TNT:
Tishwash: Al-Zaydi, in a meeting with the framework: The file of vacant ministries will be completed this week.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi confirmed that discussions regarding the vacant ministries will be completed this week, during a new meeting with the coordination framework held in the office of Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri.
According to a statement published by the Coordination Framework, the meeting discussed “the latest developments at the local and international levels,” while Al-Zaydi announced at the beginning of the meeting that “discussions related to completing the government formation will be completed during this week, in preparation for sending it to the House of Representatives next week for a vote.”
The coordination framework also discussed “the country’s financial and economic situation, in light of the repercussions of the war in the region and the disruption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” and also discussed “the progress of work on important and urgent legislation, most notably the general budget law and the Popular Mobilization Forces link
Tishwash: When will the removal of zeros begin? A member of parliament sets a date for the project’s implementation.
MP Murtadha Afween confirmed on Monday that the project to remove zeros from the Iraqi currency has not yet moved to the implementation phase, indicating that the project does not represent a direct solution to the crises plaguing the Iraqi economy.
Afween told the Information Agency that “the issue of removing zeros from the currency has not yet reached the implementation phase,” explaining that “the project has not contributed to addressing the crises facing the Iraqi economy.”
He added that “removing zeros from the currency, if it proceeds, should not be considered a sufficient measure to address the economic challenges,” noting “the importance of focusing on issues directly related to the country’s economic and financial reality.”
Afween pointed out that “addressing the economic crises requires concrete steps and measures targeting the root causes of the problems, in addition to developing solutions for issues affecting financial and economic stability,” emphasizing that “monetary measures alone are insufficient to address the accumulated economic problems.”
Earlier, The Media Line network revealed in a report that the Iraqi government will begin issuing a new currency with zeros removed at the beginning of 2027. link
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Tishwash: Following a recommendation from the US Treasury, instructions have been issued to Iraqi refineries to build a database of relatives of officials.
Iraqi banks received instructions from the government today (Monday, August 31) to begin working on “building databases that cover Iraqi politicians and their relatives up to the third degree and submitting them to it.”
According to information obtained by (Baghdad Today), the new database will be used to identify any “illegal profiteering and indicators of corruption operations, and may also include private security personnel and military personnel close to political and responsible figures.”
The instructions received by the banks came in the wake of recommendations issued earlier by the Economic Mobilization Task Force of the US Federal Reserve to the Iraqi government to curb corruption and currency smuggling to Iran.
It is noted that the Central Bank informed Iraqi banks to prepare the complete databases by the 29th of this month. link
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Tishwash: Sources told Al-Mustaqilla that the plan to remove zeros from the Iraqi currency is entering advanced stages, with a plan to replace the currency in early 2027.
Informed sources revealed to Al-Mustaqilla that the file of removing zeros from the Iraqi dinar and reissuing the currency has entered advanced stages of study and discussion within government departments, noting that a plan currently circulating aims to begin the process of replacing the old currency with a new currency starting from 2027, in the event that the required governmental, legislative and technical approvals are completed.
The sources said that the currency restructuring file is no longer limited to economic and technical discussions within the Central Bank of Iraq, but has become subject to study at the level of the Prime Minister’s office, within a plan related to the mechanism for moving from the current currency to a new monetary issuance after removing the zeros.
According to information obtained by Al-Mustaqila, the discussions are currently focused on developing a clear implementation plan for the replacement process, the transitional period during which the two currencies will be traded, the mechanisms for banks and government institutions to deal with the new currency, as well as the procedures related to bringing the largest possible amount of cash outside the banking sector into the formal financial system.
The sources confirmed that 2027 is among the current proposals as a possible start date for the process of replacing the old currency with the new one, but stressed that the date will not become officially effective before the completion of the governmental and legislative process and obtaining the required approvals.
The sources expected that the file would witness developments at the Cabinet level in the coming period, followed – if the project is approved – by moving to the required legislative path before reaching the implementation stage.
Mustafa Sand’s statements bring the issue back to the forefront.
The new information coincides with previous statements by Iraqi Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad, who said during August that a decision regarding the removal of zeros and the change of currency had been decided at the political level, and linked the move to bringing out hoarded funds and returning them to the economic cycle and the banking system.
