Some “Iraq News” Posted by Clare at KTFA 7-28-2024

KTFA:

Clare:  Financial inclusion indicators

July 28, 2024

In order for this bank to prepare a database for financial inclusion indicators, which will be the basic foundation for measuring the percentage of financial inclusion in Iraq, we attach to all electronic payment service providers a database for financial inclusion statistics for individuals and companies in an electronic form (Excel file) that will be sent to your institutions’ email . For more, click here.

https://cbi.iq/news/view/2629

Clare: Kurdistan government brings good news to employees under Article 140

7/28/2024

The Kurdistan Regional Government announced on Sunday its intention to distribute plots of land to employees under Article 140. 

The Department of Media and Information said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency, "In implementation of the decision of the Prime Minister of the Region, the distribution of plots of land to employees will begin within Article 140 of the Constitution in the Kurdish regions outside the administration of the region." 

The regional government had previously announced the distribution of land to all employees, as it began the land survey process.   LINK

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Clare: The Kurdish government resolved crises with “wisdom”.. A ​​former member of the Kurdistan Parliament: Baghdad has no excuse left

7/28/2024  Erbil 

Former member of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament, Rebwar Babaki, confirmed today, Sunday (July 28, 2024), that the current regional government headed by Masrour Barzani was able to resolve the crises.

Babaki said in an interview with “Baghdad Today” that “the wise policy of the current regional government enabled it to resolve the complex disputes with Baghdad, especially in the field of salaries and budget.”

He added, "The financial crisis and delayed salary payments were resolved wisely and diplomatically, even though some Iraqi political parties wanted to put obstacles to ending the dispute and wanted the crisis to continue."

Babaki pointed out that "the regional government did not leave any excuse for Baghdad, and therefore the salary crisis was resolved with wisdom and patience, and other crises were dismantled."

On Thursday (May 30, 2024), the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, visited the capital, Baghdad, to hold discussions with Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani and a number of senior officials in the federal government, in In addition to meetings with leaders and leaders of political forces.

According to a statement issued by the regional government, Masrour Barzani's meetings during his visit dealt with the latest developments on the political and security arenas in Iraq, and the emphasis on resolving the outstanding issues between the Kurdistan region and the federal government, especially securing the Salaries of the citizens of the Kurdistan region and guaranteeing their financial rights and entitlements.

According to the statement, the discussions also dealt with enhancing cooperation and joint coordination, to ensure security and stability for Iraq and the Kurdistan region.

In this regard, Masrour Barzani wrote on the “X-Twitter” platform, “Today I am in Baghdad to affirm the rights of the people of Kurdistan and resolve differences through dialogue and on the basis of the constitution,” adding that “stability and A strong economy should be our priorities.”  LINK

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Clare:  He is 19 years old and the most important of 150 suspended laws.. Will the powers give up the "golden paper" in oil and gas legislation?

7/28/2024  Politics

The Parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee expressed, today, Sunday, its "optimism" about the imminent approval of the Oil and Gas Law, which has been suspended for 19 years, noting that its delay came because it is a political pressure card used throughout the past years in forming successive governments.

Committee member Nazim Al-Shabli told Sumaria News that the oil and gas law is the most important suspended law, noting that it was “used as a political pressure card in forming governments.”

However, Al-Shabli expected that “the most serious government in this file is the Al-Sudani government,” noting that “clear committees have been formed between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government, but until now the government has not sent the final version to the House of Representatives or the Oil Committee.”

Al-Shabli expressed the hope of the Oil Committee that "the relevant committees will resolve the issue and send it to Parliament, as the law has benefits in regulating oil exports and stopping smuggling or selling oil outside SOMO," believing that "this issue will be resolved in the coming days."

He stressed that "the delay in the law came because it is a political card, especially since the region wants the law and considers it to be in its interest, in addition to the fact that it has old obligations and contracts with foreign companies, in addition to the continuation of smuggling."

About a year has passed since the formation of the committee to draft the oil and gas law, after a 19-year delay in the law that regulates the relationship between Baghdad and Erbil regarding the management of oil in Kurdistan and the rest of the provinces," while the law is considered one of the most important laws that have been suspended for years, amounting to more than 150 laws.  LINK

Clare:  The Ministry of Commerce discusses with World Bank representatives a strategy to support entrepreneurship and establish local companies.

7/28/2024

 The Private Sector Development Department at the Ministry of Trade held a meeting (remotely) with representatives of the World Bank to discuss a strategy to support entrepreneurship, owners of small and medium enterprises and start-ups to advance the local economic reality.

The ministry stated in a statement that "the meeting discussed the basic pillars of the entrepreneurship system that will be evaluated by World Bank experts through surveys and the application of laws specific to these projects, in addition to holding discussion sessions with project owners and presenting recommendations on policies for each pillar."

The statement explained that "the meeting came out with several recommendations aimed at developing the Iraqi private sector to advance the local economic reality," referring to "the pioneering role of the Private Sector Development Department in providing support to owners of small and medium enterprises, which is part of its tasks."

On the other hand, the Investment Committee of the General Company for Central Markets at the Ministry of Trade held its periodic meeting to discuss its investment projects plan, and the circulars received by the company related to investment projects in Baghdad and the governorates, including the recommendations of the Ministerial Council for Social Services regarding the Iraqi Construction Council, as well as the mechanism for compensating contractors.

The statement added that "the meeting urged the follow-up committees to complete the tasks assigned to them and prepare reports and correspondence to the relevant sectoral authorities to ensure the speedy completion and opening of these projects and set a time frame for their completion and submit periodic reports on the completed work."   LINK

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Clare: Renewing its commitment to the truce... Al-Kataeb: A mysterious faction targeting Americans in Iraq

7/28/2024

The Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, one of the factions that form the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq", said on Sunday that it does not know who is carrying out the targeting of the American forces stationed at the Ain al-Assad base in Anbar Governorate, and the forces stationed in the Syrian bases.

A prominent leader in the brigades told Shafaq News Agency, "The Islamic Resistance Group in Iraq, as well as the Resistance Coordination Committee, do not know which party or group is bombing and targeting the American forces, disclaiming responsibility for those operations."

The leader, who asked not to be named, added that the "Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades" are committed to the calm so far, and perhaps there is a faction working on these operations individually as a means of pressure, but without knowledge from that party.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is seeking to pressure pro-Iranian armed factions to stop their escalation against American interests and targets in Iraq, according to informed sources.

