings in Washington, where it showcased a bold, detailed plan for banking and financial reform. The message: Iraq is ready to shift from crisis mode to long-term economic transformation.
๐ง WHAT IRAQ IS DOING RIGHT:
✅ Strategic Banking Reforms — Partnering with international firms and the Central Bank to modernize Iraq’s outdated financial sector.
✅ Restructuring Major State Banks (Rafidain, Rasheed, Industrial, Agricultural) for better operational efficiency.
✅ Boosting Financial Inclusion — From under 10% to over 40% in just 2 years, thanks to mobile payments, bank cards, and digitization.
✅ Customs & Tax Automation via the UN-backed ASYCUDA system, increasing state revenues and bridging the gap between formal and parallel economies.
✅ Three-Year Budget — A first in Iraq’s history, aimed at long-term stability and better investment planning.
⚠️ THE CHALLENGES THAT REMAIN:
๐ Too Reliant on Oil — Over 90% of Iraq’s GDP comes from oil. Price swings = constant risk.
๐ Weak Institutional Continuity — Every new government scraps previous reform plans. No long-term memory = no lasting progress.
๐ Technology ≠ Transformation — Automation helps, but real reform requires cultural change, anti-corruption enforcement, and regulatory strength.
๐ฆ Traditional Banking Systems — Most banks still rely on paper. Even with digital tools, true modernization is limited without strong legal and financial infrastructure.
๐ผ Private Banks Lack Investor Trust — And suffer from barriers to international financing.
๐ REFORM NEEDS TO BECOME A STATE STRATEGY, NOT A GOVERNMENT PROJECT
Experts argue: Reform isn’t about rewriting plans every 4 years.
It’s about building permanent institutions that keep reforms alive beyond elections or political shifts.
๐ Continuity, not just ambition, is what transforms good policy into lasting economic power.
๐ง Bottom Line:
Iraq’s reforms are technically sound and internationally backed — but without political insulation and institutional stability, they risk becoming just another cycle of promises.
Reform must outlive political phases to create real, national transformation.
๐ฃ Stay plugged into Iraq’s financial evolution:
๐ BLOG: https://dinarevaluation.blogspot.com/
๐ฌ TELEGRAM: https://t.me/DINAREVALUATION
๐ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064023274131
๐ฆ TWITTER/X: https://x.com/DinaresGurus
▶️ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@DINARREVALUATION
๐ Iraq is on the right track — but will it stay the course? ⏳