TNT:
Tishwash: Companies at the Erbil Exhibition: The Iraqi market is promising for attracting new investments.
Local and foreign companies participating in the Erbil International Construction and Infrastructure Exhibition, currently being held in Erbil, are looking for opportunities for new partnerships and investments in the Iraqi market, with a focus on modern construction technologies, sustainable energy and infrastructure solutions.
Abdul Malik Qasim, the director of one of the Iraqi companies, told Shafaq News Agency that “participation this year goes beyond just displaying products; it is a real opportunity to conclude strategic contracts,” noting that the Iraqi market is witnessing a boom in infrastructure projects, and that the presence of local companies reflects the ability of the Iraqi private sector to compete with and integrate with foreign partnerships.
For his part, Saif Awad, a representative of one of the participating companies, said that companies no longer view Iraq “as just a consumer market for materials, but as a promising investment environment that is growing rapidly,” explaining that the participation aims to localize modern technologies and transfer engineering expertise to local personnel, given the opportunities available in the Iraqi governorates.
Sarah Mohammed, an infrastructure sector advisor, told Shafaq News Agency that what distinguishes this year’s exhibition is the focus on sustainable building solutions and energy-saving technologies, noting that meetings between businessmen and investors showed “a serious desire to turn memoranda of understanding into real projects on the ground that serve comprehensive development plans.”
The exhibition , which began last Thursday, includes more than 450 companies representing 20 Arab and foreign countries.
Its activities began in Erbil this week, and its four days are expected to witness bilateral (B2B) meetings and the signing of investment and trade contracts and understandings between foreign companies and local investors. link
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Tishwash: Money exchange companies under the microscope of the Central Bank of Iraq: strict oversight and anticipated updates.
The relationship between the Central Bank of Iraq and exchange companies and offices is heading towards a more stringent stage in monitoring the movement of funds and transfers, in conjunction with official moves to reorganize the sector and raise compliance and governance requirements, according to a source close to the exchange market and official data reviewed by Al-Mustaqilla.
The source, who preferred not to reveal his name, told Al-Mustaqilla’s correspondent that exchange companies and offices are currently subject to stricter monitoring, and that the coming period may witness updates in the mechanisms for linking and exchanging information with the Central Bank, allowing for more accurate monitoring of operations and transfers, especially foreign transactions.
The Central Bank has not yet announced details about a new electronic system to link exchange companies or when it will be implemented, and Al-Mustaqilla was unable to independently verify the nature of the updates referred to by the source.
But the bank’s actions over the past three months support a clear trend towards tighter oversight of the sector.
On June 10, the Central Bank asked exchange companies of categories (A and B) and companies that mediate the buying and selling of foreign currencies to provide it with data relating to their bank accounts, and said that the measure comes “for regulatory and supervisory purposes.”
On July 6, the bank withdrew the licenses of Al-Rawajeb, Saba and Al-Nitaq companies to mediate the buying and selling of foreign currencies, attributing the decision to violations of sector regulation controls.
Two weeks later, Central Bank Governor Nizar Nasser Hussein held a meeting with the directors and chairmen of exchange companies, and said that the next phase would witness new initiatives and activities to expand their businesses, in parallel with raising compliance and governance levels in accordance with international standards.
These measures coincided with broader commitments made by Iraq under a joint action plan with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to strengthen the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. In August, the bank issued a new circular on behavioral indicators for transactions suspected of being linked to money laundering or terrorist financing, following a training program in which banking and non-banking financial institutions participated.
Exchange companies are already subject to special anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulations issued by the Central Bank in 2024, as part of its supervision of non-bank financial institutions.
These steps indicate that the next phase may not be limited to regulating currency sales, but may extend to increasing oversight of the sources of funds, transfer routes, and beneficiaries.
The extent of the expected change remains linked to the instructions that will be issued by the Central Bank, particularly whether it will adopt a more centralized system to link exchange companies and monitor their transactions directly. link
Tishwash: The Iraqi government is turning to American banks for loans to resolve its liquidity crisis.
An informed source revealed on Sunday that the government intends to approach some American banks to obtain a financial loan as a quick solution to overcome the liquidity crisis, away from proposals to print currency.
The source explained to Shafaq News Agency that “the Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs are considering contacting some official American banks to obtain a financial loan that will be repaid from Iraqi oil sales in global oil markets, thus solving the liquidity crisis away from the proposal to print currency locally.”