Fearing American reactions that might escalate and confuse the security situation inside Iraq, Al-Sudani contacted Iranian figures in order to pressure those factions to stop escalating their operations, and to give him a new opportunity to end the American presence in Iraq through dialogue and negotiation, but the factions still reject these pressures, according to the sources.   LINK

FRANK26….7-24-24….COMMERCIALS

KTFA

Wednesday Night Conference Call

FRANK26….7-24-24….COMMERCIALS

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

The Youtube video was removed. But you can still listen to this call at this link: https://fccdl.in/cgrTnpj5XG

FRANK26……7-22-24…..LET’S HAVE DINNER

KTFA

Monday Night Conference Call

FRANK26……7-22-24…..LET’S HAVE DINNER

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

What Frank’s suit color’s mean…. FRANKS SUIT COLORS FOR CC'S..... WHITE = NEW INFO…. SILVER = INTEL FROZEN…. RED= HIGH ALERT… PURPLE=GUEST WITH US…. BLUE = AIR FORCE…. BLACK = GROUND/FF’S…. GREEN= MR OR FAB 4 ... GOLD = CHANGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu-OtKHHiaY

The World Trade Organization opens its doors to it.. The Iraqi economy returns strongly to international competition

KTFA:

Clare: The World Trade Organization opens its doors to it.. The Iraqi economy returns strongly to international competition

7/22/2024

The World Trade Organization has accelerated Iraq's steps to join it, following the resumption of negotiations that had been suspended for more than 16 years. The Iraqi delegation is preparing for the next round of negotiations that are expected to resolve this issue, which will open up global trade horizons for Iraq and return it to strong economic competition, in the region and the world, under a multilateral economic system.

According to official officials, the government of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has only addressed all the previous obstacles that prevented Iraq from joining the international organization, as for the first time the import program was voted on, which includes setting controls for chaos and identifying real traders, in addition to other details related to customs tariffs as well as the necessary legislation for it.

Economic reform and exchange rate adjustment

 Economic expert Naji Al-Obaidi, in an interview with Al-Ahd News, believes that Iraq’s accession to the World Trade Organization will have positive effects, attributing this to the fact that “it will increase pressure on the government to initiate the long-awaited economic reforms.”

Al-Obaidi added that "the World Trade Organization usually intervenes in the exchange rate policy when the concerned country deliberately keeps the value of its local currency low in order to improve the competitiveness of local production and encourage exports at the expense of foreign goods," indicating that "this does not apply to Iraq, where previous governments resorted to raising the exchange rate of the dinar in an artificial and arbitrary manner with the aim of gaining political and popular support."

He pointed out that joining the international organization would contribute to controlling this file.

Customs restrictions and agricultural support

In this regard, the financial advisor to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Mohammed Salih, stated in an interview with “Al-Ahd News” that Iraq has adopted broad open policies towards the world since 2003 and has sought to establish important economic and legislative rules that operate according to the mechanisms of the market system

Most of which have helped improve Iraq’s foreign trade, after an economic blockade that lasted for more than a decade and led to Iraq’s marginalization on the map of the global economic system and deprived it of investment opportunities, progress, development and technological knowledge that should have helped it confront the rapid developments and changes that international markets have witnessed and whose competitive capabilities have changed
dramatically over the past two decades at least.

Saleh pointed out that "the World Organization imposes on the new members of the developing countries group to work under conditions, the first of which is to reduce customs restrictions by 24% and cancel non-customs restrictions for a period of 6 years from the date of joining, and the second is to reduce agricultural support by 13.3% over a period of ten years from joining."

 Saleh explained that "these regulatory conditions of the World Trade Organization clash with the conditions and situations of the agricultural market and the global food stock exchange itself. If we look at the agricultural monopolies in the world in light of the deterioration of agricultural development in Iraq, we find a real threat to national food security that restricts the country in the event of joining the organization unless it is preceded by starting or following an agricultural program for self-sufficiency immediately.

We will really need a green revolution similar to what Mexico and many Latin American countries have done, especially if we know that there are between 3 and 6 major monopolistic companies in the world that control 80 to 90% of agricultural crop trade and control prices and quantities such as wheat, sugar, tea, coffee, cotton and jute, at a time when ten multinational companies still dominate a third of the production and trade of seeds and pesticides in the world."

Breaking international isolation

Saleh pointed out that "despite the above, Iraq's entry and integration into the global economic space through the World Trade Organization and its dealings with international groups on terms that apply to everyone from a formal standpoint at a time when the world is still divided between the countries of the North and the South or the countries of the advanced industrial center and the developing periphery, Iraq has no choice but to leave its international isolation that it inherited since the siege and placing Iraq under the burden of Chapter Seven, the effects of which still provide a negative economic environment hostile to development and perhaps obstructing natural integration into the global market."

Accelerate joining steps

For his part, Minister of Trade Athir Dawood Al-Ghariri confirmed the resumption of negotiations for Iraq’s accession to the World Trade Organization and the acceleration of its steps, which is a qualitative event and a confirmation of what the government promised through its program to reform the economic situation, considering the private sector an essential part and the backbone of the Iraqi economy.

Al-Ghariri said in a statement followed by "Al-Ahd News" that the fourth round of negotiations will be held during the first quarter of next year, stressing that this acceleration means that the negotiations are proceeding very quickly towards Iraq's accession to the World Trade Organization, considering Iraq an important economic bloc and all countries keen for Iraq to return as an economic player in a multilateral system.

For his part, the Saudi Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Saqr Abdullah Al-Muqbil, said that there is a positive view that we will find Iraq joining the multilateral trading system as it is one of the largest economies outside this organization, and Al-Muqbil confirmed that "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a priority that Iraq's desires to join the organization be fulfilled.  LINK

Addressing the problems of the Iraqi financial system

KTFA:

Clare: Addressing the problems of the Iraqi financial system

7/20/2024  Written by: Zahraa Haider Abdul Jabbar Al-Batat

The financial system in Iraq consists of a group of institutions and structures that manage the financial and economic affairs of the country. Here are the components of this system in detail: 

1. Central Bank of Iraq:

- Role: It is considered the body responsible for implementing monetary policy, issuing currency, and managing cash reserves.

- Objectives: price stability, exchange rate stability, and encouraging economic growth. 

2. Commercial banks:

- Its types: include government banks such as Rafidain Bank and Rashid Bank, in addition to local and foreign private banks.

- Services: Providing loans, opening accounts, making money transfers, and financing projects.

 3. Specialized banks:

Examples: Real Estate Bank, Agricultural Bank.

- Focus: Providing financial services to specific sectors such as agriculture and real estate. 

4. Stock market:

- Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX): is the place where stocks and bonds are traded.

- Objective: To promote investment and develop financial markets.

5. Ministry of Finance:

- Role: Preparing and implementing the state’s financial policy, managing government revenues and expenditures.

- Responsibilities: Preparing the general budget, managing public debt. 

6. Securities Commission:

- Function: Regulating and monitoring the stock market, ensuring compliance with financial laws and standards.

- Objectives: Protect investors, ensure market transparency. 

7. Investment companies:

- Role: Investment management, providing financial advisory services, managing investment portfolios.

- Objectives: Achieving investment returns for clients, enhancing local and foreign investments. 

Main challenges: 

1. Corruption: It hinders economic development and affects confidence in the financial system.

2. Political and security unrest: harm investments and hinder financial operations.

3. Rentier economy: It depends heavily on oil, which makes it vulnerable to oil price fluctuations.

4. Bureaucracy: It hinders efficiency and increases administrative complexities.

5. Weakness of the banking system: Lack of efficiency and development affects performance.

6. Inflation: affects purchasing power and financial stability.

7. Weak financial infrastructure: Lack of technological development affects efficiency.

8. Laws and regulations: may be insufficient or outdated.

9. The informal sector: It poses a challenge in collecting taxes and organizing the economy. 

These challenges require structural reforms and policy development to enhance financial stability and economic growth in Iraq. 

