ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Ahmed Hoshyar, Director General of Erbil International Airport, exclusively told Kurdistan24 on Sunday, that while the Central Bank of Iraq has approved Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) to open a currency exchange office at the airport, “we have not received any official documentation authorizing the opening of any bank office or the sale of dollars at 132,000 dinars to travelers.”
Background on TBI Announcement
On Saturday, TBI announced plans to open dollar exchange centers at both Erbil and Sulaimani airports, offering 24/7 service.
The bank stated that travelers must pre-deposit Iraqi dinars at TBI branches in Mosul, Erbil, Sulaimani, or Duhok before accessing these services.
Current Policy Context
The Central Bank of Iraq initiated a program on July 14, 2024, allowing travelers to purchase dollars at Iraqi airports, though this service has not yet been implemented in Erbil or Sulaimani. Under the policy:
– Travelers over 18 can purchase up to $3,000
– Exchange rate: 132,000 dinars per $100
– 15,000 dinar service fee per transaction
– Restrictions apply for travel to countries under U.S. sanctions
Member: Wolverine said he knows of 7 whales were paid….fact!!
MZ: It’s possible that someone jumped the gun and they were paid by flippers to banks or countries but my contacts in Reno, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Zurich say they havn’t started paying bonds yet.
MZ: There are so many rumors running around the bond market, the group market and the Indian nations that this could be the weekend. So much anticipation. We need to stay calm. The entire world is in a state of flux for the next week or two. Buckle up and continue watching it play out.
MZ: The news is fantastic but, until you and I are at the banks it doesn’t mean a lot right now….except giving us warm fuzzies.
MZ: There is a tremendous amount of expectations from groups and bonds.
The Prime Minister’s adviser, Hussein Allawi, confirmed on Sunday that Iraq is practicing effective diplomacy to stop the Zionist aggression in Lebanon and Gaza, while pointing out that regional cooperation between Iraq and the countries of the region is witnessing great prosperity, stressing that the development path project will enhance non-oil revenues.
The Prime Minister’s adviser said, in a statement reported by the official news agency, and seen by “Economy News”, that “the Iraqi government has made great achievements over the past two years, as work has been made to build a new vision of regional security based on development and dialogue.”
He explained that “the current tensions due to the Zionist aggression on the Palestinian and Lebanese territories pose a major challenge to regional security,” expressing his optimism that “there are opportunities for peace led by Iraq and the countries of the Arab, Gulf and Islamic regions, with calls for regional conferences focusing on diplomacy and economic dialogue.”
Allawi added that “Iraq is preparing to host the next Arab summit in Baghdad, and that before the Gaza crisis it was working to organize a regional conference that continues the efforts of the second Baghdad conference led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, with the aim of achieving development and stability after decades of conflicts.”
He pointed out that “Iraq has launched initiatives in several fields, including the development path, the development of the Fao port and the strengthening of energy, trade, electricity and the Internet security,” stressing that “regional cooperation between Iraq and the countries of the region is at the height of its prosperity.”
He pointed out that “there is great progress in increasing the volume of trade exchange and localizing the national industry through sovereign initiatives led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, to strengthen partnership between the private sector and Arab, regional and international companies.”
He added that “Iraq is witnessing progress in the fields of banking, the housing sector and industrial and agricultural initiatives, which attracted Arab, regional and Islamic capital to the country, in order to work and promote the Iraqi economy,” noting that “Iraq is currently seeking to move the great development path project, an Iraqi dream that spans more than 100 years, and it is scheduled to be completed through important strategies that will reflect positively on the national economy, and will enhance non-oil revenues, which contributes to the revival of the industrial, agricultural and commercial sectors, in addition to the information technology sector.”
The Prime Minister’s adviser stated that “the Iraqi economy is moving towards integration with the international economy, as proven by the reports of the International Monetary Fund, which showed the progress of the national economy among developing economies, this comes in light of the termination of the tasks of the international coalition, by a decision of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, the transfer of relations towards a normal bilateral pattern, and the return of relations to what they were before the events of Mosul.”
He added, “This transformation represents a major turning point to support development in Iraq, and enhance regional and international cooperation, and thus, Iraq becomes a major player in the fields of trade, international transport and energy, including renewable energy,” noting that “Iraq has enormous human wealth, where young people constitute 60% of society, which enhances the country’s ability to invest in the future.”
The Prime Minister’s Advisor expressed “the Iraqi government’s concerns about the developments of the Gaza crisis, as the Prime Minister stressed in his speech the importance of this issue at the national, Arab, regional and international levels, and referred to a strategic vision that highlights the risk of the war to other countries, which may lead to entering the region into open conflict.”
He continued by saying: “Iraq is practicing effective diplomacy, investing its relations with permanent member states, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia, in efforts to cease fire and restore the historical rights of the Palestinians, while stressing the need to stop the aggressive actions of the Zionist entity in Lebanon.”
He pointed out that “there are important diplomatic voices led by Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the Gulf countries, Iran, Turkey and other countries, to stop the conflict and prevent the deterioration of the humanitarian situation.”
