TNT – Tidbits From TNT” Sunday Morning 5-11-2025

Tishwash:  The Parliamentary Legal Committee obliges the government to send budget tables.

Parliamentary Legal Committee member Aref Al-Hamami pointed out that “the government is legally obligated to submit the budget tables as soon as possible to ensure they are passed and voted on in Parliament before the end of the current legislative session.”

In a press interview published by Al-Masry on Saturday, May 10, 2025, Al-Hamami warned that “continuing this delay will negatively impact vital projects across various sectors.”

He explained that “the government’s delay in sending the budget tables to the House of Representatives constitutes a legal violation that threatens the stability of government work and disrupts the implementation of service and investment projects.”

In the same context, he stressed that “any further delay in submitting these schedules could exacerbate the financial crisis and hamper public spending.”  link

Tishwash:  CBI: Iraq sees drop in foreign assets, domestic debt

 Iraq’s Central Bank (CBI) reported a decline in net foreign assets and a slight decrease in domestic public debt for January 2025, according to new financial data released on Saturday.

The CBI’s monthly bulletin on financial and monetary indicators showed that foreign assets stood at 128.97 trillion IQD ($98.5B) in January, reflecting a 1.41% decrease compared to 130.18 trillion IQD ($99.5B) in December 2024, and a sharper drop from 140.77 trillion IQD ($107.5B) in January 2024.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s domestic debt dropped slightly to 80.4 trillion dinars in January 2025, compared to 80.5 trillion IQD ($61.45B) in December 2024. However, this figure still represents an increase from 73.25 trillion IQD ($55.9B) in January 2024.

“The decrease in domestic debt this January is primarily due to reduced borrowing by the Ministry of Finance,” the report clarified.

Data also showed that treasury bonds and discounted treasury transfers held by the Central Bank remained stable, indicating that the Iraqi government has started repaying part of its financial obligations.  link

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Tishwash:  The Central Bank of Iraq explains the reasons for the rise of the dinar against the dollar.

The Central Bank Governor explained the reason for the rise of the Iraqi dinar against the dollar.

Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Ammar Hamad, said in a statement to the official newspaper that “this increase reflects the success of the monetary policy pursued by the bank in reducing reliance on the parallel market and providing safe and transparent sources of financing for foreign trade.”

He explained that “this policy has enabled the commercial community to obtain dollars through official channels that adhere to international standards, without having to resort to the unregulated market.”

Hamad pointed out that “the Central Bank continues to work towards consolidating the local banking system and raising its operational efficiency to levels that keep pace with international banking standards, making it a fundamental pillar in driving economic development in Iraq.”  link

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Tishwash:  An economist identifies the “most important reason” behind the dollar’s decline in Iraq.

 Economist Nabil Al-Marsoumi said on Friday (May 9, 2025) that progress in the Iranian-American negotiations is the most important reason behind the rise in the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar against the dollar.

Al-Marsoumi said in an analysis published and followed by Baghdad Today: “Although the rise in the dinar’s exchange rate against the dollar is linked to many factors, I believe the most important reason is the progress in the Iranian-American negotiations.”

He added, “If the negotiations lead to an agreement between Iran and the US, the exchange rate of the dollar against the dinar on the parallel market will be very close to the official rate between them.”

The Iraqi dinar’s exchange rate against the dollar has risen relatively over the past few days on the parallel market, while the official market rate has remained stable. The selling price for $100 reached 142,000 dinars.

The Prime Minister’s financial advisor, Mazhar Mohammed Saleh, said in a press statement that demand for dollars declined for three main reasons: “The Central Bank’s success in financing and encouraging small businesses immediately after lifting restrictions, and facilitating travelers’ access to dollars via cards and at airports at the official exchange rate.”  link