Reforming the financial system in Iraq according to the following mechanism: 

Applying the following mechanism to the Iraqi financial system requires adapting policies and procedures to the economic, social and political conditions specific to Iraq.

Here are some possible steps to achieve this: 

1. Updating financial institutions:

- Strengthening the role of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Iraq in managing financial and monetary policies.

- Developing the financial infrastructure to increase efficiency and transparency. 

2. Reforming the tax system:

- Improve tax collection and reduce tax evasion.

- Simplify the tax system to make it more transparent and fair. 

3. Strengthening monetary policies:

- Strengthening the independence of the Central Bank to ensure price stability and control inflation.

- Using monetary tools such as setting interest rates and regulating the money supply effectively. 

4. Public debt management:

- Develop strategies to manage public debt and reduce dependence on external loans.

- Issuing local government bonds to attract domestic investment. 

5. Strengthening control and regulation:

- Improving the control systems over banks and financial institutions to ensure the stability of the financial system.

- Enhancing financial laws and regulations to comply with international standards. 

6. Encouraging investment:

- Creating an attractive investment environment by improving infrastructure and reducing bureaucracy.

- Providing incentives to foreign and local investors. 

7. Enhancing transparency and accountability:

- Ensuring transparency of financial operations by publishing financial reports regularly.

- Strengthening accountability and combating corruption at all levels of financial management. 

By implementing these steps, the Iraqi financial system can benefit from global financial experiences, taking into account the fundamental differences between systems. 

Also, to implement these reforms effectively, close cooperation is required between the Iraqi government, international financial institutions, and the private sector to achieve financial stability and sustainable development in Iraq. 

Implementing each paragraph requires specific, practical steps, including: 

1. Updating financial institutions:

- Strengthening the role of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank.

- Training and professional development: Providing intensive training programs for employees to improve their competencies and knowledge of modern financial policies.

- Digital transformation: adopting advanced technological systems to improve the efficiency of financial and administrative operations.

- International cooperation: Benefiting from international expertise through partnerships and cooperation with global financial institutions. 

2. Reforming the tax system:

- Improving tax collection:

- Develop technological systems for collecting and analyzing data to increase the effectiveness of tax collection.

- Increase control and inspection of economic activities to reduce tax evasion.

- Simplifying the tax system:

- Restructuring tax brackets to be clearer and fairer.

- Providing facilities to taxpayers such as electronic services. 

3. Strengthening monetary policies:

- Strengthening the independence of the Central Bank:

- Issuing laws that guarantee the independence of the Central Bank from political influences.

- Use effective monetary tools:

- Determining interest rates based on economic conditions.

- Managing the money supply through open market operations and reserve policies. 

4. Public debt management:

- Developing debt management strategies:

- Analyze the debt structure and determine repayment priorities.

- Developing the bond market to attract local investors.

- Reducing dependence on external loans:

- Encouraging domestic investment and developing the financial infrastructure to attract local capital. 

5. Strengthening control and regulation:

- Improving control systems:

- Develop technology-based control mechanisms to improve monitoring of financial operations.

- Enhancing transparency in financial reporting.

- Strengthening laws and regulations:

- Updating financial laws to comply with international standards.

- Activating penalties for financial violations. 

6. Encouraging investment:

- Creating an attractive investment environment:

- Improving infrastructure including roads, bridges, electricity and communications.

- Reducing bureaucracy by simplifying government procedures.

- Providing incentives to investors:

- Tax exemptions for investment projects.

- Credit facilities to finance projects. 

7. Enhancing transparency and accountability:

- Ensuring transparency of financial operations:

- Publish financial reports periodically and in detail.

- Application of international standards in preparing financial reports.

- Promoting accountability and combating corruption:

- Establishing independent oversight bodies to combat corruption.

- Encouraging reporting of corruption by providing protection for whistleblowers. 

Implementing these steps requires strong government commitment and cooperation between the public and private sectors to achieve a stable and effective financial system.  LINK

Some “Iraq News” Posted by Clare at KTFA 7-20-2024

KTFA:

Clare:  Inclusion of commercial centers and private stores in the electronic payment system in Iraq

7/20/2024  Baghdad

The government media team announced, today, Saturday, ongoing directives and government follow-ups to include all shopping centers, pharmacies, medical clinics, shops and private stores in the electronic payment system.

The team's spokesman, Haider Majeed, said, "The official institutions continue to implement the decisions of the Council of Ministers and the directives of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani regarding the digital transformation process in the electronic payment file, which is one of the most important priorities of the government program."

He added, "The electronic payment process began in 10 government fuel stations in the capital, Baghdad, distributed between Karkh and Rusafa, and then the work expanded to all fuel filling stations in the governorates of Iraq, after which it included all private fuel filling stations."

Regarding official institutions, Majeed confirmed that “most of the institutions that provide services and have direct contact with citizens operate with the electronic payment system, starting with the Directorate of Passports, Nationality and Civil Status, followed by the Ministry of Health institutions, public clinics, and then the rest of the operating institutions in succession.”

He pointed out that "there are ongoing directives from the government and follow-ups between the Central Bank of Iraq, the Ministry of Finance, and the rest of the official institutions, to include private stores, pharmacies, medical clinics, shops, and markets in malls in the electronic payment file," stressing that "work is continuing in this regard."   LINK

Clare:  Iraq participates in UNCTAD technical meetings.. What is its relationship to international trade?

7/20/2024  Baghdad

The Ministry of Commerce announced today, Saturday, its participation in the technical meetings of the UNCTAD regarding the accession of Arab countries to the World Trade Organization in Istanbul.

The ministry stated, in a statement received by "Al-Eqtisad News", that it "participated today in the technical meetings organized by UNCTAD in Istanbul, which will last for two days, to discuss the experiences of Arab countries in joining the World Trade Organization."

Director General of the Department of Foreign Economic Relations, Riyadh Fakher Al-Hashemi, who represented the Ministry of Trade in these meetings, said, according to the statement, that "the meetings discussed the outcomes of the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, the process of Arab countries joining the organization, and how Iraq can benefit from these experiences in its process of joining. The importance of trade in services in supporting the economies of Arab countries and enhancing their growth was also reviewed."

Al-Hashemi stressed that "Iraq's participation in these technical meetings enhances the experience of the Iraqi negotiating team and pushes it to move forward quickly towards achieving full accession to the World Trade Organization, as the exchange of knowledge and experiences gained from these meetings will have a significant positive impact on improving Iraq's negotiating capabilities and achieving its economic goals."

The statement indicated that "this participation is part of the ongoing efforts made by the Ministry of Trade to enhance Iraq's international economic relations, and to take advantage of the available opportunities to enhance economic and commercial development in the country." LINK

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Clare:  Members welcome Iraq’s return to WTO accession talks after 16 years

18 JULY 2024

ACCESSIONS

At the third meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Iraq on 18 July, WTO members welcomed the formal resumption of the country’s accession process after a 16-year hiatus, commending Iraq for its renewed political commitment and engagement in the accession process.

