Economic researcher Ali Dadoush    The Central Bank of Iraq contracted with Oliver Wyman, a global consulting firm, which has the ability to

“restructure companies to achieve success in difficult times, and
build a new strategy in the field of banking services, as well as

being a leader in the field of risk, strategy and human resources, where
it helps clients.” To navigate in a dynamic environment across four global companies.

So a company like Oliver Wyman can

help sanctioned Iraqi banks understand the sanctions imposed on them,
work on strategies to reduce their impact, and even
help remove these sanctions in some cases.

From a legal standpoint, the company can help Iraqi banks

understand international laws and sanctions applied to them,
identify any legal risks associated with their activity, and then
provide recommendations on how to improve banks’ compliance with international sanctions and
develop plans to mitigate risks.

In addition, the company will help Iraqi banks in

Communicating with international government agencies to
learn more about the sanctions imposed on them, or to
request ((exceptions or mitigation)), by
providing training programs for employees in Iraqi banks to develop their skills in the field of sanctions compliance.

From the above, we conclude that Oliver Wyman can   play an important role in helping Iraqi banks understand and implement international sanctions effectively, and then   submit a recommendation to the Treasury and the Federal Reserve that paves the way for lifting the sanctions.

The Central Bank Contracts With An International Auditing Company To Reform And Merge Iraqi Banks

Economy | Yesterday, Baghdad Today – Baghdad   Saturday (August 31, 2024), the Central Bank of Iraq announced that it has contracted with an international auditing firm in New York City, in the United States of America.

The bank confirmed in a statement received by “Baghdad Today” that “the delegation headed by the Governor of the Central Bank, Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, to ​​the United States of America, discussed the

use of electronic payment cards and ways to organize and
stimulate their use in line with Iraq’s trend towards electronic payment,

during separate meetings with… A group of companies such as (Visa, Mastercard and MoneyGram), as the international auditing company (KPMG) provided an extensive analytical presentation of the uses of these cards, reinforced with recommendations and proposals to enhance the regulated use and accommodate the significant increase in citizens’ use of these cards.”

During the negotiations, according to the statement, the gathered parties praised

“the important steps in promoting banking sector reforms, the most important of which is the contract conducted by the delegation of the Central Bank of Iraq with the company (Oliver Wyman) to conduct a comprehensive review of the conditions of Iraqi banks, especially the banks that are prohibited from dealing in the US dollar currency.”  The statement explained,

“The company will work to develop practical solutions to reintegrate these banks within the Iraqi and international banking sector, in addition to improving the level of bank procedures in accordance with international standards, as

this initiative aims to

facilitate the process of establishing direct banking relationships, and
improve the quality of the services provided.” From banks to serve the Iraqi economy,” noting that

“the company is scheduled to begin its work during the next few period.”

The Central Bank Announces The Results Of The New York Meetings

Friday, the Central Bank of Iraq announced the results of the visit of the delegation headed by the Governor of the Central Bank, Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, to ​​the United States of America, which lasted from August 26 to 29, 2024.

The Central Bank of Iraq confirmed in a statement – received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) – that
“a high-level negotiating delegation headed by Governor Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq held a series of intensive meetings in New York City, the United States of America, which included discussions with the

US Treasury Department and the
Federal Reserve Bank, In addition to meetings with a group of
companies (Visa, Mastercard and MoneyGram) as well as
bankers (Citi Bank and JP Morgan) as well as
international auditing firms (KPMG, E&Y, K2i and Oliver Wyman).”  He added,

“The participants in the meetings praised the major transformations accomplished by the Central Bank of Iraq, which represent an unprecedented achievement at the country level, as the bank achieved remarkable progress in the procedures for controlling external transfers and cash sales of the US dollar currency, which led to the improvement of systems, policies, and procedures.”

 In accordance with international and local standards, enhancing transparency in covering foreign trade and providing protection for the banking and financial sector from the risks of money laundering, terrorist financing and financial crimes.”

He announced,  “A meeting will take place between officials of the Central Bank of Iraq and its international partners by the end of this year regarding the major shift in ending the work of the electronic platform for foreign transfers and

replacing it with direct banking relationships between Iraqi banks and the network of international correspondent banks, in accordance with the plan developed by this bank, and in effect.” internationally,

which will allow the Central Bank of Iraq and the Federal Reserve Bank to exercise their supervisory roles away from executive procedures, as

this transformation will have important repercussions in the stability, smoothness and transparency of the country’s foreign trade financing operations,” noting,

“It aims to achieve the required stability in exchange rates, which in turn will lead to… To enhance the efficiency of the financial system in Iraq.

