IMF Explains Iraq's Exchange Rate Arrangement
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a brief explainer on Iraq's exchange rate arrangement.
As part of a follow-up to last week's report on the state of the Iraqi economy, the IMF clarified as follows:
" Exchange Rate Arrangement
"Iraq's de jure and de facto exchange rate arrangements are classified as a conventional peg arrangement. The Central Bank Law gives the Board of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) the authority to formulate exchange rate policy.
"Effective February 8, 2023, the official exchange rate was set at ID 1,320 according to the closing prices of the daily bulletin of gold & main currencies published on the CBI website (www.cbi.iq).
"There has been a change to Iraq's exchange system since the last Article IV Consultation. Iraq continues to avail itself of the transitional arrangements under Article XIV, Section 2 but no longer maintains any restrictions under this provision. Iraq does not maintain any current account exchange restrictions or MCPs [Managed Currency Pegs]. Starting January 2025, all international transactions have been routed through commercial banks via their correspondent banking relationships (CBRs).
"The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) replenishes these balances weekly based on foreign exchange demand and conducts audits to ensure that the allocated funds are used in compliance with AML/CFT regulations. Private banks are also encouraged to broaden their CBR networks, particularly with non-U.S. financial institutions. "
Click here to download the full report.
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(Source: IMF)
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