MZ: I am traveling to Miami today. I appreciate all the safe travel wishes. I will be stateside until May 11th.
MZ: On the bond side I do have a person tracking their wires. The wire did indeed initiate but the funds have not been received yet. They did get an update this morning saying it would be about a 3 day process.
MZ: Hopefully we will know more in a day or two. We are crossing our fingers. It looks like this may be underway
MZ: I will keep you all up to date as I get updates myself.
Government Advisor: Linking National Banks With Their American Counterparts Provides A Means For Economic Stability
Money and Business Economy News – Baghdad Prime Minister's advisor, Mazhar Mohammed Salih, confirmed on Wednesday that linking up with US banks provides financing and credit lines for trade and investment in Iraq. He also explained that direct cooperation with more than one US bank reduces the costs of foreign transactions.
“As long as Iraq is within the dollar zone like other OPEC countries, with the US dollar constituting the majority of its financial assets from oil revenues, it is in our country’s interest to deal equally with the US commercial banking system as a global correspondent for national banks, especially when dealing with more than one US bank operating globally (Global Bank) that has major global branches and arms,” Saleh said in a statement reported by the official news agency and seen by Al-Eqtisad News.
He added, "The Central Bank of Iraq's efforts to link national banks with major banks and financial institutions in the United States, with more than one bank that enjoys international standing, is an important means of providing economic stability and improving the investment, trade, and development climate in our country through integration with the dollar trade, banking, and investment zone, which remains, without a doubt, one of the strongest and most important monetary zones in the world."
He pointed out that "reducing the costs of foreign banking transactions today requires direct banking cooperation with more than one American bank (Global), and that the Central Bank of Iraq is moving in the right, open, and rapid direction in assessing its priorities to serve the stability of the national economy at the level of foreign banking transactions and implementing them with the required speed and high guarantees."
Saleh explained that "the second American bank provides opportunities for Iraqi banks as a global correspondent bank with multiple branches and operations to quickly implement banking operations, whether in transfers or financing foreign trade for our country's markets, without obstacles and with transparency and high governance.
In addition, it provides financing and credit lines for trade and investment in Iraq, as well as benefiting from digital banking services and highly advanced international standards, which will bring our national banks to the required global level.
These are factors that encourage the investment and business climate in our country at the same time, in the midst of integration and cooperation with the international banking system." https://economy-news.net/content.php?id=54985
MarkZ Disclaimer: Please consider everything on this call as my opinion. People who take notes do not catch everything and its best to watch the video so that you get everything in context. Be sure to consult a professional for any financial decisions
MZ: I am traveling to Miami today. I appreciate all the safe travel wishes. I will be stateside until May 11th.
MZ: On the bond side I do have a person tracking their wires. The wire did indeed initiate but the funds have not been received yet. They did get an update this morning saying it would be about a 3 day process.
MZ: Hopefully we will know more in a day or two. We are crossing our fingers. It looks like this may be underway
MZ: I will keep you all up to date as I get updates myself.
Member: 3 days for a bank wire?
MZ: That lets us know we are still under the old SWIFT system. We were told a long time ago that the initial bonds would be done under the old system…then it would reset. So I will take this as good news.
Member: The Simpsons predicted the end of the world in April. Is it the end of the fiat world???
MZ: Let’s hope it’s the end of the fiat world.
Member: if your bond contact can track the bank wire…what does that mean for timing for us?
MZ: I don’t know. But I was always told about 3-5 days after enough of the bond s were done- that is when we went.
MZ: The money is traveling from Europe to the US for this specific bond holder.
MZ” “
Secretary of state to the American press: Iraq is keen to continue security cooperation with the US” they want to deepen ties…not sever ties. This is important for their safety and stability.
MZ: ” Round of political consultations between Iraq and Switzerland in Baghdad” International!! What does a fully international country need? A fully international rate.
MZ: I hope to maintain a normal schedule while I am traveling. No whiskey and wisdom tonight and no stream tonight. We hope to have 2 podcasts tomorrow and one on Friday and Saturday AM….Morning podcasts should be normal next week.
Member: Safe travels Mark……See you all tomorrow morning.
