Al-Fateh: We have strong economic factors to move towards countries other than America, 27 NOV
The representative of the Al-Fatah Alliance, Ahmed Al-Musawi, confirmed on Monday that Iraq has many elements of economic power that enable it to cooperate with other countries, stimulate commercial activity, export oil, exchange goods and merchandise, and distance itself from America and its hegemony.
Al-Moussawi told Al-Maalouma, “Iraqi funds should have been liberated and the government had the authority to benefit from them to serve the country, after leaving Chapter Seven, which greatly restricted Iraq.”
He added, "The government has many economic and political papers, and there are many countries that have very strong economic activities and have announced the opening of the doors of cooperation with Iraq and the conclusion of contracts and agreements to serve economic interests."
He stated, "There is a great possibility for Iraq to dispense with cooperation with the American side and move toward other countries, so that through this cooperation, oil can be exported and currencies, goods, and commodities can be exchanged."
Al-Moussawi pointed out, “Exiting the aforementioned clause allows Iraq to control its funds, but there is political weakness regarding the failure to liberate Iraq’s funds and their remaining with America.” link
Experts: Electronic payment raises the value of the dinar
The first 11/27/2023 Baghdad: Hoda Al-Azzawi Experts and specialists in financial and economic affairs believed that the electronic payment system would preserve the monetary supply of the Iraqi dinar and raise its value against the dollar in later stages.
The Prime Minister’s Advisor for Economic and Financial Affairs, Dr. Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, explained to “Al-Sabah” that “the cash payments system is linked to a high degree of certainty whenever payments are made by electronic or digital means, which provides an accurate liquidity indicator for the banking system and reduces the degree of ambiguity.” And the uncertainty in banking liquidity.
The payments system also provides sufficient information about the flow of the cash mass into the banking system, and the amounts of paid and accumulated amounts are clear and their actual balances are stated at all times during the banking working day.”
He pointed out that "in light of monetary systems that rely on direct cash payments, bank liquidity management policies surround themselves with additional hedges of disrupted liquidity in order to anticipate liquidity risks, which disrupts part of banking operations and credit in particular," explaining that "as payments increase..
Electronic behavior as a behavior in daily dealings, the management of the cash mass and its flow in the banking system will be subject to the rule of clarity in cash management, and then direct bank credit towards profitable areas, which will provide efficient use of the cash mass, in addition to that the percentage of cash leakages outside the banks will decrease, which means that A structural change in the behavior of cash demand among individuals and banks will trend toward decline, due to dealing with electronic payment systems that are linked to bank accounts.”
He added, “Thus, the development of the payments environment and its transition from a direct cash environment or cash payment in payment and receipt operations to the use of electronic payment will, in all circumstances, restrict all local cash payment in currencies (other than the dinar) and spare the economy and distance its transactions from cash payment in foreign currency, because systems Digital payments do not allow transactions in the local economy in anything other than the national currency,” he explained, explaining that “in Milan, the economy will move its transaction payments to the (digital dinar) instead of the (cash dollar), whose transactions in internal settlements are legally rejected completely.”
For his part, the head of the “Regional Center for Studies”, Ali Al-Sahib, indicated in an interview with “Al-Sabah” that “electronic collection or electronic payment is a step that the government adopted not long ago, but it has not been implemented yet, and the Iraqi citizen in general lacks a culture.” Electronic payment, even though most countries in the world, including neighboring countries, have been dealing with it for years.”
He explained, "Despite this, if this practice is applied in Iraq, it will have both negative and positive paths. As for the positive, it is the abolition of cash and the preservation of storage, as well as preventing the banknote from being damaged and possibly stolen or lost, as well as reducing cases of corruption in gas stations and elsewhere, not to mention waste." The time in the process of receiving the money, disbursing it, etc.
He added, “As for the negatives of the process - they lie in the citizen’s ignorance and unwillingness to deal - in addition to the fees for obtaining the card and other negatives.”
He added, "It is remarkable that Iraq consumes approximately (30) million liters of vehicle fuel daily. These are very large quantities and require government effort to spread the culture of public awareness to enter this new stage," indicating that "forcing the citizen to use electronic payment may confuse The daily scene and reality raises complaints and complaints from citizens, and the best solution is for the state to give the citizen the choice to follow one of the two methods until he gets used to electronic payment.” https://alsabaah.iq/87963-.html
There is so much happening…..It's shaking out to be an interesting few days. Article: “Iraq Financial Delegation heads to Ankara to discuss trade with Turkey” this is more Iraq coming on the International scene. They continue to function as if they are already a member of the World Trade Organization. They are busy making regional alliances.
In Iraq: “Change of business dealings- Iraq replaced dollar with currencies to stabilize the dinar.” In other words “De-Dollarization” They want to be totally dollar free by Jan. 1st. All part of creating a basket of currencies that will help support the dinar.Something to measure against other than the dollar
Here is one more...bank story: This person went to Krogers…and what they had installed in Krogers will surprise you. A currency redemption machine that reads foreign currency...
And they are building a brand new BOA right across the street with no drive through windows …in the lobby there are no tellers...in the lobby are 2 big tables…and there are 10 offices down each side of the building. This is a totally new format and will be open next week...They are expecting people in with foreign currency. How many people roll around with foreign currency? I think this is a huge tell on what they suspect is coming…
Adviser To The Prime Minister: The Electronic Payment System Will Raise The Value Of The Dinar Against The Dollar
Time: 11/27/2023 Read: 2,158 times {Economic: Al-Furat News} Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, financial advisor to Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani, said that the electronic payment system will preserve the monetary supply of the Iraqi dinar and will raise its value against the dollar in later stages.