The source added that “the Iraqi government sees this approach as a logical and quick solution amid the wave of crises that the region is witnessing,” without revealing further details.
The law on borrowing, grants and subsidies is an exceptional and temporary measure that Iraq is moving towards enacting, to compensate for the absence of the federal budget and to secure the necessary government spending.
The Iraqi parliament is waiting for the government to officially send the draft borrowing law to parliament, in order to avoid a financial gap and to ensure that the law does not differ from the vision and policy of the Iraqi government, according to the parliamentary finance committee.
Earlier, a special monitoring conducted by Shafaq News Agency showed that the volume of Iraqi currency issuance rose to 113.560 trillion dinars in May 2026, an increase of about 13.761 trillion dinars, or 13.8%, compared to the end of December 2025, amid escalating financial pressures that prompted the government to seek liquidity to ensure the payment of salaries and basic expenses. ink
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Tishwash: US Sanctions on Iran Could Disrupt Iraq’s Trade, Energy Supplies and Currency Market
Iraq could face significant economic repercussions from the tightening of US sanctions on Iran, with experts warning that restrictions on financial transactions could disrupt bilateral trade, increase prices and put additional pressure on the Iraqi dinar and dollar market.
The concerns come amid extensive commercial and economic ties between Baghdad and Tehran. Iraq relies on Iran for a significant share of imports, including food, agricultural products, construction materials and consumer goods, while continuing to import Iranian gas and electricity.
Economic expert Sadiq al-Rikabi told BasNews that a complete halt to official trade between Iraq and Iran would be difficult given the two countries’ long border and deeply interconnected commercial relations.
“It would be difficult to say that sanctions will completely halt trade, but they will impose major obstacles on imports and financial transfers,” al-Rikabi said.
He identified food and agricultural products as among the sectors most vulnerable to disruption, noting that Iraq imports substantial quantities of dairy products, vegetables and canned goods from Iran.
Construction materials, including ceramics, iron and pipes, could also be affected, he said, as many Iraqi companies rely on Iranian supplies because of their relatively low costs and geographic proximity. Consumer goods, plastics, cleaning products and household materials could face similar pressures.
Energy payments remain a key concern
Iraq’s electricity and gas imports from Iran are covered by US sanctions waivers, but the mechanism for settling payments remains a major challenge, according to al-Rikabi.
He noted that payments associated with Iranian electricity and gas imports had exceeded $10 billion during previous periods, warning that difficulties in settling outstanding payments could prompt Iran to reduce or suspend energy supplies.
Such a development could directly affect Iraq’s electricity generation, particularly given the continued importance of Iranian gas to the country’s power sector.
Banking restrictions could push trade into informal channels
Al-Rikabi said the main difference between the current sanctions environment and the existing trade relationship is Washington’s effort to impose financial restrictions on Iran and prevent dollars from reaching the Iranian economy.
An Iraqi trader opening a bank credit facility or letter of guarantee in favor of an Iranian company could face sanctions exposure, while transferring US dollars to Iran through the banking system would become increasingly difficult, he said.
As formal banking channels become more constrained, however, informal trade could expand through unofficial border crossings, cash transactions and barter arrangements.
Some traders could resort to exchanging Iraqi dinars for Iranian rials or physically transporting cash across the border, while others could use barter systems in which Iraqi goods are exchanged directly for Iranian products.
“The trade conducted through banks will decline significantly, but informal trade could become more active,” al-Rikabi said.
Pressure on prices and the dollar market
Despite tighter restrictions, al-Rikabi expects Iranian goods to continue entering the Iraqi market, albeit in smaller quantities and under greater scrutiny.
He warned that traders’ increased reliance on the parallel market to obtain dollars and transfer funds to Iran could raise demand for the US currency inside Iraq.
This could contribute to delays in the arrival of certain goods and drive up prices as importers face higher transaction costs and greater difficulties securing supplies.
The resulting increase in demand for dollars could also place additional pressure on the Iraqi dinar’s exchange rate.
“Iraq-Iran trade will not stop completely,” al-Rikabi said, “but sanctions and tighter controls on financial transfers will make it more expensive and complicated, with potentially direct consequences for the Iraqi economy, prices and the foreign-exchange market.” link