THE CONTENT IN THIS PODCAST IS FOR GENERAL & EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY&NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE ANY PROFESSIONAL, FINANCIAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. PLEASE CONSIDER EVERYTHING DISCUSSED IN MARKZ’S OPINION ONLY
KRG official publicly criticizes Iraq’s Trade Bank over delays to ATM rollout and bank cards
A senior official in the Kurdistan Regional Government publicly criticized Iraq’s Trade Bank on Wednesday, citing significant delays and insufficient cooperation in the rollout of a high-profile digital banking initiative intended to modernize public salary payments.
The initiative, known as My Account, launched in September 2023, aiming to allow government employees in the Kurdistan Region to receive salaries digitally via bank-issued cards, reducing dependency on cash and increasing financial transparency. TBI was among several banks selected for participation.
“We are pleased to announce that the Trade Bank of Iraq is now part of the My Account project to digitize salary payments in the Kurdistan Region,” the ministry had said in a statement last year. Although welcomed in May 2024 by the Kurdistan Ministry of Finance, TBI’s participation has become a source of concern.
Nearly a year later, officials say the bank has fallen short of its commitments.
Aziz Ahmed, deputy chief of staff to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the official leading the My Account team, spoke candidly to 964media. “It’s true, this is the first time we are publicly expressing our concerns about one of the banks in the My Account project, which is TBI,” he said. “But the scale of the issues with this bank can no longer be overlooked.”
Ahmed explained that the KRG has been waiting for over a year for TBI to fulfill a pledge to install 100 ATMs. “Despite over 40,000 requests from public employees in the Kurdistan Region to open accounts with the bank, the ATM installation process hasn’t moved forward, and the issuance of My Account cards has also been delayed,” he said.
The delay, according to Ahmed, is not just administrative but has practical consequences. “The delay in delivering ATMs and distributing bank cards has affected the speed of the banking rollout and has harmed public employees in the region,” he said.
Other banks participating in the program have also experienced occasional technical setbacks, but those were typically resolved without long-term disruption. “The level of difficulty we’ve had with TBI is different and ongoing,” Ahmed said. “Issues faced by other banks, such as temporary ATM outages, were addressed and solved. That has not been the case with TBI.”
According to the latest data obtained by 964media from the My Account project, there are approximately 650 ATMs available across the Kurdistan Region—many newly installed as part of the initiative. The project aims to expand this network to over 1,200 ATMs, reaching beyond major cities to include towns and remote areas
.
This expansion is intended to ease salary access for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s 1.2 million public sector employees—roughly one ATM for every 1000 workers.
Eight banks are currently participating: BBAC, Cihan Bank, RT Bank, Bank of Baghdad, Iraqi Islamic Bank, National Bank of Iraq, Trade Bank of Iraq, and the International Development Bank.
964media has learned that the project has registered around 750,000 employees so far, with more than 450,000 having received their bank cards, enabling them to withdraw salaries from ATMs after being paid directly to their individual bank accounts.
The project has vowed to register all public sector employees for digital banking accounts by the end of this year.
Ahmed said the KRG has formally raised the issue with both the Central Bank of Iraq and the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. “Despite our repeated official communications and efforts to resolve the problems with the bank at the highest levels, the response and cooperation have not met expectations.”
Frustrated by the lack of progress, the KRG has opted to go public. “The lack of a satisfactory outcome from those efforts has left us no choice but to make our concerns public in the spirit of transparency,” Ahmed said.
My Account functions as an alternative to Baghdad’s Tawtin (localization) program. In February 2024, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court ruled that salaries for public employees in the Kurdistan Region must be paid directly by the federal government, rather than through the KRG’s allocated share of the national budget.
In September 2024, public sector workers in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah expressed growing frustration as some ATMs ran out of cash, leaving many unable to access their delayed wages. However, officials overseeing the My Account project say those problems have since been addressed and that the system is now operating more smoothly. There have been no reports of widespread issues since. link
Bruce’s Big Call Dinar Intel Tuesday Night 4-29-25
Transcribed By WiserNow
Welcome everybody to the big call tonight it is Tuesday, April 29th and you're listening to the big call. Welcome all over the country, all over the globe, wherever you're tuned in from, wherever you're listening to us. Thank you for tuning in. Glad to have you here tonight. Let's go ahead and pray the call in.