 Iraq reaffirmed its pledge to join the WTO, highlighting significant economic and legislative reforms.

Mr. Atheer Dawood Salman Al Ghrairi, Iraq's Minister of Trade, led a high-level delegation from Baghdad at the third meeting of the Working Party.  Ambassador Saqr Almoqbel of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who chaired the Working Party for the first time since his appointment last year, welcomed Iraq's return to Geneva after many years, highlighting the significance of the formal resumption of Iraq's accession process. “The Minister's presence here, the first since 2008, sends a clear signal that Iraq's accession process is now back on track,” he remarked. The Working Party held its second meeting in April 2008 and an informal meeting in November 2017.

The Chair acknowledged “the tremendous efforts by everyone, of course, starting with Iraq, but also members and partners, as well as former Chair Ambassador Omar Hilale of Morocco, to make today's meeting a reality”. He also referred to his visit to Baghdad in January 2024, where he met with senior Iraqi government officials, including President Abdul Latif Rashid.

Minister Al Ghrairi noted the importance of the meeting, which “represents a distinctive step for the Government and the people of Iraq towards becoming a full-fledged member of the WTO, a target we seek to achieve as a means to enhance our national economic strategy and integration in the global economy”.  He further stated that despite ongoing security, political, and regional challenges, “the Government of Iraq remains steadfast in its commitment to pursue a reform agenda in terms of enhancing trade policies, boosting the business environment, and creating favourable conditions for foreign investment.”

Minister Al Ghrairi highlighted the special importance attached by the Government to aligning its trade policies and regulatory frameworks with international rules and standards and strengthening institutional capacities to meet WTO requirements. “The National Committee on Iraq's Accession has intensified efforts and made substantial progress in fulfilling the accession requirements,” he said. Ahead of the third Working Party meeting, Iraq submitted key negotiating documents, including its initial market access offers on goods and services.

WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang stressed the significance of this meeting not only for Iraq but also for the Arab region, which still has a large number of accessions under way. “As the largest region outside the multilateral trading system, this moment signifies a renewed opportunity for progress and collaboration towards accession for Iraq and hopefully other Arab nations aspiring to join the WTO, enhancing regional and global trade dynamics.” He also emphasized the importance of technical assistance and capacity building in the region, especially for Iraq in view of its status as a post-conflict country.

Members highlighted the significance of Iraq's accession for the multilateral trading system. Many Arab members emphasized that Iraq's accession would contribute to regional integration efforts in support of peace and security.  Other participants in the meeting included observer governments and international organizations.

Iraq provided an update on its initial contacts with members regarding bilateral market access negotiations, noting that initial offers on goods and services were submitted in early May. The Iraqi delegation expressed readiness to further engage with WTO members.

The Working Party discussed various aspects of Iraq's foreign trade regime based on its revised Memorandum of the Foreign Trade Regime (MFTR) and other supporting documentation. Iraq provided a report on legislative developments, highlighting its latest efforts to conform with WTO-related rules.

Next steps

The Chair invited Iraq and WTO members to intensify bilateral negotiations on market access, building on the recent contacts.  

The Chair invited members to submit specific questions in writing by 15 August. He also asked Iraq to provide replies to members' questions and to submit other requested accession documents.  The Chair asked the WTO Secretariat to work with Iraq to revise its MFTR, which will serve as the basis for continuing the examination of Iraq's foreign trade regime at the next meeting of the Working Party.

In addition, the Chair asked Iraq to revise its Legislative Action Plan and submit copies of WTO-related legislation to provide an up-to-date picture of ongoing reforms.

The importance of technical assistance was emphasized, with several members and international organizations offering support. The Secretariat plans to organize a Round Table to discuss Iraq's technical assistance needs to further facilitate its accession process.

The Chair suggested that the fourth Working Party meeting could be scheduled for the first quarter of 2025, contingent on the progress of the outlined steps.

https://www.wto.org/english/ne.....ul24_e.htm

Clare:  Parliament's agenda for tomorrow

7/20/2024

The Media Department of the House of Representatives announced today, Saturday, the Parliament's agenda for tomorrow, Sunday.

TRANSLATION:

 Republic of Iraq House of Representatives

The fifth electoral session, the third legislative year, the second legislative term

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful

Republic of Iraq House of Representatives

Reading) verses from the Holy Quran, I hate pain

First: First reading! Economy and Industry for the draft law reforming economic laws. (Committee on Commerce, Committee on Investment and Development, Committee on Legal, Committee on Finance), (16 articles). One

Agenda for Session No. (2), Sunday, July 21, 2024

Second: The first reading of the proposed law on the first amendment to the Law of the National Authority for Nuclear, Radiological, Chemical and Biological Control No. (1) of 2024. Health and Environment Committee (2 articles). F

Third: The first reading of the draft Islamic investment sukuk law, the Finance Committee, the Legal Committee, the Investment and Development Committee (19 articles).

Fourth, report and discuss the second reading of the draft law on compensation for the properties of those affected by the former regime.

Paradise for martyrs, victims and political prisoners).

No Najoma Ni Novineh Ran

The session begins at eleven in the morning    LINK

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Clare: $27.5 billion is the volume of trade exchange between Iraq and China in the first half of 2024

7/20/2024  Baghdad

An economic institution announced that the volume of trade exchange between Iraq and China during the first half of this year amounted to $27.5 billion.

The head of the Iraq Future Economic Foundation, Munar Al-Obaidi, said that "Chinese exports to Iraq grew in the first half of this year by 16.17% compared to the first half of 2023, and by 12.17% compared to the second half of 2023."

He added that "the total value of Chinese exports to Iraq amounted to $8.15 billion in the first half of this year compared to $7 billion in the first half of 2023 and $7.3 billion in the second half of 2023."

Al-Obaidi continued: "Chinese exports to Iraq during 2024 are expected to exceed $16 billion, which is the highest historical value."

He explained that "China's exports of electrical appliances, which mainly include air conditioners, amounted to 23% of China's total exports, followed by exports of electronic devices represented by mobile phones, televisions and the like By 13%, and Chinese cars ranked third with 6% of the total value of Chinese exports to Iraq.

He explained that "China's exports of iron-based materials declined, and China's exports of car fuel decreased by 95%, in addition to a decrease in exports of clothing accessories."

He pointed out that "in contrast, China's exports of fruit-based products increased by 62%, ranking 14th among the most exported goods to Iraq."

He stressed that "the volume of trade exchange between Iraq and China amounted to $27.5 billion in the first half of this year, up by 14.38% compared to the first half of 2023 and 7.24% compared to the second half of 2023, and it is expected that trade exchange with China will reach more than $55 billion by the end of this year, making it Iraq's largest trading partner."   LINK

FRANK26….7-19-24….I LIKE THINGS IN 3’s

KTFA

Friday Night Conference Call

FRANK26….7-19-24….I LIKE THINGS IN 3’s

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zklt0-M85ro

“Iraq News” Posted by Clare at KTFA 7-19-2024

KTFA:

Clare:  Iraq announces the imminent offering of 100 investment opportunities to international companies

7/19/2024  Baghdad - WAA

- Chairman of the National Investment Commission, Haider Makiya, announced today, Friday, that 100 investment opportunities will soon be offered to international companies in all Iraqi governorates.

