Tishwash: Iraq drops to 29th place globally in gold reserves
The World Gold Council announced on Sunday that Iraq has dropped one place in its ranking of the world’s top gold-holding countries.
According to the latest index published by the Council in June, and reviewed by Iraq Observer, Iraq ranked 29th out of 100 countries listed, down from 28th globally and fourth in the Arab world, after Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Algeria.
According to the table, Iraq’s gold holdings amounted to 162.7 tons, representing 12.9% of its total other reserves.
The Council noted that “the United States of America tops the list of the world’s largest gold holders, with 8,133,000 tons, followed by Germany with 3,351,000 tons, then Italy with 2,451,000 tons, while Iceland and Tobago come in last with 2 tons.”
The World Gold Council, headquartered in the United Kingdom, has extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the factors influencing market changes, and its members include the world’s largest and most advanced gold mining companies link
Tishwash: Iraq joins the club of advanced countries in electronic payments with 22 million bank cards.
Nabil Al Najjar, head of the electronic payments team, announced that Iraq has become one of the most advanced countries in this field, thanks to decisive government decisions and support from the Central Bank and the financial sector.
He noted that the number of bank cards has exceeded 22 million, and that their usage is constantly increasing, with intensive efforts to deploy electronic payment devices throughout the country.
Al-Najjar said in a press statement, “The electronic payment project was not a spur-of-the-moment project. Rather, it was the result of prior preparations that paved the way for Iraq’s advancement in this field, despite its late entry, like the rest of the world. However, today we are among the advanced countries that use electronic payment tools.”
He explained that the success of this project depended on two key factors: desire and decision-making, adding, “The government’s desire came in 2023, specifically on January 18, with a decision to transform Iraq’s economic front from a paper-based cash system to an electronic payments system. Thus, we began gradually.”
He pointed out that the first experiment to impose the use of electronic payment was at gas stations, saying, “The first experiment was on a single day in June 2023, regarding the issue of forcing gas stations to use electronic payment tools. We certainly encountered problems at first. The project is new and faces many challenges.”
He pointed out that “the will was vested in the Central Bank of Iraq and the financial sector as a whole—banks and electronic payment companies, which have contributed significantly to shifting the economy from cash to cashless.”
He continued: “The number of cards, according to the statistics available to us, has exceeded 22 million, and thus this number is constantly increasing. The coming days will witness a higher rate of increase, given that on July 1, cash will no longer be accepted at all state institutions. While cash is currently available, it will be available in its entirety, including at gas stations.”
Regarding card usage, Al-Najjar explained that “the number of cards in use exceeds 17 to 18 million, and the situation is on the rise. We’re talking about more than 40% of citizens using electronic payment tools, and the coming days will witness further change.”
He added, “Most citizens own more than one card from more than one company and more than one bank. Their use is limited, and some only use them at government institutions. We need to educate more about the use of these cards in commercial markets and shops. This issue falls on us to raise awareness about the culture of electronic payment.”
In this context, Al-Najjar announced a new campaign to spread the culture of electronic payment, saying, “I announce that the “We Will Reach You” campaign, which was launched on January 11, 2025, will be available in the coming days, at the beginning of next month or the end of this month. We will be present in the Kurdistan Region to spread the culture of electronic payment widely.”
He explained that Iraq is striving to achieve global standards in this field, saying, “The global system speaks of one POS device for every 37 citizens. Today, in Iraq, we are striving to reach this point by deploying POS devices in shops, large and small markets, and even among kiosk owners.”
He pointed out that “electronic payment companies are trying to make these devices available and encourage their use by citizens through loyalty programs launched by companies and banking institutions.”
Regarding the situation in the Kurdistan Region, Al-Najjar said: “Today, the Kurdistan Region has entered the localization phase, so the POS deployment phases will be faster and more acceptable to the public, given that they have already gone through this experience in previous phases, but today it is becoming widespread.”
He explained that the devices are often distributed free of charge, and that sometimes a small insurance fee of no more than 200,000 to 300,000 dinars is imposed, which is refunded when the device is returned without defects.
Al-Najjar considered Halabja Governorate to represent a strategic launch for the “We Reach You” campaign, explaining: “Today, Halabja Governorate is a new Iraqi governorate. We used to have 18 governorates, now we have 19. Therefore, our people in the Kurdistan Region have a significant share of the electronic payment culture.”
He continued: “Choosing Halabja Governorate to launch the “We Will Reach You” campaign from this governorate is a move towards the Kurdistan Region, and also the northern regions of Iraq. I mean here the areas bordering the Kurdistan Region: Mosul, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, and also the other governorates.”
Al-Najjar confirmed that this campaign is being directly sponsored by the Central Bank of Iraq and supported by several financial institutions, including the Bank of Baghdad, the Development Bank, Arab Bank, K-Card, Rafidain Bank, Al-Saqi Bank, Bank of the South, Amwal Bank, Al-Ahli Bank, and others.
He concluded his remarks by pointing out that “banking financial institutions and electronic payment companies are sparing no effort to motivate citizens through loyalty programs, under the direct supervision of the Central Bank of Iraq, the Payments Department, the Financial Inclusion Division, and other relevant departments, with the goal of delivering financial services directly to citizens.” link
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Tishwash: The Ministry of Finance completes the 2025 budget schedules, and Al-Kadhimi warns: It must reflect the economic reality and the decline in oil prices.
The Ministry of Finance is moving toward completing final preparations for the 2025 budget schedules within the next few days. Meanwhile, parliamentary finance committee member Moeen Al-Kadhimi stressed the need for these schedules to reflect the current economic reality, especially in light of the decline in oil prices.
Al-Kadhimi explained in a statement followed by (Al-Mada) that “the schedules the ministry is working on are routine and were prepared according to a mechanism that has been followed for a long time,” adding that it is likely that “they will be presented to the Finance Committee after the Eid al-Adha holiday, where they are expected to be reviewed in a single session during which recommendations will be presented and ratified by Parliament.”
He explained that “the House of Representatives has the authority to reduce financial allocations without increasing them,” adding that “the Finance Committee intends to use this right to control the size of public spending and align it with available resources.”
He pointed out that “the 2023 budget amounted to 199 trillion dinars, but the actual expenditure did not exceed 146 trillion dinars. As for 2024, the budget was estimated at 211 trillion dinars, while only 156 trillion dinars have been implemented so far.”
Al-Kadhimi stressed that “the 2025 budget schedules must be more realistic and based on actual revenues, not estimates,” emphasizing “the need to take into account the financial challenges associated with declining oil revenues, while achieving a balance between the requirements of ministries and the aspirations of governorates, on the one hand, and the government’s actual ability to finance, on the other.” link