Sand said that the currency change process could encourage holders of large amounts of cash to reveal their money when exchanging old banknotes, allowing some of the liquidity outside banks to be brought back into the financial system, as well as dealing with money whose owners cannot prove its sources or bring it legally into the exchange process.
Sand’s statements had sparked widespread controversy, especially after the government said on August 17 that the Cabinet had not made a final decision at that time to remove the zeros, and that implementing such a step required a legislative process that went through the House of Representatives.
The Central Bank denies printing… but outlines the course of any future project
On August 26, 2026, the Central Bank of Iraq issued a statement explicitly denying reports that it had printed quantities of new Iraqi currency with zeros removed in preparation for its release into the markets.
However, the bank’s statement did not close the door to a future currency restructuring project, as it confirmed that any such project, if an official decision is made regarding it, will be subject to multiple legal, regulatory and technical stages, and that it will be officially announced and a transition period will be determined that allows citizens, banks and institutions to exchange the currency in an organized and safe manner.
This means that the official denial issued by the Central Bank so far relates to the existence of a new currency that has been printed and is ready for circulation, and not to the cancellation of the project idea or the exclusion of discussing it in the future.
Al-Mustaqilla has been following the case since its inception.
Al-Mustaqilla had published a series of reports in recent days on the issue of removing zeros and restructuring the currency, in which it quoted sources close to decision-making circles as saying that the matter was under serious study, despite the fact that no final government announcement had been issued yet.
Information obtained by “Al-Mustaqila” today confirms that the file is still in existence and under study within the relevant institutions, and that the discussions have moved to more advanced details regarding how to implement the replacement process and not just the idea in principle.
However, the sources confirmed at the same time that the project’s transition to the actual implementation phase will remain linked to the final decision of the Council of Ministers, the legislative procedures required by the file, and the position of the Central Bank, as it is the entity responsible for managing and issuing currency and monetary policy in Iraq.
Why does the government want to change the currency?
The proposed plans suggest that the project’s objectives are not limited to reducing the number of zeros and facilitating accounting and monetary operations, but could also include reorganizing the large amount of cash that exists outside the banking system.
Iraq is one of the economies that relies heavily on cash transactions, and a large percentage of the currency in circulation is outside of banks.
The latest data circulating on monetary indicators indicates that the volume of currency circulating outside the banking sector has reached more than 100 trillion dinars, which reflects the extent of the hoarding phenomenon and reliance on direct cash.
Currency replacement – if the government adopts clear control mechanisms – would encourage hoarders to deposit their money through banks or exchange centers within a specific time period, giving financial authorities greater ability to know the movement of money and the sources of some large cash blocks.
The process can also support anti-money laundering and anti-financing measures if it is accompanied by the application of clear rules regarding deposits, large sums, and sources of funds.
Replacement, not cancellation, of the value of citizens’ money
From an economic standpoint, removing zeros does not mean that citizens’ money will lose its value or that the dinar will automatically become more expensive.
If it is decided – for example – to remove three zeros, then renaming the monetary unit could make every thousand dinars of the old currency equivalent to one dinar of the new currency, in parallel with repricing salaries, prices, debts, contracts and balances at the same rate.
The main objective of the process is to simplify monetary categories, accounts and transactions, not to achieve an automatic increase in the purchasing power of the dinar.
Expected transitional phase
If the project is approved, the authorities will likely adopt a transitional phase during which the old and new currencies will circulate simultaneously before the old version is gradually withdrawn.
The central bank had already confirmed that any future decision of this kind would include a transition period to ensure that citizens, banks and institutions could exchange currency in an orderly manner while preserving all financial rights and obligations.
The process will require resetting banking systems, ATMs, accounting software, pricing, contracts and government records, as well as a broad awareness campaign to prevent the transition from being exploited for fraud or speculation.
The coming days could be decisive.
According to sources from “Al-Mustaqilla”, the next stage will be important in determining the final course of the project, while the governmental, legal and technical aspects of the currency replacement plan continue to be studied.
The sources confirmed that there is a trend to push the file towards completing the necessary procedures, with the picture to become clearer after the Cabinet’s position and the legislative process are decided.