All right, so let's do this. Let's get into our intel for a night. All right.
Now, as you guys know we were close to getting some information that said we would say where we get something by the end of the month, or that's at least what President Trump wanted this to happen while the end of the month is tomorrow, Wednesday, the 30th.
Now, we didn't get notified today, but the latest information that we're getting from three or more different sources is saying we should get notified tomorrow. It looks like start exchanges on Thursday, the first of May. And anytime we come up and it's close to the end of the month, I always wonder, are they going to push it to the end of the month and then have us exchange and starting on the first that appears to be what is happening
Now, the reason I say that is because we did get information from redemption center - let's call them leaders that said that they're expecting an email 9:15 or so in the morning that will let tomorrow morning that will let them know if we are actually getting notified tomorrow. And it looks good for that
We never know until the emails come out, until our 800 numbers come out from Wells Fargo, but it looks good for that to be occurring, and then for us to get started on Thursday, the first of May, with exchanges and redemption of zim.
Now you guys, we always wonder, when are we going to see the doge payment? When are we going to get R and R? You know, R and R, for those of us who are going to exchange, will it be at the redemption center?
When we get there, they'll either before we exchange or after exchanging, they'll bring that amount up to us. It should be something that's either already in our quantum accounts, or they'll see it and do it, put it in the quantum account. Think it's supposed to be in the quantum accounts, and then that account, of course, is our account.
Oh, and by the way, I don't think I told you guys this. I don't think I told you we already have our quantum card with our names on them. So they have our quantum cards ready for us at the redemption center that seems to correspond with our zip code. Oh, they know our zip code. They have everything on us, especially if you're a zim holder.
Okay, they have we're not going to need to bring much in, because they know who we are. That's an interesting thing that quantum card, remember is three times thicker than normal credit card. It's got three computer chips in it.
We think it's made of titanium It's a really strong thing, and you want to not lose that thing. You want to keep it in a very safe place, because the only reason you really use it is to move funds from your quantum account into your Wells Fargo account or another bank account.
My understanding is you can have up to three bank accounts, or three banks tied to the quantum card. We'll get all the details and everything when we go in, but that was my understanding so far. But it was interesting that they have our quantum accounts already in the location that they think we are, where we are going to do our exchange and redemption of zim . They got that ready to go I found out, oh gosh, I think it was last Thursday. I didn't bring it up, though sometimes I don't remember everything, but that's good news.
The other thing is, you know, I mentioned earlier, President Trump said that we are about to enter the Golden Age, or we're, we're at the start of the Golden Age.
And I think that's symbolic of the gold back currency, which our USN is certainly asset backed and primarily gold back. Yes, we have a lot of gold, plenty of it. And so that's good news, and we're about to move into NESARA but let's talk for a minute before we get into that, let's talk about the other things
People are concerned about their Doge payment - Where's my Doge payment? Well, we had heard that it might be there at the redemption center for us, and then we've heard, oh, want to put it as a direct deposit into the account if you're receiving Social Security where you're getting it, if you if you have a bank account, they know about it.
They know about your bank account by your social security number, and you'll get your DOGE payment there. Those of us who are on social security, they'll use our Social Security bank account. Now, it's different from Social Security, but it's going into the same account where you have your social deposited Okay, that shouldn’t change
Here we are one day away from the last day of April we’re not looking for anything to happen other than 800 numbers that happen tomorrow on the 30th of April, but we are looking to get an increase in social didn't happen this month, like we were told, sorry, but we should get it in May.
We should get Doge in May, and we should get R and R at the redemption center in May, and we should get this RV, hopefully the numbers tomorrow and setting up appointments to begin exchanges on the first of May. So May, it's going to bring a lot more than pretty May flowers. It's going to bring a lot more than that for us.
Let's see if there's anything else that's timely and important on this. There's one other thing I'm thinking about that I heard tonight was You're not going to use your birth certificate. as a form of ID at the exchange location at the redemption center – it’s no longer considered legal, so that they don't want you to bring in a birth certificate.
