TNT:
Tishwash: World Gold Council: Iraq holds 174.6 tons of gold, ranking 28th globally and third in the Arab world.
Data from the World Gold Council for August 2026 showed that Iraq’s gold reserves amounted to 174.6 tons, ranking it 28th globally, while gold constituted about 23.1% of Iraq’s total reserves.
According to the data, Iraq came in third place in the Arab world in terms of gold holdings, after Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while the United States topped the global ranking with reserves of 8,133.5 tons.
The council noted that Iraq’s most recent data dates back to November 2025, meaning that the amount of gold recorded at 174.6 tons has not been updated in the table since that date, while the data for some countries dates back to months closer to the current period.
Official gold reserve data, according to the World Gold Council methodology, is based primarily on IMF statistics, with the dates of the latest available data varying between countries depending on when reserves are reported.
The World Gold Council had previously confirmed in its statements that Iraq’s gold holdings remained stable at 174.6 tons, with no new purchases recorded during 2026, according to the data available at the time link
Tishwash: National Investment: Corruption is the enemy of investment, and Iraq is moving towards exploiting its desert resources.
The head of the National Investment Commission, Adel Al-Yassiri, confirmed that corruption represents one of the most prominent challenges to attracting foreign investments to Iraq, noting that some projects need about 20 signatures to complete their procedures.
Al-Yasiri said in a televised interview followed by “Al-Eqtisad News” that Iraq is moving towards investing in the desert, which represents the true depth of the country, especially in the field of exploiting raw materials and natural resources, indicating that the Prime Minister’s vision focuses on strengthening foreign investment and attracting capital in a way that contributes to stimulating the economy.
He added that the authority is looking for investments capable of creating a real economic impact, stressing that the agricultural and industrial sectors represent the basis of productive and sustainable investment.
Regarding housing projects, Al-Yassiri explained that it is not possible to stop granting investment licenses, despite the existence of a number of licenses that were granted previously and work has not yet started on them.
He pointed out that the governorates have begun implementing the project to distribute one million residential plots, while Baghdad alone has allocated about 250,000 plots within the project. link
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Tishwash: The Ministry of Finance begins preparing the 2027 budget; the first reading of the grants and borrowing law will take place next week.
The parliamentary finance committee confirmed on Friday that the Ministry of Finance has begun preparing the 2027 budget, while noting that the grants and borrowing law will be presented to parliament next week.
According to the official agency, committee member Ikhlas Al-Dulaimi said, “During the committee’s visit to the Prime Minister, several issues were agreed upon, including the agreement to send the 2027 budget.” She noted that “the Finance Committee has taken upon itself the legislation of the Grants and Borrowing Law, and an agreement was reached with the government to approve it, and the first reading will take place next week.”
She added that “the Ministry of Finance is directly involved in preparing the 2027 budget, and has prepared the budget strategy and involved the Finance Committee, a number of ministries and representatives of the region, in order to send it to the committee.”
She continued, “There is an agreement between the Prime Minister and the Finance Committee that there should be a budget and that it should be passed in the House of Representatives as quickly as possible, given that the country’s situation requires a budget in order to achieve financial stability, which will determine the exchange rate, the price of a barrel, export mechanisms, and how to operate.”
Regarding the confirmation of contracts, Al-Dulaimi explained: “We did not discuss the contracts with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance, but the financial situation is difficult due to the lack of oil exports, so we expect that the state will not get involved in the details of the financial aspects.”
The member of the Finance Committee explained that “according to what is included in the Financial Management Law, the budget must reach Parliament on 10/15 of this month for its approval for next year,” clarifying that “we hope to resolve the crisis of promotions and allowances in the budget.” link
Tishwash: Iranian Central Bank Governor: Iran will soon join the BRICS New Development Bank
Abdolnaser Hemmati, the governor of Iran’s central bank, said in a report published by state media on Wednesday, ahead of a meeting of BRICS finance ministers in India, that Iran will soon join the New Development Bank, a development finance institution established by the BRICS group of nations.
Iran remains subject to comprehensive US and international sanctions, and has yet to reach a peace agreement to end the current conflict with the United States and Israel, giving Tehran an additional incentive to seek alternative financial channels outside the dollar system.
Iran joined the BRICS group in 2024 as the group expanded, in a move aimed at deepening economic ties between emerging economies, and has since clearly expressed its desire to become a member and shareholder of the New Development Bank.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa established this bank in 2015 to finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects. Since then, the bank has expanded its membership to include the UAE, Egypt, and other emerging economies.
Hemmati added, according to state media: “The most important result of cooperation between the BRICS member states is the establishment of the New Development Bank, and our country will soon become a member of this bank.”
Hemmati is attending the first meeting of BRICS finance ministers and central bank governors, hosted by India, which holds the rotating presidency of the BRICS group this year.
The BRICS countries have sought to reduce dependence on the US dollar by encouraging trade and financial transactions in local currencies.
Hemmati said that Iran believes BRICS countries can conduct trade transactions using their local currencies, and seeks to establish bilateral and trilateral monetary cooperation with other member states. link
