Saturday, 25 February 2012, 07:58 GMT
New banknotes to be introduced in September

A money trader in Erbil
The Kurdish Globe
Views differ on financial and socioeconomic impactsDespite
fears of a negative economic impact, the Central Bank of Iraq will
remove three zeros from Iraqi dinar notes and print new banknotes in
2013.
The Central Bank of Iraq has agreed with the Economic Committee of
the Iraqi Parliament to introduce the new banknotes in September 2012,
which will be used in parallel with the current banknotes for a year.
The CBI will completely withdraw the old banknotes by September 2013.
Abdul-Hussein Abtan, Economic Committee Member of Parliament in
Baghdad stated in a press conference that there is an initial agreement
between Parliament and the central bank to start the process of removing
three zeros in September, and it will take a year to complete. The new
banknotes will be printed in Arabic, English and Kurdish.
The CBI will introduce three new banknotes: 50 dinars, 100 dinars
and 200 dinars. For smaller transactions, the CBI will also issue
1-dinar and 2-dinar coins which Iraq currently does not use.
MP Abtan says "The grant agreement is to ensure that during the one
year process, the old banknotes are traded in the market and replaced by
the new one."
The CBI expects this move to positively impact the country's
economy; however, some parties say the negative consequences will be
more serious.
The Security Commission says deleting the zeros will have a negative
impact on financial trade in the stock market. Other opponents of the
move argue it would pave the way for money laundering and want the
government to reconsider its decision.
Supporters of the idea believe the introduction of the new banknotes
will help reduce inflation, strengthen the Iraqi dinar in the
international market, facilitate trade with international banks and
other financial institutions, as well as reduce the social gap between
classes.
"The process of removing zeros from the currency will contribute to
dealing better with inflation, facilitate economic cooperation with
international banks and reduce the differences in [standards of] living
in society," Abtan explained. Mahma Khalil, another Member of the Iraqi
Parliament and official spokesperson of the Economic Committee says an
agreement has been reached about the mechanisms of introducing the new
banknotes after a series of meetings and discussions with the CBI
Governor Dr. Sinan Al Shibibi.
"According to the agreements, the new bill will be printed by a
European company and introduced to the market gradually and in a
well-planned schedule to ensure it will not result in shocks and would
not have a negative impact on the market," explained MP Khalil. He added
the exchange rate between the new banknotes and the old ones would be
1:1,000.
The objective behind this move is to appreciate the value of the
Iraqi dinar against the U.S. dollar, which would in turn increase the
balance of the Iraqi dinar and there would be sufficient reserves of
that currency," explained MP Khalil. "Additionally, the economy of Iraq
would grow and oil sales would also increase." Khalil added that Iraq
has a reserve of $60 billion in the CBI.
The CBI previously stated it would consult with Parliament and
representatives to see whether there would be a need for a law to be
passed for this shift. The Economic Committee announced on 19 February
it was introducing new legislation for the purpose and would also
address the inflation issue in the country.
The introduction of new banknotes and withdrawing the current ones
from the market is generally expected to reduce and control the number
of dinars in circulation and would also help facilitate payment systems
and control the banking transactions in the country.
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