What you want to use is a passport, if you have it, hopefully it's valid, even if it's not expired. Passport, some of you guys haven't renewed that yet. You know who you are. Bring it anyway, and bring your driver's license or student ID or government issued ID, or what do you got with a picture on it, a picture ID, and I'm going to bring a utility bill – cell phone bill something like that with a home address on it.
I don't know that there's that much else that we're looking for. You know what I mean - is there anything – I keep asking? Is there anything else that needs to be done? Is there anything else that you know that is holding it up?
Now we did have a situation in Europe where we had blackouts in some European countries, and we were told yesterday on Newsmax, which I recommend you Newsmax for years back, said you had Spain and Portugal that had major blackouts. I don't know how long that went on yesterday, and I heard it was a total of nine countries in Europe.
Now I could confirm additional countries. We've heard problems, even with Wells Fargo in connectivity and trying to do transactions, wire transfers, or something like that, yesterday and this morning, they've got those problems resolved.
There was an issue with HSBC and Citibank, but I don't know if that was a nationwide thing here or just specific branches in other parts of the world, because City Bank is in other countries. It's not just here in the US. And of course, HSBC is all over the world with branches and they have more, and they're adding more and more retail locations here in the United States, so we're going to have more HSBC banks too.
But I think I don't know this, but I believe the reasons for blackouts might have had to do with interconnectivity of May. It was the quantum system. Maybe it was the Starlink, but it also could have been connectivity having to do with the switch over to so called free energy that is supposed to start in the first 12 days of May now free energy does not mean zero electric bill.
Free Energy means that the suppliers that we have now supplying electricity to our power stations, power cuts or distribution points, would be free to them. We would have an electric bill, theoretically, 25% or so of what we pay now.
So in other words, we would pay to have the service to pay for maintenance of the lines still to go, at least right now, the distribution is going to be through the electrical grid that we have now, through the grid, and so instead of the whole cost of fuel and everything that we see on our electric bill, it's going to be more like 25% maybe less, but 25% probably is what I'm hearing. Let's say of what it is you have $100 electric bill. Electric Bill, could be 25 so let's see what happens with that.
Bank screen. Let's see. Let's talk about redemption center screens. Redemption center screens, we've got, let's see 18. We had 17 currencies, maybe 18, that were all slightly fluctuating, but going up mostly in value, and those will solidify.
And there was a crawler yesterday morning across the bottom of the redemption center screens that said, pending mean rate spending and 48 in 48 hours. So that was yesterday, Monday, so Wednesday, those rates shouldn't be solid, and I think they need to be solid for the exchanges to begin.
Now, does that mean we start tomorrow? I don't know. Maybe, maybe it could be that we start off first though, which is Thursday. So I just think it’s interesting that the rates are scrolling across the bottom. The method is scrolling rather because the rates were fluctuating, you could see the rates, you could see the amounts, you could see the rates, the currencies and so on.
But the crawler across the bottom of the screen said pending 48 so I think that's a good sign. And the rollout that we're looking for is we think the bond holders will be messaged with an email that said they will have access to funds. We think sometime tomorrow, possibly around one or 1130, to noon in that time frame, when they get access to their funds in their accounts. The money is already in the accounts for the bondholders they've been emailed that - when they can access those funds, where they access those funds.
At that time, we're supposed to be sent our notification, 800 number so that we can put payments and the whole thing bondholders to us, should be a rollout, six to 48 hours. It's kind of a shotgun start, and it's a little bit skewed. It might not be exactly at the same time, but if the bond holders have access to funds, when we can we get to set our appointments and go, we're close. We're close. We're maybe 24 hours and maybe 24 hours ahead of us.
Now we'll see. We'll find out when they get access to their accounts, and then we should able to set our appointments. And who knows, may we start tomorrow, but I don't know, but my guts says that before Thursday start for our exchanges on the first day of the month of May.
But that's what I wanted to bring tonight –
So let's do this. Let’s pray the call out, but let's have a wonderful time looking at emails. Get an email out to sue, take advantage of the sale Bob's got going on and do that, and then we'll see what happens tomorrow, if we get our numbers, which I expect to set our appointments, and we're up and running, and that way Thursdays call, hopefully will be our celebration call. All right, so watch your emails
Bruce’s Big Call Dinar Intel Tuesday Night 4-29-25 REPLAY LINK Intel Begins 1:23:43
The majority of Iraq's financial assets are in US dollars. Al-Sudani's advisor discusses linking Iraqi banks to US banks.