Makiya said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "The National Investment Commission and the Iraqi Economic Council have completed all preparations to hold a major investment forum in which about 100 investment opportunities will be presented in all Iraqi governorates."LINK

Clare:  Minister of Trade: All countries are keen on Iraq's return as a global economic player

7/19/2024  Baghdad - WAA -

Minister of Trade Athir Dawood Al-Ghariri confirmed today, Friday, that negotiations for Iraq's accession to the World Trade Organization are proceeding at a rapid pace, while indicating that all countries are keen on Iraq's return as a global economic player.

Al-Ghariri told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "The resumption of negotiations for Iraq's accession to the World Trade Organization is a qualitative event and a testament to what the government promised through its program to reform the economic situation, considering the private sector as an essential part and the backbone of the Iraqi economy."

He expressed his "aspiration for the fourth round of negotiations to be held during the first quarter of next year," stressing that "this acceleration means that the negotiations are proceeding very quickly towards Iraq's accession to the World Trade Organization, considering Iraq an important economic bloc and all countries are keen for Iraq to return as an economic player in a multilateral system."

For his part, the Saudi Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Saqr Abdullah Al-Muqbil, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "There is a positive view that we will find Iraq joining a multilateral trade system as it is one of the largest economies outside this organization."

Al-Muqbil stressed that "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a priority to achieve Iraq's desire to join the organization."

In turn, the official responsible for Iraq's accession to the World Trade Organization said: "The member states were happy with the Iraqi delegation, and we hope that the Iraqi delegation has completed this long journey."

She added: "We seek to see Iraq become a member of the World Trade Organization."
The Minister of Trade and head of the Iraqi team concerned with joining the World Trade Organization, Athir Dawood Al-Ghariri, announced last Monday the resumption of negotiations to join the World Trade Organization, after a hiatus that lasted more than 16 years.LINK

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Clare:  Removing Zeros from the Iraqi Currency: Talk Returns and Possibility of Implementation

Sadiq Al-Azraqi7/19/2024

 Removing zeros from a currency is a procedure undertaken by some countries in order to revalue the national currency and simplify financial transactions. This is done by removing a specific number of zeros from the nominal value of the currency, making it appear less inflationary and more stable. 

For example, if the currency is the “dinar” and its value is equal to 1,000 dinars, after removing three zeros, its value will become one new dinar.

One of the possible reasons for deleting zeros is to combat inflation. When a currency suffers from high inflation, the nominal values ​​can become very high and impractical to be offered in large quantities in daily transactions. Deleting zeros can contribute to enhancing confidence in the national currency, facilitating accounting operations and financial transactions; this may contribute to improving the country's image before investors and the international community.

Potential challenges of deleting zeros include printing new currency, modifying accounting systems, and training on how to use the new currency. It may initially cause some confusion among residents and consumers, and if the deletion process is not implemented well, it may lead to economic disruptions. As a result, deleting zeros is not a solution to all economic problems, but rather a procedure that requires good planning and careful implementation to ensure that the desired goals are achieved, according to experts.

Examples of countries that have taken this action include Turkey in 2005 when it removed six zeros from its currency, Brazil on several occasions in the 1980s and 1990s, Zimbabwe, which removed twelve zeros from its currency in 2009, and Venezuela, which removed five zeros in 2018. The number of cases in the world in which currency zeros were removed is estimated at 70 cases witnessed by the world since 1960.

In a renewed statement by the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Al-Alaq, he said that “the project to remove zeros from the currency is still ongoing,” meaning removing three zeros from the Iraqi dinar. For example, the value of the 1,000-dinar banknote will be replaced with a one-dinar note from the new currency, five thousand with five dinars, ten thousand with ten dinars, and so on. 

According to experts, the actual value of the money people own does not change after deleting the zeros, but this step contributes to simplifying the buying and selling processes for individuals and companies, and makes the financial amounts simpler and more understandable. Instead of dealing with huge numbers such as a trillion or a million (1,000,000 Iraqi dinars), they can be converted to just one thousand 1,000 dinars after deleting three zeros.

Removing zeros helps in issuing small currencies such as coins, enables the re-pricing of small goods at lower prices, facilitates their circulation and their survival in the markets, and gives a positive psychological boost to the population with the fact that the Iraqi dinar can now buy more goods and services.

Therefore, countries aim to remove zeros to restore confidence in the local currency among residents and investors, to increase demand for it, and for the local currency to become more competitive with foreign currencies and to be less replaced by other currencies.

The policy of deleting zeros is often linked to broader economic reforms, such as raising interest rates on bank deposits, to encourage people to save in banks and benefit from high interest rates on their bank deposits, in an attempt to withdraw liquidity from the market, reduce consumption and lower prices.

This also entails exploiting this liquidity to expand productive projects, attract local and foreign investments within the country and create many job opportunities so that the local economy can ultimately recover.

But on the other hand, deleting zeros may cost Iraq money to print new banknotes. For example, after deleting 3 zeros from the Iraqi dinar, when we talk about a 200-dinar banknote, it is actually equivalent to 200,000 dinars. As a result, it may be necessary to print 4 more 50-dinar banknotes instead of the 50,000-dinar banknote.

However, according to the available results, this may not have a clear impact on improving the local economy if it is not part of a package of economic reforms that help reduce the amount of money circulating among people and stimulate the economy, especially since Iraq's economy is an oil economy that needs to stimulate other productive sectors to drive the local economy.

Could removing zeros from the Iraqi dinar be a real start to stimulating the Iraqi economy, after it became clear that all plans were unable to rescue the dinar from its declining value?

In a statement by the financial advisor to the Iraqi government, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, he said that “the phenomenon of multiplying zeros in the monetary unit or adding zeros usually comes as a result of economies being exposed to rampant waves of inflation or sharp increases in the price level that continue for years due to wars, blockades and conflicts that lead to financing the deficit of government budgets through the issuance of money,” noting that the continuous rise in prices without stopping leads to the erosion of the value of the monetary unit, which necessitates the issuance of larger denominations of money due to the lack of value of smaller denominations of money and the disappearance of their ability to cover high-value transactions and exchanges in the market, according to his description.

Former member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Ahmed Hama Rashid, believes that “Iraq is not prepared for the project of deleting zeros,” and explains, “We always hear the Central Bank’s statements about implementing a project, only to then back down from implementation for undisclosed reasons.”

Regarding the implementation of the project to remove zeros from the Iraqi currency, banking consultant Abdul Rahman Al-Shaikhli recalls that the printing of the Iraqi dinar in the nineties of the last century was done by poor printing presses and that “the first factor that stood in the way of the project was the discrepancy between the official exchange rate (now 1332 dinars per dollar) and the parallel market exchange rate (now rising above 1500 dinars) and it constituted an obstacle to the implementation of the project.”

He points out that "the project will be successful if an exchange rate of one thousand dinars for every one dollar is reached. At that time, deleting the three zeros will achieve its economic feasibility, as the exchange rate will be transformed into one dinar for every one dollar, and this is what the late former governor of the Central Bank, Sinan Al-Shabibi, aspired to," he said.

