TNT – “Tidbits From TNT” Thursday Morning 2-20-2025

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Tishwash:  Rafidain Bank enhances the efficiency of its services by expanding the application of the electronic Q System

Rafidain Bank announced the expansion of the application of the electronic Q System to manage and organize customer waiting, to include more than 27 branches in Baghdad and the governorates, with a gradual plan to generalize it to other branches later.

The bank stated in a statement: “This trend reflects the bank’s commitment to adopting the latest banking technologies to ensure the provision of more efficient and faster services, as the system provides an advanced mechanism to organize the movement of customers within the branches, reduce waiting periods, and determine the order of customers according to service priority, with an accurate time estimate for completing transactions.

He added: “This development comes within the bank’s vision to enhance digital transformation and raise the level of customer satisfaction, by providing innovative solutions that contribute to improving the efficiency of banking operations and providing a smoother and more accurate experience.  link

Tishwash:  Optimism about opening branches of Rafidain and Rashid Banks in the region: Stimulates the economy and attracts investors – Urgent

Economic expert Kalala Siddiq commented on Thursday (February 20, 2025) on the importance of opening branches of Rafidain and Rashid banks in Sulaymaniyah and the Kurdistan Region in general, and their economic benefits.

In an interview with Baghdad Today, Sadiq said, “This step will contribute to revitalizing the local economy, and opening branches of these government banks is an important step to revitalize the local economy in Sulaymaniyah. These branches will also provide various financial services to residents and companies, which will contribute to stimulating investments and developing businesses.”

She added, “The opening of banks will contribute to facilitating financial transactions, and citizens and companies will be able to conduct their financial transactions more easily and conveniently, without the need to travel to other areas. This includes withdrawing salaries, making money transfers, paying bills, and obtaining loans.”

She pointed out that it “will contribute to increasing competition, and will lead to the entry of new banks into the market to increase competition between financial institutions, which may improve the quality of services provided and reduce costs.”

It will also provide job opportunities, and the opening of these branches will contribute to providing new job opportunities in Sulaymaniyah, which will help reduce unemployment and improve the standard of living.

She added, “Opening banks contributes to attracting investments, and the presence of branches of government banks can contribute to enhancing confidence in the local economy, which may attract more investments to the region.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Gharib Ahmed, commented on the visit of the Governor of the Central Bank, Ali Al-Alaq, to ​​the city of Sulaymaniyah.

He said in an interview with Baghdad Today, “This visit is an important and excellent step that came based on the desire of the people of Sulaymaniyah and the Kurdistan Region,” explaining in his answer to a question about opening branches of Rafidain and Rashid banks, he replied that “if it happens, it is considered an important step to ensure the disbursement of employees’ salaries according to what was stipulated in the Federal Court’s decision, and also an important step for other financial transactions that the people of the region want.”

Ahmed pointed out that “there is a request to open other branches of Rafidain and Rashid banks in the governorates of the Kurdistan Region, and in independent administrations such as the Raparin Faqi Ranya Administration and the Karmian Administration.” 

This comes in the context of the Federal Court’s decision to localize the salaries of Kurdistan Region employees at outlets spread across the region or banks open and licensed by the Central Bank of Iraq.

Ahmed added that “this step will contribute to enhancing financial stability in the region and meeting the needs of citizens in the field of financial services. He also stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation between the Central Bank of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to achieve these goals.”

The Governor of the Central Bank, Ali Al-Alaq, is scheduled to visit the city of Sulaymaniyah to open branches of Rafidain and Rashid in the city, in a move aimed at enhancing financial services in the region and meeting the needs of citizens. link

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Tishwash:  Financial expert: Bond offering helps support Iraq’s cash deficit

Financial expert and former Director General of the Central Bank of Iraq, Mahmoud Dagher, explained on Wednesday that issuing financial bonds helps support the cash deficit and is a debt on the government.

Dagher told Shafaq News Agency, “The process of issuing financial bonds does not require a financial deficit, as bonds are often issued for the purpose of providing financial tools and encouraging the financial market in the country.”

He added that “the bonds offered by the Ministry of Finance help support the deficit, which may be temporary and not permanent,” indicating that “the amount of bonds that   the Ministry of Finance will receive is a debt owed to it and to the government.”

On February 5, the Federal Ministry of Finance announced the launch of national bonds (first issue) for public subscription, with a total value of two trillion Iraqi dinars, for the period from February 10 to March 10, 2025.

The Ministry of Finance also offered, in the middle of last year, government bonds under the name “Injaz” for public subscription, in the category of 500 thousand dinars, for a period of two years with an annual interest of 6.5 percent paid every six months, and a bond in the category of one million dinars for a period of four years with an annual interest of 8.5 percent paid every six months  link