thom 

Question:  “Is 60 days too long for an exchange?” Thom:  IMO YES! Kuwait cut their exchange window short due to bad actors…

Question:  “What about the zero delete do you think that will happen before the RV and impact investors?”  Deleting the zeros only applies to Iraqis and those in Iraq AFTER they […]

Question:  “Do you think it’s smarter to use a financial advisor that is part of the exchanging bank or find an independent which isn’t associated with a bank once this goes?”  […]

Article: “Prime Minister Al-Zaidi received representatives of @jpmorgan in Washington, where the two sides agreed to open a JPMorgan branch in Iraq to finance projects implemented by U.S. companies.”  When someone at […]

Article:  “Iraq has maintained its upper-middle income status in the World Bank’s 2026-2027 Country Income Classifications, joining Jordan, Turkey, China, Brazil, and Malaysia in the same bracket.”  This is good news […]

Vietnam had been classified as lower-middle income by the World Bank since 2009.  Its new upper-middle-income status exceeds the FTSE minimum threshold more comfortably.  Still on track for the FTSE […]

Article: “Dinar Surges after CBI pledges & new financial system rollout; further dollar drops expected”   IYKYK   :Thom

Article Quote: “A spokesperson for the Sulaymaniyah Currency Exchange Market told Channel8 that the reason for the dinar strengthening—if the [HCL] deal is finalized–is because 85% of the dollar demand […]

Prime Minister Article: “Mr. Ali Falih Al-Zaidi chaired, on Sunday, the handover ceremony between the new Central Bank Governor Mr. Nizar Nasser Hussein and the former Governor Mr. Ali Mohsen Al-Allaq.”    […]

Community comment: “Rumor has it they [Vietnam’s VND] are tired of waiting for Iraq…” I don’t think they are as connected as people say they are…It looks to me like […]

If you have been holding Vietnamese Dong and wondering whether the macro story is still intact, today’s data answers that question.  It is intact. It is accelerating… Vietnam’s total import-export […]

When someone tells you that Iraq will remove the zeros from their currency and it will be worthless, they are either ignorantly or deliberately leaving out this key phrase “raising the […]

Iraq’s Prime Minister told international oil companies to restart operations in the Kurdistan Region immediately.  The oil companies said no.  They’re refusing to go back to work until they have […]

Iraq has a new government. It’s functional but incomplete, and the hardest decisions are still  unresolved…What’s still unresolved: Nine ministries remain unfilled  including  Defense, Interior, Planning, Culture, Higher Education, Labor, Migration, […]

Question: “Why can’t Venezuela currency [Bolivar] exchange in the US for the current rate?” US sanctions on Venezuela make it nearly impossible for American banks to transact in bolívars. Add in […]

A government exists. It’s operational on 14 of 23 ministries. The two that determine whether Iraq actually gets control of its weapons — Defense and Interior — are still being fought […]

Stop waiting on American lawmakers to greenlight an Iraqi central bank decision.  The IQD moves when Iraq’s conditions align. Not when Washington passes a bill. :Thom 

Iraq has already moved the rate once. February 2023. 1,460 → 1,310.  No announcement.  No countdown.  No community consensus. The Central Bank of Iraq made a policy decision and it […]

Iraq’s thesis is a revaluation event. So a big adjustment that could happen over night.  But Vietnam’s path looks more like a gradual climb over 12 to 16 months as […]

Iraq’s new PM has until the end of this week to seat 9 ministers — including Defense and Interior. Iran-backed militias want in. Washington says no.  If you’re holding dinar […]

You’ve probably heard that Iraq and Vietnam HAVE TO revalue together because of their deep economic ties. Nobody ever explains what those ties actually are.  Here’s why.  Because there aren’t many.  Their […]

Vietnam [VND]…I anticipate it will grow in value over a year or two. :Thom 

123 days until the FTSE Russell upgrade to EMERGING MARKET STATUS for the Vietnamese Dong.   September 21, 2026. That’s not a guru date. That’s an institutional calendar event. : Thom 

Question: “Is the rate required before the HCL is passed?”  IMO, yes. the REER will be needed to finalize HCL. IMO. : Thom

Question: “IF the value is “low” (1:1 or anything < ~$3), would you go ahead & exchange, or do you see any benefit in waiting a short period?  I don’t want […]

Question:   “If banks only insure $250,000, you’re certainly not gonna set up hundreds of accounts to keep it insured.  What banks will take millions and keep it insured?” This is an […]

Question:   “If banks only insure $250,000, you’re certainly not gonna set up hundreds of accounts to keep it insured.  What banks will take millions and keep it insured?”  This is an […]

Al-Zaidi has been PM for four days. In that time: drones launched from Iraqi soil hit Saudi Arabia, his oil minister confirmed an 89% export collapse, Trump and Xi agreed […]

Iraq…needs to finish their cabinet posts…Then they need to get to work. Budget, HCL. It is do or die for Iraq.