Al-Shaikhli added that the other factor that affected the project to remove zeros from the Iraqi currency was the call made by the government of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the years 2006-2014, to legislate the infrastructure law, which was opposed by a number of political blocs in parliament at the time, as it leads to an increase in investments in Iraq through deferred payment, which limits the value of the monetary project, he said.   LINK

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Clare:  THE WTO FULL ACCESSION HAS NEVER BEEN A REQUIREMENT FOR A RATE CHANGE.

DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF THE VIDEO THAT WAS RELEASED IN IRAQ & ARAB NATIONS EXPLAINING ALAQ'S COMMENT ABOUT THE DELETION OF THE ZEROS.... THAT WAS HUGE!!!

THIS IS WHAT WE WANT THE DELETION OF THE ZEROS!!!! COME ON CBI...LOL 

THE SLEW OF ARTICLES LIKE WS & FRANK TOLD US HAVE STARTED!!! IMO

 STAY TEMPERED AND SMART!

Clare: Mikati visits Iraq at Al-Sudani's invitation

7/19/2024

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati is scheduled to visit Iraq in the coming hours, responding to an invitation from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. 

The Lebanese newspaper "Al-Jumhuriya" quoted government sources in the country as saying that Mikati will be accompanied on his visit by a ministerial delegation that includes: Minister of Energy Walid Fayyad, Minister of Economy Amin Salam, Minister of Agriculture Abbas Hajj Hassan, and Minister of Industry George Bouchikian, in addition to a number of advisors.

The Iraqi government agreed in July to unload the fuel shipment despite Beirut not paying the financial dues it owes to Baghdad.

This comes after a call made by Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to his Iraqi counterpart, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and after Minister Fayyad had made several calls to his counterpart, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office, and the Iraqi Embassy in Lebanon, to address the fuel dues crisis and spare Lebanon total darkness.

The Lebanese Minister had previously announced that the Iraqi Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) had stopped unloading fuel oil tankers exported to Lebanon due to non-payment of the due funds for the second year in a row.

Fayyad said, "For the fifth consecutive month, the Central Bank of Lebanon has not transferred the price of fuel shipments to the Iraqi government's account, and thus Lebanon becomes financially exposed to Iraq, as the due funds have not been transferred for the second consecutive year," according to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.   LINK

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Clare:  Government advisor reveals Iraq's gold reserves have risen to 150 tons... and the reason for its high price

7/18/2024

The economic advisor to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Muhammad Salih, revealed today, Thursday, that Iraq’s gold reserves have risen to 150 tons, while noting the reason for its high price.

Saleh told {Euphrates News} that: "Gold is one of the most important safe investment havens in the world, which is resorted to by the investment portfolios of central banks and various investors through international financial markets, including the Central Bank of Iraq, which currently holds less than 150 tons of cash gold within Iraq's international reserves, relying on a standard rule for optimal diversification of the investment portfolio of Iraq's international reserves."

He added, "It is a rule adopted globally by multilateral international financial organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and others, within the principle of ensuring the liquidity of investment portfolios and protecting them from various financial and economic risks and various fluctuations affecting the value of financial assets, by resorting to safe and optimal diversification of investment portfolios."

Saleh pointed out that "there is an inverse correlation between gold and oil on the one hand and the value of the dollar on the other hand. Whenever the value of the US currency declines or investment returns in the US currency decline, such as the returns on dollar-denominated bonds or interest on dollar deposits, investors go towards the safe haven, which is gold, which is stable in value and guaranteed purchasing power." 

"Gold is a rare asset whose (asset cycle) is long and stable, mostly without serious fluctuations, which encourages this stability by investing in the market value of gold and within the standard limits required by investment portfolios in terms of growth and stability in the value of its components in a balanced manner without incurring {unrealized} losses, as they are called in accounting,"

Saleh continued, "noting that countries can issue gold-backed bonds (gold bonds) in order to borrow from the financial market, as the gold guarantee is one of the basic attractive and desirable guarantees in global financial markets."

He continuedby saying, "We cannot fail to mention that 17% of the world's gold is currently stored in the vaults of central banks in countries, and that 77% of the world's gold wealth has been extracted," noting that "50% of that wealth has been manufactured for various purposes, such as woven goods, industrial or craft materials, and other jewelry."

Saleh concluded by saying, “The value of gold in the world is currently estimated at about 15 trillion dollars, which represents a percentage of the annual global gross product of about 14% only, while the quantities of gold discovered from the depths of the earth {currently in circulation and stored} are estimated at about 187 thousand tons distributed in various parts of the world.”

Raghad   LINK

KTFA Members “News and Views” Thursday 7-18-2024

KTFA:

Clare: FRANK TOLD US LAST NIGHT THAT WALKINGSTICK SAID, FOR FRANK TO PUSH THAT WE ALL REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO THE TURKMEMISTAN ARTICLE WHICH I HAVE REPOSTED FOR YOU IN POST #23... FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS WERE DONE BY WALKINGSTICK HIMSELF YEARS AGO.

FROM WALKINGSTICK

BR..... FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, NOT INCLUSIVE...AND/ OR MAY NOT BE DEFINING THE EXACT MANNER IN WHICH IRAQ WILL EMPLOY THEIR CURRENCY REFORM...

 Turkmenistan ......New Money

FINANCE & DEVELOPMENT, December 2013, Vol. 50, No. 4

Introducing a new currency is a complex process—one that Turkmenistan completed successfully

A popular destination for visitors to the IMF’s Washington, D.C., headquarters has long been a 40-foot-long display of each member country’s currency.

Most countries have their own currency, which is an important part of their national identity, though some belong to a monetary union and share a common currency with the union’s members; others use that of another, often larger, country.

On occasion, a country must introduce a new currency. Turkmenistan, the former Soviet republic in central Asia, decided in 2008 to undertake a currency reform.

A major gap between the official exchange rate and the informal or market rate meant that Turkmenistan’s price system had become complex and inefficient. This, in turn, created complexities in accounting and statistical reporting. So the government decided to introduce a new currency before launching market-oriented reforms. Currency reform was regarded as the foundation for further strengthening the macroeconomic framework, particularly monetary transmission: the more the population relies on the local currency rather than U.S. dollars, the more control the government has over macroeconomic policy.

The total and orderly overhaul of Turkmenistan’s currency system in 2008–09 in many respects serves as a model for other countries.

Big decisions

The introduction of a new currency is not undertaken lightly. The motivation could be hyperinflation, exchange rate collapse, massive counterfeiting of the existing currency, or even war. Or it could be an intentional change—for example joining a monetary union, such as the European Monetary Union.

Changing a national currency is a highly political decision. Sometimes the existing currency does not meet the economy’s needs.

The typical economy in need of currency reform is cash based and highly dollarized, with multiple currencies circulating at the same time.

The single most important price in any economy is the price of its currency vis-à-vis other currencies. Countries that assign non-market-based exchange rates for different goods or services—or for imports versus exports—tend to have significant distortions in their economy. Over time, this usually leads to slower growth overall. Eventually, the general public, the business community, and politicians may start pressing for currency reform and the introduction of a new currency.

