This report is concerning for IQD investors holding IQD banknotes. We have no reason to believe our bank notes are in trouble...It appears many Iraqi people are holding on to their IQDs.
However speaking at a conference in Baghdad Ali Mosen Alaq, governor of the Central Bank of Iraq highlighted significant advancements in digital payments.
He pointed to a sharp rise in ATMs and e-wallet usage which...have propelled financial inclusion from 20% to 40% within just two years...He... predicted a gradual decline in cash transactions as central banks move toward digital payment solutions. In line with global trends, the CBI intends to develop its own digital currency.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed on Sunday (March 9, 2025) that the government of Iraq should stop relying on Iranian energy sources.
The minister stressed in exclusive statements on Al-Arabiya channel and followed by “Baghdad Today”, that “the maximum pressure exerted by the United States on Tehran comes with the aim of ending the Iranian nuclear threat,” noting that “Iran is an unreliable supplier of energy.”
He added that “the transformation in the energy sector in Iraq provides great opportunities for American companies,” stressing “Washington’s readiness to support this transformation in a way that serves the interests of Iraq and enhances energy security in the region.”
Last February, the United States imposed new sanctions on an international network accused of smuggling Iranian oil to China, the first new measure as part of the so-called “maximum pressure” policy pursued by US President Donald Trump against Iran.
The US Treasury Department announced that this network transported millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil, saving hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the Iranian armed forces and Tehran’s allies in the region.
Last Thursday, the US “exemption” for the export of Iranian gas to Iraq ended.
MIKE BARA: Wolverine, I am hearing the exact things you are. I have a few contacts and they are all focusing on tomorrow and Tuesday in the USA. There is pressure to do this overnight.
The President of Iraq has gone to a special session in Cairo tomorrow, ahead of Pres Trump's speech tomorrow. Everyone is on the same page.
Also have heard from people who know bond contacts that they were paid out last week, and that they have currency exchange appts stating tomorrow. That is the first time I ever heard about currency exchanges. Don't be disappointed if not first thing tomorrow, but all is pushing toward that.
All Wolverine's sources are different than mine, and it appears all is coming together . Wolverine, you are right, we may have to go silent for a while after the RV.
WOLVERINE: Good news from the currency side, fantastic news!
MIKE BARA: Just two hours ago, heard those appts are scheduled at major banks for people who have already cashed in certain bonds, and they are scheduled for currency exchanges.
WOLVERINE: I have heard that the redemption centers will be open for a month to give people more time to exchange in the event they are in the hospital, out of town.
MIKE BARA: MarkZ has said, this, that the redemption centers will dopen for about four weeks. I hope Donald Trump speaks of any one of the points you mentioned above, it will push us into a new frontier toward our objective. I think it is a good idea to have this call as we will be pretty excited at some point this week.
WOLVERINE: We have been let down many times, and I have absolute faith in God that we will have something special, and after the call I had today from high places, these people are to get paid this week, 1000% confirmed.
MIKE BARA: This cannot be stopped,as bond people have been paid in fiat, not gold backed, but no one knows how it will all play out. Skye's report aligns with all we are both hearing.
WOLVERINE: I heard president Trump will be talking in comms, I hope it is not in comms, hope it is in layman's terms.
MIKE BARA: Pres Trump only has to say ONE significant thing,like coming off the gold standard, just one thing he says will shake up the markets and put things in motion. Everyone is tired and we need this to go forward.
WOLVERINE: Hopefully Pres Trump will speak outright tomorrow without comms. All we can do is have faith. Thank you Mike, for being on this call!!!
MIKE BARA: A Big Party with Mike and Jenn is scheduled for May! If this happens this week, the NDA should expire by then.
JENNIFER (JENTEL): Hi everyone! I have been receiving mostly what Mike has heard, and I do believe we have come through most of what needs to be done for other tiers, and we are right here ready for our turn.
I think they are waiting for Pres Trump to say his speech, there may be comms for Iraq to pull the switch. I am hoping Pres Trump will announce that the fiat dollar is failing, and we go to gold. He will talk about gifts coming to people (DOGE) tax reduction and elimination.
