Nearly 94% of Iraq’s currency in circulation remained outside the banking system in September 2026, compared with just 6% held by banks, according to the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI).
Cash outside banks rose by 1.7% to 101.868 trillion Iraqi dinars (approximately $67.02B) in September, up from 100.186 trillion dinars ($65.91B) in August, an increase of 1.682 trillion dinars ($1.11B).
Meanwhile, cash held by banks fell 17.6% to 6.438 trillion dinars ($4.24B), down from 7.812 trillion dinars ($5.14B) the previous month. Total currency issued by the CBI increased by 308 billion dinars ($202.63M) to 108.306 trillion dinars ($71.25B), up from 107.998 trillion dinars ($71.05B) in August.
Compared with the end of 2025, cash circulating outside banks increased by approximately 10%, from 92.560 trillion dinars ($60.89B), while total currency in circulation rose from 99.799 trillion dinars ($65.66B) to 108.306 trillion dinars ($71.25B).