On Wednesday, April 30, 2025, Mazhar Mohammed Salih, advisor to the Prime Minister for Financial Affairs, spoke about the repercussions of linking Iraqi banks to American banks.
As long as Iraq is within the dollar zone like other OPEC countries, with the US dollar constituting the majority of its financial assets from oil revenues, it is in our country’s interest to deal equally with the US commercial banking system as a global correspondent power for national banks, especially when dealing with more than one US bank operating globally (Global Bank) that has major global branches and arms, ” Saleh said in a press statement followed by Al-Jabal.
He pointed out that "the Central Bank of Iraq's efforts to link national banks with major banks and financial institutions in the United States, with more than one bank that enjoys international standing, is an important means of providing economic stability and improving the investment, trade, and development climate in our country through integration with the dollar trade, banking, and investment zone, which remains one of the strongest and most important monetary zones in the world."
He stressed that "reducing the costs of foreign banking transactions requires direct banking cooperation with more than one American (Global) bank, and that the Central Bank of Iraq is moving in the right, open, and rapid direction in assessing its priorities to serve the stability of the national economy at the level of foreign banking transactions and implementing them with the required speed and high guarantees ."
He pointed out that "the second American bank is responsible for providing opportunities for Iraqi banks as a global correspondent bank with multiple branches and operations to quickly implement banking operations, whether in transfers or financing foreign trade for our country's markets, without obstacles and with transparency and high governance. In addition, it provides financing and credit lines for trade and investment in Iraq, as well as benefiting from digital banking services and highly advanced international standards, which will bring our national banks to the required global level.
These are factors that encourage the investment and business climate in our country at the same time, in the midst of integration and cooperation with the international banking system." link
Iraq is actively working toward implementing ASYCUDAWorld across all its customs sites by mid-2025, as part of a broader effort to modernize customs processes and boost trade efficiency.
The Ministry of Finance is making progress with automating its programs, and is currently implementing the ASYCUDA (Automated System for Customs Data) system within its customs sector. This system aims to modernize customs operations, improve revenue collection, and facilitate trade.
ASYCUDA is a computerized customs management system that covers various foreign trade procedures, including declarations and accounting.
Iraq’s adoption of ASYCUDAWorld at key shipping ports like Umm Qasr and other customs sites is a transformative step toward modernizing its trade infrastructure. The system is already yielding significant results, such as increased customs revenue and higher import volumes, and is poised to expand nationwide by mid-2025. By aligning with international standards and improving efficiency,
ASYCUDAWorld enables Iraq to strengthen its position in global trade, attract investment, and reduce economic reliance on oil. The sources cited provide robust evidence of the system’s implementation and its positive impact on Iraq’s international trade capabilities.
Yes, many countries are exploring and implementing the use of their own currencies within the banking system to align with evolving international standards and potentially move away from the dominance of the US dollar.
This is happening through the development of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and the increasing use of national currencies in cross-border payments.
It remains to be seen if the dinar will replace the dollar in these shipping port transactions. The current trend would say so, but many geopolitical tensions are still in flux. And, it is too early to tell what is about to happen in Iraq at this time.
Fuad Hussein arrives in Oman to exchange views on "current challenges"
Fuad Hussein arrives in Oman to exchange views on "current challenges" The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the arrival of its Minister, Fuad Hussein, to the Omani capital, Muscat, on an official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The ministry said in a statement that "Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein is scheduled to hold meetings during the visit with a number of Omani officials, most notably the Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, to exchange views on regional and international developments and current challenges."