Currency reforms are typically complex and risky: global experience confirms that a successful outcome is never guaranteed. The main ingredient in the successful introduction of a new currency is a strong commitment by the central bank together with the government to take the steps needed to ensure that the new currency is perceived as stable by companies, the general public, and the international community.

Introduction of a new currency comprises four phases. First, the necessary preconditions—sound macroeconomic policies and strong financial sector legislation—should ideally be in place or under way. Next, careful preparation is required, setting up the policies and processes behind the reform and drafting a detailed budget for the entire currency reform (including the cost of printing and minting the new cash currency). Then comes production of the new currency, and finally the most challenging phase: implementation.

Setting the stage

A government facing currency reform often has limited ability to pursue macroeconomic policy. If the country is suffering from hyperinflation, its macroeconomic policies to date by definition were unsound. In some cases, a currency reform must be implemented despite a difficult macroeconomic situation. Currency reform alone is unlikely to resolve such problems and will yield its benefits only if underpinned by fiscal and monetary action. But psychologically, introducing a new currency can itself facilitate the stabilization of an economy. It is sometimes combined with exchange rate unification—to eliminate the complications of both an official exchange rate and unofficial market rate.

Turkmenistan was able to achieve favorable macroeconomic conditions before it implemented exchange rate unification and currency redenomination. During 2006–07, the economy was growing more than 11 percent a year, inflation was in single digits, and fiscal and external balances were strong.

A currency reform must be supported by financial sector legislation. Existing legislation—including the law establishing the central bank and regulation of banks and other financial institutions—should be reviewed to ensure consistency with international best practices. A law and regulations on the specific currency reform are also necessary, and other legislation—for example, governing accounting and financial reporting—may require updating. This work can be supported by technical advice from the IMF and other countries’ central banks. Such technical assistance includes initial general guidance as well as detailed recommendations based on currency reforms in other countries.

In a crisis situation, the government has little, if any, control over the circulation of different currencies. For that reason, the economy tends to be highly dollarized—that is, many transactions are made with a foreign currency, often the U.S. dollar.

Moving forward, the government should favor a currency regime that supports open trade and free markets—one that allows international competition and is not overly protectionist.

The central bank is the arm of the state responsible for introducing a new currency, but it is not necessarily in a position to do so.

It may lack staff with relevant experience, or sufficient branches throughout the country from which to operate, or even the funds necessary to finance a reform. Strengthening the institutional capacity of the central bank and ensuring it has the resources needed are critical preconditions for currency reform.

Private banks also play a key role in currency reform. But the banking sector may be weak or, in some cases, virtually nonexistent. In some parts of the world, informal funds transfer systems such as hawala and hundi are more vibrant or have nationwide networks that surpass those of banks. In such cases, collaboration between the central bank and these payment system operators is critical to the success of the reform.

The central bank must assess the extent to which counterfeit banknotes circulate. Together with the ministry of finance and the commercial banks, it should formulate a strategy to avoid an increase in counterfeit currency during the critical implementation stages of the currency reform.

The central bank should prepare a budget for the entire currency reform early on and revise it as necessary over time. The IMF can offer technical advice on preparing such a budget.

Introducing a new national currency is a highly complex project, which requires a well-functioning accounting system. Throughout the various stages, tested systems must be in place for independent auditors to safeguard the integrity of the currency reform, by ensuring correct reporting and accounting of the currency exchange. Failure in this area is not only costly but also potentially devastating to the currency reform’s reputation.

Important as all these preparations are, the success of a currency reform depends just as much on a successful public education campaign. The central bank needs to coordinate this campaign with other agencies, financial sector representatives, merchants, and the general public. A delicate balance must be struck between providing sufficient public information and the need for confidentiality to avoid releasing clues to counterfeiters that could be used to undermine the integrity of the new currency.

The information campaign should encourage people to deposit their cash currency in accounts at banks. The campaign must make it clear that once the currency reform is initiated, account holders can withdraw their money in the form of new banknotes.

A second important point for the public education campaign is timely information on the stages of the currency reform to discourage a run on banks with temporary liquidity problems.

In Turkmenistan, the central bank conducted a proactive public communications strategy that began early in the currency reform.

The terms of the redenomination were carefully defined and announced in advance. An awareness campaign was carried out throughout the country. Booklets, illustrating the new banknotes to be distributed, were published in national and local newspapers along with explanatory articles. In addition, pocket-size cards comparing the denomination of old and new manat were distributed to the public. And the Central Bank of Turkmenistan set up a phone hotline to answer questions from businesses and the public.

Lights, camera, action

A new currency’s name is a psychologically important decision for the government. One option is to emphasize continuity with the old currency by retaining the old name or adding “new” to it. Alternatively, the government may choose to underscore a break with the past by giving a completely new name to the currency to mark the start of a new monetary era.

In Turkmenistan, the government decided to keep the name “manat” for the redenominated currency. However, in line with an international convention among countries and central banks, the International Standards Organization changed the three-digit ISO 4217 code from TMM for the pre-2007 manat to TMT for the new Turkmen manat.

The banknote printer and the minter of coins should be selected competitively and in the international market. Even if domestic producers are available, they should be required to compete for the contract. It is not uncommon, by the way, for various banknote denominations to be produced by different international firms.

Turkmenistan’s banknotes were printed by the British firm De La Rue, and the coins were minted by another U.K. company, the Royal Mint. De La Rue is now testing production of the banknotes from paper produced with local raw materials—Turkmen cotton, renowned since ancient times for its high quality.

Decisions on the artistic design of banknotes are almost always complex and time consuming. The design must be integrated with necessary security features: the higher the denomination, the more advanced security features are required. These often include watermarks, security threads, see-through registers, and hidden numerals. Decisions also need to be made on the size of banknotes—a uniform size as for U.S. banknotes or a different size for each denomination as for euro banknotes. Finally, the color scheme should be determined—again, uniform colors, like U.S. banknotes, or clearly different colors as for most other banknotes.

Hyperinflation and exchange rate collapse slash the value of a national currency, forcing the issuance of banknotes in ever higher denominations. In Yugoslavia in 1993, a banknote reached 500 billion dinars, and Zimbabwe’s highest banknote issued was 100,000 trillion Zimbabwe dollars in 2008. In such situations, a redenomination of the currency is not only appropriate but also necessary. Redenominating a currency means administratively changing its face value. In itself, a redenomination makes no one richer or poorer. Technically most redenominations of currencies are undertaken by using factors of 10, 100, or 1,000 and simply moving the decimal point a certain number of steps to the left to establish a new value. Such a change is simple to explain to the general public and easy for companies to implement. It also represents a clear way of monitoring whether price gouging is taking place.

The first step in the Turkmen currency reform was to unify the exchange rate. In the past, because of a shortage of foreign exchange, there had been a dual exchange rate system made up of an official rate pegged at 5,200 manat per U.S. dollar and an informal parallel market rate of about 23,000 manat per U.S. dollar.