Saleh explained, in a press statement, that “the cash payments system is linked to a high degree of certainty whenever payments are made by electronic or digital means, which provides an accurate liquidity indicator for the banking system and reduces the degree of ambiguity and uncertainty in banking liquidity. The payments system also provides sufficient information.” The flow of cash into the banking system, the clarity of the amounts of paid and accumulated amounts, and a statement of their actual balances at all times during the banking working day.
He pointed out, "In light of monetary systems that rely on direct cash payments, bank liquidity management policies surround themselves with additional hedges of disrupted liquidity in order to anticipate liquidity risks, which disrupts part of banking and credit operations in particular."
He stated, “As electronic payments increase as a behavior in daily dealings, the management of the cash mass and its flow in the banking system will be subject to the rule of clarity in cash management, and then directing bank credit towards profitable areas, which provides efficient use of the cash mass, in addition to reducing the percentage of cash leakages outside Banks will decline, which means that a structural change in the behavior of cash demand among individuals and banks will lead to a decline, due to dealing with electronic payment systems that are linked to bank accounts.”
Saleh added, “Thus, the development of the payments environment and its transition from the direct cash environment or cash payment in payment and receipt operations to the use of electronic payment will, in all circumstances, restrict all local cash payment in currencies (other than the dinar) and spare the economy and distance its transactions from cash payment in foreign currency, because systems Digital payments do not allow transactions in the local economy in anything other than the national currency.” LINK
Economic Council issues decisions to enhance Baghdad's infrastructure
Shafaq News / The Ministerial Economic Council announced its approval on Monday to initiate two projects, the Sewage Systems of Nahrawan and Saba Al-Bor, aimed at improving the service infrastructure in the outskirts of Baghdad.
The council also decided to reduce the prices of supplying white oil to the residents of the Kurdistan Region and agreed to exclusively import branded pharmaceutical products.
According to an official statement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Fuad Hussein chaired the thirty-sixth session of the council. The session included the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning, as well as the Ministers of Finance, Trade, Agriculture, Industry, Labor, Social Affairs, the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, the Governor of the Central Bank, the Head of the National Investment Commission, and advisors to the Prime Minister for economic and legal affairs, along with the Deputy Minister of Oil.
The council hosted the Governor of Baghdad to further discuss the Nahrawan and Saba Al-Bor sewage projects and approved their commencement to enhance the service infrastructure in Baghdad's outskirts.
Moreover, the council decided to reduce the price of supplying white oil to the Kurdistan Region provinces to 250 dinars per liter from 500 dinars per liter due to the arrival of the winter season.
The statement also indicated that the council approved the importation of pharmaceutical products exclusively from companies with branded medications (Brand), with coordination to be established with the Ministry of Industry regarding fees for protecting national products.
Regarding the principle of cumulative voting for joint-stock companies, the council opted to select the voting mechanism used to elect company boards for the general body without enforcing the principle of cumulative voting. It also endorsed the continued preparation of liquid gas by the Ministry of Oil for the designed facilities.
Iraq Charts New Course for Economic Development and Global Relations
In a bold move to reorient Iraq’s economic trajectory, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani has pledged his government’s dedication to fostering a network of global economic ties. This was revealed during his address at the inaugural conference for the Five-Year National Development Plan, a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Planning and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Redirecting Development to the Right Path
Al Sudani acknowledged the developmental disruptions Iraq has faced since the 1980s, resulting from wars, sanctions, and counter-terrorism operations. He stressed the urgency of his government’s mission to guide development back on track, highlighting the need to expedite over 7,000 existing projects and initiate new ones with significant developmental and service potential. Key interests include infrastructure, clean energy, development roads, and the Al Faw Port.
Breaking Free from a Rentier Economy
Al Sudani outlined the government’s plans for economic diversification, including the establishment of the Iraqi Development Fund and the ‘Riyada’ initiative. The latter aims to empower youth to channel their ideas into productive sectors. The government is also offering sovereign guarantees to stimulate the private sector, with a goal to break away from the rentier economy model.
Iraqi Economy on the Global Stage
The Prime Minister announced a 2024 population census and enumerated steps taken towards achieving economic and developmental goals. These include reforming the banking sector, automating economic and service activities, endorsing electronic payments, and emphasizing digital transformation. Concurrently, Saudi Investment Minister, Khalid Al Falih, declared plans to fast-track the creation of a free economic zone with Iraq at the Arar border area. This tax-free zone aims to serve investors from both nations, potentially creating a myriad of investment opportunities.
Enriching Economic Relations
Meanwhile, China and Iraq have inaugurated the Iraqi-Chinese Business Council in Baghdad to bolster trade and investment, following a trade exchange worth approximately $53 billion in 2022. China has pledged support for Iraq’s Development Road project, further enhancing bilateral economic relations. Iran, too, sees potential for boosting annual trade with Iraq to $20 billion. Additionally, a financial delegation from Iraq is set to depart for Ankara to discuss and stabilize trade exchange between Iraq and Turkey.
Al Sudani’s announcement signifies a new chapter in Iraq’s economic journey as it seeks to strengthen international relations and accelerate domestic development, grappling with the remnants of its turbulent past.