He pointed out that  “the meetings in New York City also dealt with mechanisms for expanding the network of international correspondent banks and qualifying Iraqi banks to meet the requirements necessary to open their accounts with international correspondent banks, with the aim of enabling them to complete their financial transactions, whether through external transfers in the US dollar or other foreign currencies.”

After The Success Of The Recent Negotiations In Washington, An Expert Identifies Indicators Of Declining Demand For The Dollar

 Economy | Baghdad Today – Baghdad   Financial and economic affairs researcher Alaa Glob Al-Fahd confirmed today, Saturday (August 31, 2024), that the  Central Bank succeeded during the recent negotiations in Washington in diversifying the basket of commercial currencies, indicating that this will lead to a significant decrease in demand for the dollar.

Al-Fahd said in an interview with “Baghdad Today”, that  “as part of the discussions of the Central Bank of Iraq during the past hours with the US Federal Reserve and the US Treasury, which lasted for three days, 13 Iraqi banks were included in direct external correspondence (remittances) and the diversification of the currency basket.”

He states,   “There will be commercial transactions in the UAE dirham, the Indian rupee, and the Chinese yuan, and   this gives the Iraqi government flexibility to diversify the basket of commercial currencies.”

Al-Fahd added,   “The dollar is currently the master of commercial transactions in Iraq, as it is the only source of oil revenues that are sold in dollars, and the reserves of the Central Bank of Iraq are in US dollars, and that is why it is the basic currency for foreign trade.” He continued,

 “After diversifying the basket of foreign currencies for foreign trade, there will be a decrease in the issue of pressure on the dollar, and

 most of the demand for the dollar currently is not a local demand, but rather a demand for neighboring countries, due to the sanctions on those countries, and

 this demand will decrease significantly after diversifying the basket.” Currencies in foreign trade transactions.

 Yesterday, Friday (August 30, 2024), the Central Bank announced the participation of 13 Iraqi banks in the external transfer, indicating that this step comes within efforts to support economic growth and expand the horizons of international cooperation with global markets.

 The bank said in a statement that the new phase of external transfer operations has begun, which is

 an important step aimed at

      enhancing the diversity of currencies and

     facilitating international transfer operations, noting that this announcement came after

reaching an agreement on the mechanisms for regulating these operations, as it will include dealing in the currencies of the euro, the Chinese yuan, and the rupee. Indian and UAE dirham.

Iraq Was Chosen To Chair The Group Of 77 And China In The United Nations

Politics | Yesterday, Baghdad today – Baghdad  Today, Saturday (August 31, 2024), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the selection of Iraq to chair the Group of 77 and China ( G77 ) at the United Nations for the year 2025, after the meeting of the Asia-Pacific Group, which was held to discuss Iraq’s candidacy for this position.

The ministry said in a statement received by “Baghdad Today” that

“the Charge d’Affaires of the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Iraq to the United Nations in New York, Abbas Kadhim Obaid, gave a speech in which he affirmed Iraq’s vision for its role during its presidency of the group, highlighting the main axes of the work and stressing Iraq’s commitment to the principles.”

 The basic objectives of the group, especially with regard to supporting the goals and aspirations of developing countries in achieving economic, technological, and social development.  Obaid stressed,

“Iraq will work to provide all the elements of success for this presidency, which is the first for Iraq since the founding of the group, as Iraq was one of the founding countries 60 years ago.”  The statement added,

“At the conclusion of the meeting, the decision was unanimously adopted to support the Republic of Iraq to assume the presidency of the Group of 77 and China ( G77 ), as the member states extended their congratulations to Iraq and expressed their readiness to support it in its tasks during this important presidency, and

the Chargé d’Affaires expressed in another speech: His gratitude for the support and recommendation of the Asia-Pacific Group and its confidence in assigning this responsibility to Iraq, stressing its readiness to work and cooperate with member states to achieve common goals.

It is worth noting that the Group of 77 and China is the largest grouping of countries in the United Nations, with 134 member states.