Later, the government devalued the official rate to 6,250 manat per dollar and introduced a commercial rate of 20,000 manat per dollar at which banks could trade freely with the public. The two markets were successfully unified on May 1, 2008—at the rate of 14,250 manat per dollar, a level consistent with the country’s strong external position.

Currency exchanges were located wherever customers might want to exchange dollars for manat, offering easy and official access at close to the informal rate, thus killing off demand for the informal market.

At the beginning of June 2008, the Turkmen government issued new foreign exchange regulations under which the Central Bank of Turkmenistan began providing banks and authorized currency changers ready access to foreign exchange, which in turn became available to the market-oriented private sector. Previously the central bank had been propping up the official, unrealistically low, exchange rate by restricting access to dollars. The provision of sufficient foreign exchange to an extensive network of exchange bureaus across the country eliminated the black market rate.

While unifying the exchange rate is important, the authorities must also modernize the national currency for a currency reform to be comprehensive. In Turkmenistan, the modernization entailed issuing a new family of banknotes that were smaller in size than the unnecessarily large old banknotes.

It also included the reintroduction of coins. The Turkmen economy had been cash oriented for a long time, and the U.S. dollar was extremely popular. The weakness of the manat to the dollar, which required thousands of manat in an exchange conversion, was deemed unacceptable. One way to correct this was to redenominate the national currency.

After the successful exchange rate unification, the authorities moved forward with the introduction of the new manat, revaluing the currency by a factor of 1 to 5,000. The pegged exchange rate of 14,250 manat per dollar resulted in an exchange rate of 2.85 new Turkmen manat to the dollar.

A presidential decree issued August 27, 2008, announced the introduction of the redenominated manat on January 1, 2009.

Even without redenomination, the denomination structure of a new cash currency is worth considering. Usually, lower denominations are eliminated and higher denominations added. There is generally a shift into coins from denominations that were previously issued in banknotes. Cultural and sociological preferences must be considered. For example, in some countries, such as Somalia and South Sudan, coins are not popular. In other countries, such as Germany, people want access to very high-denomination banknotes. A rule of thumb often applied in developing economies is to set the highest denomination of the national currency no lower than the equivalent of 20 dollars.

Money in hand

Turkmenistan issued six new banknote denominations on January 1, 2009: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 new manat. This was a major expansion of the upper denominations—the previously highest denomination, 10,000 old manat, now corresponded to a mere 2 new manat. The six newly issued banknotes each differed in size and were all shorter and narrower than previous banknotes. The design of the front of the banknotes presented prominent historic Turkmen personalities. The reverse side, as in the past, portrayed new key buildings and monuments of modern Ashgabat, the Turkmen capital.

In parallel, new coins were issued in the following denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 tenge; and the following year, two more coins were circulated with 1 manat and 2 manat denominations. This represented a de facto reintroduction of coins after high inflation and intense exchange rate pressure had rendered the previously issued coins valueless.

Once the design and denominations of a new currency are selected, the central bank must decide how much to produce, based on research on the demand for money in general and on various cash currency denominations in particular. Data on past orders of banknotes and coins should give reasonable estimates, which must be assessed in light of recent changes in public demand for the currency compared with other currencies. Technical advice is available from international banknote printing firms such as De La Rue and Giesecke &Devrient, and for coin denominations from mints such as the Royal Mint.

The next phase of currency reform is the conversion from old cash currency to new. The authorities must decide—at first privately—when the currency exchange will begin, when it will end, and whether or not to cap, in absolute terms, the amount to be exchanged.

Then, decisions on the announcement of and publicity for the currency exchange must be made. Other essential decisions include the conversion rate and how financial assets, resident/nonresident accounts, and existing currency contracts will be treated in the currency exchange.

In addition to the guidance of the central bank and the ministry of finance, the views of the ministries of justice, commerce, and defense; the police force; the chamber of commerce; bank representatives and representatives of the informal payment system (if it plays an important role in the country); the general public; nongovernmental organizations; and key media outlets should be considered.

The key stakeholders, under the leadership of the central bank, should develop a detailed plan for distribution of the new currency. They must identify exchange points (places where the public can exchange the old money for new and where cash currency can be stored temporarily); establish facilities for more permanent storage of currency, such as vaults and strongboxes; and address various logistic issues, including exchange point staffing.

In its plan for the currency reform, the central bank must decide how to handle the soon obsolete cash currency. Old banknotes that have been exchanged for new currency should be immediately invalidated via ink markings or holes drilled in the currency.

After a second counting, the then invalidated banknotes should be destroyed by shredding or burning. Routines should also be established for the collection and transportation of old coins, which may be sold by the central bank for scrap metal and ultimately melted down.

In line with common international practices, the Turkmen central bank allowed the two sets of banknotes to be circulated during 2009. By 2010, all banks were expected to exchange the old currency for new manat. And after that, the old currency was demonetized and retained only numismatic value.

The IMF’s currency display was recently dismantled to allow for repairs to the building. If and when the display is restored and updated, there will be several new currencies for visitors to view, including the new Turkmen manat. ■

http://www.imf.org/external/pu.....nnberg.htm

Clare:  Al-Sudani receives a call from Mohammed bin Salman

7/17/2024

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani received a phone call on Wednesday evening from the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

A statement from Al-Sudani's office stated that during the call, bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to develop and grow them in various fields were discussed, in addition to discussing the latest developments in the region.

The call also addressed a number of issues of common interest, especially in the political, economic and developmental aspects, which will lead to achieving integration and mutual benefit between the two countries.  LINK

Paulette:  Interesting timing considering Sadia Arabia just educated its citizens that Iraq plans to "delete the zeros" through the Sadia Arabia  Argaam financial Services video.....

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Alicia2015:  A change in Iraq's monetary value appears to be immanent. This is a speculative investment, so the question is will it meet our expectations or not.
Nobody knows for certain, but logic seems to point in the direction of "yes it will be". Regardless, I'm glad something is finally happening and looking forward to the completion of this part of our journey. IMO

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Clare: Selling commemorative coins to collectors

July 18, 2024

The Central Bank of Iraq announces the sale of currently circulating and withdrawn banknotes and commemorative coins for collectors

♦ Application form for purchasing commemorative coins and their prices .. For more click here LINK

FRANK26….7-17-24…NOT A LOP!!!

KTFA

Wednesday Night conference Call

FRANK26….7-17-24…NOT A LOP!!!

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

What Frank’s suit color’s mean…. FRANKS SUIT COLORS FOR CC'S..... WHITE = NEW INFO…. SILVER = INTEL FROZEN…. RED= HIGH ALERT… PURPLE=GUEST WITH US…. BLUE = AIR FORCE…. BLACK = GROUND/FF’S…. GREEN= MR OR FAB 4 ... GOLD = CHANGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzANM5hmORM

FRANK26….7-16-24……3…2….1….LIFT OFF !!!

KTFA

Tuesday Night conference Call

FRANK26….7-16-24……3…2….1….LIFT OFF !!!

This video is in Frank’s and his team’s opinion only

Frank’s team is Walkingstick, Eddie in Iraq and guests

Playback Number: 605-313-5163   PIN: 156996#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CXfbnVilbg