Gabrial saw a moment of shock across the audience during the speech, just not sure, if it will be announcing gold back currency then, and it may be the elimination of income tax. He will talk about making America the World financial leader, this is the language they are looking for to send the notifications, as this part needs to be done behind the scenes. I think it will be a good speech. He will talk about foreign affairs.
I do not think he needs to announce gold backedfor us to RV. I think he already signed authorization for us to proceed like it was said last week.
But once the speech is done things will move fast. ***Please LISTEN TO RECORDING FOR MORE DETAILS..... What Mike said I have heard the same thing from certain contacts. There has been a lot of activity in Reno, now it is calming down. Either way, we are looking at Tuesday, likely Wednesday, for notifications. At this point, this is what I know. I have not heard any bad news.
Shafaq News / The Ministry of Finance and Economy in the Kurdistan Regional Government decided on Sunday to exempt borrowers from the bank interest resulting from agricultural loans remaining in their ow, if they are paid during the current fiscal year 2025.
An official letter of the ministry, seen by Shafaq News Agency, addressed to the General Directorate of Specialized Banks, signed by the Minister of Finance and Economy, Awat Janab Nouri, stated that the Council of Ministers of the region issued an exemption on interest on agricultural loans.
The ministry’s decision was based on a letter of the Kurdistan Regional Council of Ministers No. 15786 dated 12/11/2024, which included three points, explaining that the first point includes approval of the exemption of debts arising from interest on agricultural loans granted to farmers who could not repay them due to the financial crisis.
The book added that the second point confirmed that the exemption included those who repaid the full amount of the loan and its interest remained at their charge, noting that the third point stressed that the borrower repays the loan during the fiscal year 2025 and it is covered by the exemption after paying the last installment of the loan amount.
Iraq tells US: Stopping Iranian gas imports will cause electricity system to collapse
On Sunday, the head of the Finance Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Atwan Al-Atwani, sent a letter to the US government stating that stopping the import of gas from Iran will cause the collapse of the electricity grid system during the coming summer in Iraq, indicating the need to extend the exemptions granted to Iraq in this regard after they were officially stopped by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
This came during Al-Atwani's meeting with the US Ambassador to Iraq, Daniel Rubinstein, and the accompanying delegation, according to the MP's media office.
The head of the Parliamentary Finance Committee stressed the importance of this visit at this sensitive time, and stressed the need for continuous communication to correct the course of Iraqi-American relations.
The statement added that the meeting focused on discussing the US sanctions file and their impact on the electricity sector, especially in light of talk about the expiration of the deadline for Iraq to be exempted from importing Iranian gas.
The statement also indicated that Al-Atwani conveyed an important message to the US ambassador to his country's government, stating that stopping gas imports would have disastrous consequences for the Iraqi people, especially in the summer, as it would cause the collapse of the national electricity system, due to the lack of any alternatives at the present time.
Al-Atwani said during the meeting that the Iraqi government is serious about achieving energy independence through several promising projects related to investing in associated gas, for the purpose of using it in generating electricity and achieving self-sufficiency, but these projects will enter service in the coming years.
Al-Atwani also called on the US administration to review the policy of pressure exerted by the US Treasury on the financial and banking sector in Iraq by imposing continuous sanctions on local banks.
He pointed out that Iraq has achieved a qualitative shift in the policy of compliance and financial transfers, and despite that, we are surprised by collective sanctions targeting Iraqi banks without prior warning and without any declared justification or even notifying the Central Bank of Iraq about that, and this has created a major problem for us and affected the work and activity of the banking sector.
In turn, the US Ambassador expressed his understanding of what Al-Atwani had raised during the meeting regarding the energy and banking sanctions files, and promised to convey these messages to his country's government in the hope of finding permanent treatments and solutions that would achieve the interests of the two friendly peoples, noting that the import of natural gas is, until now, outside the sanctions system, according to the statement.