The statement indicated that the Iraqi Ambassador to Muscat, Qais Al Ameri, and embassy staff attended the reception ceremony. link
💥Mel addresses the Question with a simple yet shocking answer, she says with Iraq filing bankruptcy doesn’t that leave all the Dinar having NO VALUE? Answer YES, she explains…💥
💥BRICS role is to implement Nations to the Quantum SYSTEM, the IMF and the World Bank have worked along side ( Iraq) them signing over from IMF to World Bank, as Countries are getting all their loans paid back, meaning BRICS is in Control💥
💥Mr POOL Comms, about Chapter 11 Bankruptcy , it’s all a PART of breaking down the OLD SYSTEM to bring in the NEW SYSTEM….THEREFORE, Mel says that Iraqi Bankruptcy is A GOOD THING, the bankruptcy takes the old to zero, and get the NEW RESET, she says , OK, yes, it’s COMING💥
💥Another Question was about the DONG, was it going to be exchanged in Australia? Mel said, her Wealth Management Team said they will contact her about the DONG, as she will inform everyone here whenever she has more information..💥
💥Major Banks in Australia , COMMONWEALTH BANK (CWB),is the ONLY currency bank in Australia, if a holder has large sums to exchange, they may get an appointment to go to a different section of the bank, that is set up for EXCHANGE 💥
💥HSBC in Australia is also set up for Exchanges/ Redemption, remember every Country is different, SO, sit back and watch it play out, Mel says let it UNFOLD… Happy to Share, she is certainly very pumped up, see you later bye for now💥
The Rise In The Value Of The National Currency Has Local And International Causes
Economic 04/27/2025 Baghdad: Hussein Thaghab The Iraqi dinar's exchange rate against the US dollar has witnessed a significant improvement over the current period, supported by a number of internal and external factors.
Most notably, the
country's large financial reserves, the prudent monetary policies pursued by the Central Bank of Iraq, and signs of a thaw in US-Iranian relations have
combined to boost the value of the national currency.
Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Dr. Ammar Hamad, said that the improvement in the Iraqi dinar's exchange rate against the dollar in local markets is due to the central bank's recent policy. He added that
Financial Reserves
the country's massive financial reserves are one of the main reasons behind the improvement in the value of the dinar against the dollar, and
we expect the dinar's value to continue to
improve in the coming period. He pointed out that
the Central Bank of Iraq is working to consolidate the national currency by adopting policies that are consistent with Iraq's
financial capabilities and the requirements of the national economy.
Dollar Flow
Dr. Nabil Al-Abadi said:
“The past few days have witnessed a significant improvement in the exchange rate of the dinar against the dollar, which is the result of a combination of internal and external factors.
On the monetary policy side, the Central Bank has taken strict measures, including
restricting the flow of dollars through auction platforms and imposing strict oversight on banks. It has also raised the interest rate on dinar deposits, which has stimulated the transfer of some cash liquidity.
External Factors, such as the
improvement in oil prices and the accompanying increase in foreign reserves,
have also contributed to this improvement.” He added that
Stabilization
these measures, while effective in achieving short-term stability, remain subject to several risks.
The Iraqi economy's dependence on oil revenues makes it hostage to global market fluctuations.
Furthermore, some austerity measures, such as import restrictions, could negatively impact citizens' purchasing power if they are not accompanied by policies that supportlocal production. He stated that
Productive Sectors
ensuring the sustainability of this improvement requires structural reforms, starting with diversifying the economic base and reducingdependence on oil, through developing productive sectors such as agriculture and industry.
This also requires
a comprehensive overhaul of the banking system and simplifyingcustoms procedures to boost non-oil exports, as well as enhancinginvestment confidence through stabilizing legislative policies. He stated that
improving the exchange rate is not an end in itself, but rather must be a starting point for deeper economic reform.
International experience demonstrates that sustainable monetary stability can only be achieved through a productive economy capable of confronting external shocks.
Global Pressure
Financial expert Dr. Mustafa Akram emphasized that
while there is a reason for the gap between the official exchange rate and the parallel exchange rate of the dinar against the dollar, the gap has its causes. He pointed out that the
opening up between the United States and the Islamic Republic has eased global pressure on remittances to Iran,
reducing demand for the dollar in local markets and strengthening the value of the national currency.
This coincides with ample supply from the Central Bank in the form of remittances and other forms of financing, which necessitates strengthening this phase. He pointed out the
Electronic Card
importance of the Central Bank of Iraq taking action to
reach an agreement with the United States and establish an official platform for transactions by creating an electronic payment card for use in Iran, Russia, and other sanctioned countries.
This would reduce demand for dollars, he noted, noting that
this would
serve small traders and travelers, address many problems, reducesmuggling and illegal trade, and increase the value of the local currency.
