U.S. - Iraq Business Initiative Briefing with Dr. Sinan Al-Shabibi Date Event: April 19, 2011 Herman Lay Room U.S. Chamber of Commerce 1615 H St, NW Washington, DC, 20062

U.S. - Iraq Business Initiative Briefing with Dr. Sinan Al-Shabibi
Date Event: April 19, 2011
Herman Lay Room
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H St, NW
Washington, DC, 20062

11:00 - 12:00 PM

Briefing from the Central Bank Governor of Iraq to members of the business community on Iraq's finance sector.
[4:31:40 PM | Edited 4:32:04 PM] Michael A Radogna: Yo did you read this yet?
[4:31:42 PM] Michael A Radogna: :
[4:31:47 PM] Michael A Radogna: Iraq’s Central Bank announced on Tuesday that the project to re-denominate the Iraqi Dinar, removing three zeroes, is close to completion.

According to the report from Alsumaria TV, the re-denomination project is believed to be a strategic plan that will be passed to the ministerial council and Parliament once complete.

A Central Bank’s advisor, Mothahhar Mohammed Saleh, said in a statement to the agency that the plan aims to reduce transactions costs and help people carry less money.

Iraq’s central Bank has managed during the past five years to reduce inflation rates from 34% to 3 or 4% and stabilize Iraqi Dinar exchange rate, he said.

In an earlier statement to Alsumaria News, he confirmed that the bank plans to remove three zeroes from the Iraqi Dinar, noting that the zeroes which were added to the Iraqi currency previously constituted a large money supply estimated at 27 trillion Iraqi Dinar.

Saleh revealed on the other hand that Iraq engages for the first time in banks payment system as it moved from manual to electronic clearance. The system includes six banks in addition to electronic deeds exchange, he said adding that the smart and credit cards will be bound to the central bank system.

Iraqi economists believe the re-denomination of Iraqi Dinar will not have a major influence on the purchasing power of the Iraqi Dinar “which the government has hopes high on it”.

(Source: Alsumaria TV)