The adviser added that “the Iraqi government, headed by Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, is celebrating this month the two years of its assumption of power, as it was able to achieve great achievements and maintain Iraq’s stability under external pressures.”
He continued, “Thanks to the wisdom of the political leadership and the directives of the Supreme Reference, the government was able to confront this open crisis, with a focus on the use of diplomatic discourse that reflects Iraq’s positive position in the international arena.”
The Prime Minister’s adviser stressed that “Iraq shows a strong commitment to providing humanitarian support during the crises that the region is going through, including the situation in Palestine and Lebanon, as the discourse of Iraqi diplomacy remained clear and clear, as Iraq seeks to extend a helping hand to the Sudanese brothers and all peoples suffering from crises.”
He pointed out that “Iraqi foreign policy is in line with the supreme reference directives in Najaf Al-Ashraf, which are based on Iraq’s history of more than 7,000 years of civilization and human depth,” stressing “the importance of consolidating these strategic values in foreign policy, as Iraq plays an important role at the diplomatic and humanitarian levels.”
He added that “Iraq interacts positively with the countries of the region and expresses its position in international forums, such as the United Nations General Assembly, where it represents Arab and Islamic issues,” however, saying: “The recent contacts between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as with French President Emmanuel Macron, came within the framework of preparations for the Arab and Islamic summit, where pressure efforts to stop the shooting were discussed.”
He pointed out that “there is a welcome to the initiative of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani in the United Nations General Assembly, which called on Arab and Islamic diplomacy to stand against the barbaric Zionist aggression against the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples,” stressing “the importance of stopping the war machine,” stressing that “the effects of these wars lead to the destruction of social ties and human security, and target innocent and unarmed citizens in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.”
Tier 1 the Elders, German Bonds, Select Yellow Dragon Bonds have been paid.
The Pentecostal group are now 100% under NDA.
Sat. 25 Oct. 2024 Wolverine: “The GCR is defiantly coming this week.”
Sat. 25 Oct. 2024 MarkZ: “Billionaire Warren Buffet dumps $10,500,000,000 billion in Berkshire’s Bank of America’s stake after slashing JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo investments to zero” Why is this important? If he suddenly dumps the stocks it would probably cause a run on banks. He is historically one of the most solid traders in the world and he is unloading all bank stocks. . Mark Z
Economy |Baghdad Today – Baghdad Professor of International Economics, Nawar Al-Saadi, revealed today, Sunday (October 27, 2024), that there are failures in the file of combating money laundering inside Iraq, wondering about the reasons for not establishing a financial intelligence unit.
Al-Saadi said in an interview with Baghdad Today, "Despite the presence of the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Office within the structure of the Central Bank of Iraq since 2007, this office suffers from a lack of resources and the absence of full support and coordination with other agencies, which limits its ability to combat money laundering effectively, especially in light of the challenges related to currency smuggling and the exploitation of security companies as outlets for illicit financing."
He explained that "establishing an independent financial intelligence unit could play a decisive role in unifying the efforts of multiple institutions to track financial crimes related to currency smuggling and terrorist financing, and achieving integration between intelligence analysis operations and financial information.
This unit will enhance Iraq's ability to cooperate internationally, especially with international organizations, which support the exchange of information between financial intelligence units globally, and enhance oversight of the banking system and combat money smuggling and terrorist financing practices through security companies and other channels."
He added, "From a security perspective, leaving the tasks of monitoring financial mafias within the jurisdiction of general military commands specialised in combating terrorism and criminal crime is a major challenge.
Financial crimes require a different methodology that includes financial analysis and investigation of transfers and properties, while criminal and terrorist crimes focus on methods and tactics related to immediate arrest and deterrence of violent activities."
“From an economic and financial perspective, financial crimes and terrorist crimes are fundamentally different; the former seek to camouflage and convert illicit funds into legitimate funds using legitimate economic channels, while terrorist crimes focus on achieving political goals through intimidation.
Separating these two types of crimes will enable Iraq to build an effective oversight system that is appropriate to the nature of each type of crime and will help protect the Iraqi economy from the challenges associated with money laundering and terrorist financing,” he added.
The professor of international economics concluded by saying that “with better integration between institutions and independent financial intelligence units, Iraq will have a greater ability to reduce financial crimes, increase transparency and enhance its position within the international economic system, which is essential to advance the local economy and restore confidence in the domestic financial system.”
On January 9, 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the removal of Iraq from the European Union’s list of high-risk countries in the field of combating money laundering and terrorist financing, according to a letter received by the former Prime Minister from the European Commission mission.
In May 2020, the European Commission classified Iraq, along with other countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Iran and North Korea, as countries that pose financial risks to the European Union, due to shortcomings in combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
On February 18, 2020, the Terrorist Funds Freezing Committee of the Cabinet Secretariat issued a list of 84 individuals and entities whose funds were frozen on charges of financing terrorism, at the request of the UN Security Council. LINK
