TNT -“Tidbits From TNT” Friday Morning 6-13-2025

Tishwash:  The World Bank expects growth in the Iraqi economy in 2025 and 2026.

The World Bank expects the Iraqi economy to grow by 1.2% this year.

The bank said in statistics reviewed by Shafaq News Agency that “the Iraqi economy is expected to grow by 1.2% this year, up from negative 1.5% in 2024.”

He added that economic growth in Iraq is also expected to rise to 4.4% in 2026, before declining to 3.1% in 2027.

He pointed out that “Libya is expected to be the Arab country with the fastest economic growth, with an estimated 12.3%, followed by Djibouti at 5.2%, and then Lebanon at 4.7%.”

According to World Bank statistics, “Yemen will have the lowest economic growth, at -1.5%, followed by Syria, with a growth of 1%.”  link

Tishwash:  Prime Minister’s Office: 100 US requests to participate in Iraq Investment Forum

The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Thursday that the preparatory committee for the investment forum to be held in Baghdad has received 100 American applications to participate.

Deputy Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ali Razouki Al-Lami, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “Some American companies have submitted a proposal to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to host an investment forum for Iraq in the United States to bring American companies to the Iraqi arena, in order to support the Iraqi state and boost investment in Iraq.”

He pointed out that “a large American investment delegation had previously attended, and agreements were concluded and signed between the National Investment Authority and the US Embassy.”

Regarding the investment forum that will be held in Baghdad in the middle of this month, Razouki explained that “the US embassy in Iraq is interested in this forum, as it requested 100 invitations from the preparatory committee, which reflects the embassy’s great interest, in addition to the efforts made by the rest of the embassies in this regard.”

He indicated that “there are great preparations and we hope that there will be cooperation from everyone to make this forum a success from the first session, so that it becomes a regular annual or biennial forum, to be a reason for opening the Iraqi field to all investors and capital.” link

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Tishwash:  Al-Fatah: The smuggling of regional oil will not stop until the oil and gas law is passed.

Ali al-Fatlawi, a leader in the Fatah Alliance, confirmed on Thursday that oil smuggling from the Kurdistan Region will continue unless the oil and gas law is passed. He called on the government and political forces to engage in serious dialogue to reach a final agreement on the law and resolve the accumulated disputes between Baghdad and Erbil.

Al-Fatlawi said in a statement to the Al-Maalouma Agency, “The time has come to give priority to the approval of the oil and gas law, especially after the vote to amend Paragraph (12) of the Federal Budget Law,” stressing that “the approval of the law is the best way to stop the smuggling of oil from the region.”

He added that “the continued smuggling of oil negatively impacts the national economy and causes significant losses to the public treasure,” warning of the repercussions of these operations on the country’s economic autonomy.

Al-Fatlawi called on political forces to “assume their national responsibilities and exert pressure to expedite the passage of the law by completing the draft and agreeing on its main provisions.”

It is noteworthy that media reports indicated that approximately 400,000 barrels of oil are smuggled daily from the Kurdistan Region, in the absence of clear federal oversight and the unknown fate of the financial revenues resulting from these quantities.  link

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Tishwash:   An Iraqi government bank combats suspicious financial transactions electronically “without human intervention.

Rafidain Bank’s General Manager, Ali Karim, stated on Thursday that the bank has begun combating suspicious financial transactions, such as money laundering, through electronic technologies.

In a speech delivered at the “Governance Forum” held in Baghdad and attended by a Shafaq News Agency correspondent, Karim said, “Rafidain Bank has taken strategic steps to build an internal governance system that focuses on independence, integrity, and efficiency.”

He added that the bank launched a comprehensive corporate risk program that includes operational, interest, and reputational risks, in cooperation with global distribution companies.

Karim continued, “Rafidain Bank recently acquired advanced systems in cooperation with international institutions, through which suspicious financial transactions will be monitored, analyzed, and even thwarted automatically and electronically, without any human intervention.”

At the end of May, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Al-Alaq, affirmed Iraq’s commitment to combating money laundering and terrorist financing in cooperation with international partners. link