TNT:
Tishwash: Al-Moussawi reveals the date when the 2027 budget will reach Parliament
MP Mukhtar al-Moussawi confirmed on Sunday that the 2027 budget draft will reach the Parliamentary Finance Committee this week for discussion of its articles. He also indicated that there are seven complex issues that the upcoming budget will face.
Al-Moussawi explained to Al-Maalouma that “the 2027 budget draft will arrive this week from the Council of Ministers to the Parliamentary Finance Committee, in preparation for a thorough discussion of its articles.”
He added that “available information indicates the presence of seven complex issues, most notably updating the dollar exchange rate, the price of a barrel of oil, the size of the operational budget, the rights of the provinces, as well as issues related to regularizing the employment of thousands of workers and guaranteeing the rights of contract workers.”
He pointed out that “the budget will witness extensive discussions, but there are significant difficulties it will face, given the financial and economic crisis the country is experiencing,” noting that “the upcoming discussions will reveal more details and complexities related to its articles.”
Al-Moussawi affirmed that “everyone agrees on the necessity of guaranteeing the rights of various segments of society in the 2027 budget, in line with the requirements of the next phase. link
Tishwash: Government policy to adopt the Iraqi dinar in transactions within Iraq
On Saturday, October 10, 2026, Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, an advisor to Prime Minister Ali al-Zidi, revealed a government plan to adopt the Iraqi dinar for transactions within Iraq.
Saleh said in a statement followed by “Ultra Iraq” that “there is a governmental trend to adopt the Iraqi dinar in transactions within Iraq in accordance with the relevant legal provisions, which supports confidence in the national currency and regulates transactions in the market,” as he put it.
Saleh spoke about “government oversight measures” and considered them “a fundamental pillar for controlling markets and limiting unjustified price increases, and confronting monopoly, speculation and exploitation of citizens’ need for food and consumer goods,” stressing that “the continuation of oversight campaigns, strengthening institutional coordination, supporting local production, facilitating the flow of goods and holding violators accountable, represent important factors for protecting the consumer and enhancing market stability.”
He pointed to “the importance of coordination between the concerned authorities to ensure the smooth flow of goods to the markets, in parallel with government measures aimed at facilitating trade and addressing obstacles facing the processing and distribution operations, which enhances market efficiency and contributes to price stability and the availability of basic materials,” as well as “the importance of adhering to the applicable legislation that regulates financial and commercial transactions,” indicating that “the integration of the work of commercial and regulatory bodies contributes to monitoring markets, detecting violations and applying legal measures against violators, which enhances fair competition and protects the purchasing power of citizens, especially those with limited income.”
The advisor pointed out that “price stability is not achieved by monitoring alone, but requires its integration with economic and supply policies and procedures that facilitate commercial activity, in order to support living, economic and social stability in Iraq.”
He also said that “effective oversight does not target legitimate business activity, but rather seeks to prevent monopolistic practices, price manipulation, and exploitation of economic conditions to achieve unjustified profits, while maintaining a balance between the rights of consumers and the interests of committed traders, and establishing a business environment based on transparency and fairness.”
On October 7, 2026, the financial authorities in Iraq announced a reduction in the value of the dinar for the third time in six years, bringing it to 152,000 dinars per 100 dollars, for the currency sold to the public, or the “end user”.
The Central Bank decided to adopt a new exchange rate for the dollar, according to a document issued by the bank, which stated: “With reference to the Cabinet’s decision taken in its twenty-second session on October 6, 2026, which included amending the exchange rates of the Iraqi dinar against the US dollar in a way that meets the relevant financial, economic and monetary requirements.”
He added: “Based on the provisions of the Central Bank of Iraq Law No. 56 of 2004, as amended, it was decided to adopt the following exchange rates:
The purchase price of the US dollar from the Ministry of Finance: (1500) dinars per dollar.
The selling price of the US dollar to banks: (1510) dinars per dollar.
The selling price of the US dollar to the public: (1520) dinars per dollar.
The Iraqi parliament hosted Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to “clarify the details and necessities related to changing the foreign currency exchange rate.”
Al-Zaydi told the House of Representatives that “the government had three options: the first was to resort to mandatory savings and leave the employee to live on promises, the second was to distribute salaries every 45 days, and the third was to resort to borrowing and drown the country in debt, which it is already burdened with.”
Al-Zaydi revealed that “the difference in the dollar exchange rate was previously taken over by speculators,” adding: “I took over the task when the size of the public debt was more than 208 trillion dinars, and the government is required to provide 10 trillion dinars monthly, and despite the crisis, we provided the salaries.”
Al-Zaydi pointed out that “in the coming days, good quantities of dollars will arrive and we will inject them into circulation.” link
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Tishwash: Minister of Finance: Digital transformation and modern systems are a fundamental pillar for enhancing transparency and reducing corruption.
About the news
Finance Minister Faleh Sari chairs a meeting of the ministry’s advisory board.
The meeting was attended by the Undersecretary, the Advisor to the Ministry, and the Directors General to discuss the paths of financial reform.
Discussion of accelerating digital transformation and automating work processes in line with the goals of the government program.
