TIDBIT FROM SANDY INGRAM

  Sandy Ingram  

This is breaking news reported by the New York Times..."U.S. to Reduce Diplomatic Presence in Iraq amid rising tensions." 

 This move comes as tensions in the Middle East are rising and talks between the US and Iran over nuclear weapons appears to be going nowhere . ..

We are deeply concerned about this latest announcement.  Iraq is caught in the middle.  Its government wants good relationships with both the United States and Iran but that's becoming harder as the two countries drift further apart...Stay positive, this too will pass.

CBI CONTACT: “if the citizens won’t bring the cash into the banks, we will do it for them” #iqd

 

Iran Proposes Joint AI Centre with Iraq on Gulf Island

 By John Lee.

Hussein Afshin, Assistant to the Iranian President for Scientific and Technical Affairs and the Knowledge Economy, has reportedly proposed establishing a joint Iran-Iraq artificial intelligence (AI) centre on one of Iran's islands.

Speaking during a meeting in Tehran with Ali Razzouqi, Deputy Head of the Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Afshin is quoted as called for moving beyond memoranda of understanding towards practical planning and implementation, suggesting that the historical ties between Iran and Iraq could support long-term scientific collaboration.

According to Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Razzouqi welcomed the proposal, referencing previous cooperation between Sharif University and the University of Baghdad. He underlined the importance of AI as a tool to address broader challenges, including water, energy, agriculture, and environmental issues.

Topics discussed for future collaboration included military technologies, cloud seeding, and responses to climate change and dust storms.

(Source: IRNA)

TIDBIT FROM MARKZ

  MarkZ 

 Article:  “Iraq has made great progress in its path to the World Trade Organization.”

 Iraq has completed the requirements for ascension as soon as they change the value. 

 So we have the Economic investment forum happening the same times as the 4th meeting with the WTO. 

Article:  “Preparation for the 4th meeting of the ascension to the world Trade organization”

  this is a negotiation meeting. Iraq has met all their obligations. They are also expected to have an international rate with no sanctions or restrictions on the dinar.  This is huge. 

A2Z: Iraq’s Trade Bank just passed JPMorgan Chase’s global systems test!! #iraqidinar #iqd

 

Iraqi Private Sector Faces Four Key Challenges, Says Professor

 The Iraqi private sector confronts significant obstacles that must be addressed to unlock the country's economic potential, according to Professor Frank Gunter of Lehigh University, speaking at the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) Spring Conference in London recently.

Professor Gunter identified four critical challenges hampering private enterprise development in Iraq:

1. Finance: Iraqi businesses struggle to access basic financial services including cross-country bill payments and funding. "The first source of funds is family, not a bank, not a loan, not a venture capitalist," Professor Gunter noted, emphasising that this reliance on family financing must change for sustainable growth.
2. Education: The country faces challenges in both quantity and quality of education. Iraq had been making progress in reducing illiteracy until ISIS disrupted educational systems between 2014 and 2017, forcing many out of schools and creating refugee populations. The professor stressed the need to eliminate illiteracy, particularly among older workers, whilst improving educational quality to meet private sector demands for engineers and scientifically-trained personnel rather than bureaucrats.
3. Infrastructure: Basic infrastructure remains deficient, with Iraq lacking reliable 24-hour electricity despite two decades of substantial investment spending.
4. Regulatory Environment: This emerged as perhaps the most damaging constraint. Professor Gunter cited a recent World Bank study examining 50 countries, which found Iraq ranking last among 16 nations with similar economic development levels for regulatory quality. Even when compared to all 50 countries studied-including those with lower development levels and nations experiencing civil wars-Iraq ranked 45th.

The findings suggest substantial reform will be required across multiple sectors to create a conducive environment for private enterprise in Iraq.

EXCERPTS FROM MARKZ

 EXCERPTS FROM MARKZ

Member: Nader is saying the dinar didn’t revaluation in country and also said they’re not ready yet?

Member: some people had said the IQD already revalued in Iraq.

MZ: It did not….not yet.

Member: IQD is not on forex yet. When the budget is approved will it go on forex?

MZ: Its already on forex just can’t be traded yet. It still has restrictions.

MZ: There is a lot of chatter in Iraq. Here is one we need to watch because of the the timing . We are seeing some correlation between stablecoin and the digital dinar. With a potential rate of up to $3.22. But I still think it will be higher .