Project to remove zeros from Iran's deteriorating currency
The Iranian government has submitted a bill to the Islamic Consultative Assembly to remove four zeros from the national currency and convert its unit from the rial to the toman.
The government of Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the purpose of preparing this bill and submitting it to parliament is to “reduce the problems caused by chronic inflation and the decline in the purchasing power of the national currency,” which in recent years has led to a significant increase in daily transactions and a “clear decline in the reputation of the national currency” compared to other currencies.
Tasnim News Agency reported that this bill was approved by the second government of President Hassan Rouhani in August 2019, and has now been submitted to the parliament as an emergency bill in the fourteenth government.
An attempt is being made to preserve the “reputation” of the national currency by removing four zeros, while the Iranian rial is currently the least valuable currency in the world, and its value continues to decline, as it was exchanged against the dollar for more than 760,000 Iranian rials.
Although removing four zeros from the national currency may make trading easier in the market, the government has not explained how it expects inflation to be reduced by removing four zeros from the national currency. link
...the contractors received their exchanges, Iraq has removed all the corruption, ISIS, and now they have digital banking in the banks taking the control of the money out of the hands of the CBI.
The amendment for the rate changes was done last weekend and the Iraqi people know the rate is changing AND the banks in Iraq are operating with the basket of currencies for international business as we speak.
Politician: Iraq has no fear of Trump reaching the White House
Independent politician Wael al-Rikabi confirmed on Sunday that Iraq will not be negatively affected by the arrival of US President Donald Trump to power in the United States, pointing out that there is an Iraqi desire to arm from new sources other than the United States.
Al-Rikabi said in an interview with Al-Maalouma Agency, “Iraq has nothing to worry about Trump coming to power in the White House or Biden staying, as it is committed to all international agreements and controls in a way that made it a pivotal state, and the visits that the country has witnessed recently are evidence of that," indicating that "Iraq is the focus of attention of all countries for what it possesses of capabilities and energies, and the state of chaos cannot be returned to it, and it has not broken "any official international agreement."
He added, "The process of changing power in America concerns the United States, and there are agreements between us and them, although the United States violated these agreements," noting that "the Americans did not provide Iraq with the sufficient weapons required, such as air defenses, and Washington did not cooperate with successful Iraqi governments in this file.”
He pointed out that "there is a desire in Iraq to arm itself with countries other than the United States after the recent events in the region, and Iraq is currently able to overcome this issue, and the existing weapons make the situation reassuring," noting that "everyone knows the extent of the United States' defense and support for the Zionist entity at the expense of the countries of the region."
It is noteworthy that several representatives and political forces warned of the danger of the Iraqi army's weak armament in light of the events taking place in the region, the latest of which was the control of terrorist groups over Syria and the threat of the Zionist entity to target Iraq. link
Just know, their are those in Iraq that do not want their gravy train of making money off selling dollars for profits to end.
The Central Bank of Iraq is preparing to stop dealing with the electronic platform for dollar transfers abroad, at a time when experts have warned against raising the exchange rate to a higher level in light of the news circulating about this.
The electronic platform was launched in early 2023, and it represents a system for auditing dollar transfers before they are executed, instead of the audit that the US Federal Reserve used to conduct after execution.
Banks, companies and merchants in Iraq faced some challenges before adapting to the new method, but they finally underwent a series of trainings that the employees of these banks received before fully adapting to the platform’s work.
Exchange rate hike
In light of these moves, news has been raised about a move towards a new adjustment to the exchange rate, which has raised economists’ concerns about the potential impact of this move on the economic process in general.
Experts stressed that sudden changes in monetary policy could create additional confusion in the markets and undermine confidence in the financial system.
Economic expert Mustafa Akram Hantoush said, “Changing the exchange rate in the current situation is useless, because the problem is not in purchasing power, but in the demand for the dollar outside the platform due to small traders, trade with Iran, and some materials that are imported outside the platform due to high customs duties or their ban, in addition to the citizens’ desire to save the dollar.”