The meeting, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance, a copy of which was received by Channel 8, stressed the importance of linking financial allocations to clear performance indicators and tangible results, and evaluating the performance of the ministry’s formations based on the efficiency of project implementation and the achievement of financial and administrative targets.
The attendees discussed developing collection mechanisms and raising collection efficiency in the various departments of the ministry.
Diversifying income sources, maximizing non-oil revenues, and reducing dependence on oil revenues.
The importance of continuous training and developing the technical and professional capabilities of the staff.
The Minister of Finance affirmed that “accelerating digital transformation and adopting modern systems represent a fundamental pillar for simplifying procedures, enhancing transparency, and reducing waste and corruption,” stressing “the importance of continuous training and developing the technical and professional capabilities of the staff.” link
Tishwash: MPs and experts: Government measures to control prices enhance market stability and protect purchasing power.
Deputies, government advisors, and economic experts affirmed that regulating markets and combating monopolies and price manipulation requires the integration of regulatory and legislative measures with facilitating trade and imports and supporting local production, noting the importance of these steps in enhancing market stability and protecting citizens’ purchasing power.
Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy and Trade, MP Hamed Al-Moussawi, said that protecting the Iraqi economy requires supporting government measures with legislation and laws that prevent monopolies and limit manipulation of food, medicine and commodity prices.
Al-Moussawi added that it is necessary to establish a national food and drug authority and grant it broad powers to control prices and monitor markets, noting that the draft law for the authority is in the House of Representatives and has been read for the first time.
He explained that the existence of a specialized institution would contribute to determining the actual need for the dollar and uncovering the practices in which some speculators and monopolists exploit exchange rate changes to achieve private gains.
For his part, the Prime Minister’s financial advisor, Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, affirmed that government oversight measures represent a fundamental pillar for controlling markets, curbing unjustified price increases, and confronting monopolies, speculation, and the exploitation of citizens’ need for basic commodities.
Saleh explained that the integration of the work of commercial and regulatory bodies contributes to monitoring violations and applying legal measures against violators, which enhances fair competition and protects purchasing power, especially for those with limited income.
He pointed to the importance of coordination between the concerned parties to ensure the smooth flow of goods and to address the obstacles facing preparation and distribution, stressing that effective oversight aims to prevent monopolistic practices and price manipulation, while preserving the rights of consumers and the interests of compliant traders.
He pointed to the importance of adhering to the applicable legislation, indicating that there is a governmental trend to adopt the Iraqi dinar in transactions within the country in accordance with the relevant legal provisions, which supports confidence in the national currency and regulates transactions in the market.
Saleh stressed that price stability is not achieved by monitoring alone, but requires its integration with economic and supply policies and procedures that facilitate commercial activity, in order to support living, economic and social stability.
For his part, Yahya Kamal Al-Bayati, an advisor in the Department of Private Sector Development at the Ministry of Trade, confirmed that the government has taken practical measures to achieve price stability and protect the consumer, including tightening control over markets, supporting the hypermarket project for food and construction goods, and allowing employees to buy dollars for personal purposes according to specific controls.
Al-Bayati said that tightening control through the competent authorities, especially the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime in the Ministry of Interior, along with activating the role of the Council for Competition Affairs and Prevention of Monopoly, would confront monopolistic practices and price manipulation.
He added that supporting the hypermarket project contributes to increasing competition and the supply of goods, as well as facilitating monitoring of prices, invoices and the movement of goods, which enhances market stability and protects the consumer.
For his part, economist Ahmed Abdel Rabbo stressed that monitoring markets and deploying oversight committees to follow up on violators contribute to reducing unjustified price increases and enhancing the stability of food and consumer markets.
Abdel Rabbo explained that achieving price stability requires ensuring the smooth flow of goods, facilitating customs procedures, monitoring supply chains, reducing transportation and storage costs, and enhancing the supply of basic commodities.
He pointed out the need to distinguish between price increases resulting from monopolies and commercial violations, and those related to actual increases in import, transportation and production costs, in order to avoid restricting legitimate business activity or affecting the movement of supply and processing.
He stressed the importance of striking a balance between consumer protection, ensuring fair competition, and preserving the freedom of commercial activity within the law, in order to enhance market stability and protect those with limited incomes from the pressures of living.
In addition, economist Ziad Al-Hashemi stressed that government measures aimed at controlling prices and reducing monopolies can achieve positive results when implemented within a clear and well-thought-out plan, in conjunction with facilitating foreign transfers for traders.
Al-Hashemi said that these measures should be accompanied by media campaigns to raise awareness among traders and dealers about the importance of adhering to prices and not exploiting the current circumstances to raise prices or monopolize goods and merchandise.
He added that coordinating with the Central Bank of Iraq to facilitate foreign transfers and reduce delays and additional auditing procedures would speed up the completion of transactions and enable traders to import their goods at lower costs.
He explained that facilitating foreign transfers may contribute to attracting a portion of the trade and remittance activity currently in the parallel market towards the official transfer platform, which would help traders complete their transactions faster and provide goods in local markets.
He pointed out that accelerating transfers and providing sufficient stock of goods and products can contribute to reducing opportunities for monopolies and selling goods at reasonable prices, stressing the importance of these measures in supporting market stability and protecting the purchasing power of citizens. link