Accordingly, the information available so far indicates that the project to change the currency and remove zeros is moving within Iraqi institutions, and that 2027 is being considered as a possible start date for the replacement process according to the ideas being discussed. However, this has not yet turned into an official, announced, and binding date from the Central Bank or the Council of Ministers as of the date of this report.
The Iraqi public is waiting for any official announcement in the coming days that could move one of the most sensitive financial issues in the country from the stage of studies and discussions to the stage of decision and implementation link
Tishwash: Protests in Basra, Kirkuk and Anbar: Financial and employment demands shake the energy sector
On Tuesday, three Iraqi provinces witnessed protests and sit-ins demanding action related to the energy sector, including rejecting the increase in crude oil prices supplied to refineries in Basra, objecting to the price per ampere for private generators in Anbar, as well as demands to reinstate 610 workers to their jobs at the Kirkuk refinery.
In Basra, demonstrations and sit-ins resumed inside the Shuaiba refinery, expressing categorical rejection of the government’s recent decision to increase the prices of crude oil supplied to investment and government refineries.
The protesters demanded that the concerned authorities immediately reverse this decision, warning of its negative repercussions on the refinery’s operating costs, its direct impact on the stability of staff employment, and the decline in profits of companies affiliated with the oil sector, according to a Shafaq News Agency correspondent.
For their part, the owners of private generators in Anbar province organized a protest in front of the provincial council building, objecting to the low price per ampere compared to operating costs, stressing that the approved price does not correspond to the size of the expenses they bear.
Alaa Sadiq Khalaf, the owner of a private generator, told Shafaq News Agency during the protest that his generator operated for about 280 hours during the month of August, while generator owners, according to him, received 35 dinars per ampere, noting that the main problem is related to the price per hour of operation.
Khalaf added that a committee visited the generator owners and determined, according to their calculations, the cost of an hour of operation without taking into account a profit margin of about 42 dinars, while it is being calculated at prices ranging between 26, 33 and 37 dinars, considering that these prices do not correspond to the actual cost of operation.
He explained that generator owners bear additional burdens related to supplying fuel, workers and operating materials, indicating that some of these costs are paid from their own money, despite talk of providing some materials or services for free.
Khalaf stressed that generator owners “are also citizens” and bear significant financial burdens, calling for the adoption of a pricing system that takes into account the actual cost of operation and does not impose additional losses on generator owners under the guise of protecting citizens.
He pointed out that continuing to operate with the current pricing, from the perspective of generator owners, puts them in front of an increasing financial crisis, given the high operating costs and the lack of a sufficient profit margin.
In this context, the generator owners explained that the Prime Minister’s office statement regarding supplying generators with subsidized fuel and operating them for 20 hours a day pertains to the month of September, stressing that their protest today is related to the approved pricing for the month of August, and is not an objection to the directives for the month of September.
In Kirkuk, dozens of workers at the Kirkuk refinery staged a protest in front of the governorate building, demanding justice and a review of the decision to terminate their services.
One of the protesters, named Mohammed Abdullah Dali, told Shafaq News Agency that “dozens of workers employed at the Kirkuk refinery and affiliated with the North Refineries Company in Baiji organized a demonstration in front of the Kirkuk Governorate building to demand their rights and fair treatment.”
He explained that “the number of workers whose employment was terminated is 610 people, and they are employees of the Kirkuk refinery, and they have provided years of service and work,” indicating that “terminating their services caused them great harm and suffering, and we consider it an injustice and unfairness to us.”
Dali added that “the protesters are demanding that the relevant government authorities reconsider their situation and work to reinstate them to their jobs or find a fair solution to address their issue,” noting that “the main demand is to include them in the 2027 budget, which would guarantee the restoration of their rights and end their ongoing suffering.”
He stressed that the protest was “peaceful, and aimed at conveying the voice of the workers to the local government and the relevant federal authorities, and urging them to intervene urgently to do them justice and listen to their demands.”
The protesters demanded that the government, the Ministry of Oil, the North Refineries Company and other relevant authorities “open the file of the 610 workers, review their years of service and the circumstances of their termination, and develop a legal and administrative solution that guarantees their rights link