Hantoush added that “it is better to find solutions to the increasing demand for the dollar outside the platform instead of resorting to changing the exchange rate, because that will complicate the monetary situation even more than it is now.”
clear policy
According to an official at the Central Bank of Iraq, dealing with the dollar file was based on various opinions built on a series of studies and field research.
The official, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained that “the bank adopted two main approaches to address the crisis. The first is to expand the use of international currencies such as the Chinese yuan, the Indian rupee, the UAE dirham, and finally the Saudi riyal, with the aim of reducing dependence on the dollar. The second approach focuses on developing the operational capabilities of local banks to become more qualified to participate in transfer operations.”
For his part, banking researcher Mahmoud Dagher explained that “the fluctuation of the Iraqi dinar exchange rate came as a result of two decisions to reduce the value of the dinar in 2020 and then raise it in 2023, which represents a clear intervention in the fixed exchange rate system, which created ongoing economic confusion.”
Dagher said that “any new change in the exchange rate reflects the absence of benefit from previous mistakes, as wrong interventions in monetary policy lead to adverse results that increase the instability of the financial market.”
As for the economic expert, Adi Al-Alawi, he confirmed that “the biggest mistake that the government can make is to manipulate the dollar exchange rate through sudden decisions, because that has a direct impact on the national economy and shakes investors’ confidence in the financial system.”
Al-Alawi added that “the government’s continued taking of ill-considered decisions regarding the exchange rate will lead to the erosion of international and local confidence in the Iraqi economy, which will weaken the ability to attract the investments necessary to improve the economic reality.”
The international economics specialist, Nawar Al-Saadi, revealed, on Saturday, the future financial and economic expectations for Iraq at the beginning of the new year 2025 .
Al-Saadi told Shafaq News Agency, "The future economic and financial expectations for Iraq at the beginning of the new year carry a mixture of optimism and caution, as they depend largely on a set of economic, political and regional factors that directly affect the country's financial and economic stability ."
He added that "international estimates indicate an improvement in Iraq's economic growth rates, according to reports from the International Monetary Fund, which expected the Iraqi economy to grow by 1.4% next year, with an expected increase of 5.3% in 2025. This growth reflects the recovery of the economy after the challenges it faced in the past years, especially after the economic contraction of 2.2% in 2022, and economic growth will be mainly driven by the stability of oil prices and increased investments in non-oil sectors ."
Al-Saadi pointed out that “there are fears of a deterioration in the financial situation due to the expected deficit in the state’s general budget, as the deficit is expected to widen to 7.6% of GDP during the coming year, compared to 1.3% this year.
This deficit is attributed to fluctuations in oil prices, which are the main source of government revenues, and the economic situation is further complicated by the heavy dependence on oil, which constitutes about 90% of Iraq’s revenues. Any decline in its global prices could lead to severe financial pressures on the government .”
“Other challenges relate to inflation rates, which are expected to rise slightly to 3.5% in 2025. This rise reflects the effects of financial pressures and internal economic challenges, including higher prices for goods and services as a result of increased production and import costs. In terms of oil production, Iraq is expected to continue to maintain a high level of production, with plans to boost its production capacity to around 4 million barrels per day by the first quarter of 2025. However, the success of these efforts will remain linked to political stability and relations with OPEC, in addition to achieving long-term investments in energy infrastructure, ” he added.
Al-Saadi continued: “With regard to the banking sector, the government seeks to implement structural reforms to improve the efficiency of the banking system and increase transparency. These reforms come within a larger vision to develop the Iraqi economy and diversify sources of income away from excessive dependence on oil .”
The international economics expert concluded his speech by referring to all the aforementioned data, saying that “Iraq may be facing hot economic and financial events at the beginning of the new year, and the main challenge lies in the government’s ability to manage these challenges effectively through balanced financial and economic policies that aim to enhance economic stability and diversify the economy to achieve sustainable growth link
