Iraq Business News brings you the latest Iraq budget news – including the Iraq investment budget, Iraq infrastructure projects and more.
By John Lee. According to a report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the fall in oil prices is causing a sharp deterioration of Iraq's fiscal position. The analysis finds that the budget deficit increased from 6 percent of GDP in 2014 to 15 percent of GDP in 2015 and a projected 10 percent of […]
By John Lee. According to a report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the fall in oil prices since mid-2014 is expected to shift the current account balance from a surplus of 1 percent of GDP in 2014 to a deficit of 7 percent of GDP in 2015 and 6 percent of GDP in 2016. […]
The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) for Iraq covering the period of November 2015-December, 2016, on which the authorities and staff had reached ad-referendum agreement in November 2015 (see Press Release No. 15/509). Iraq is facing a double shock arising from ISIS attacks and the sharp drop […]
The World Bank expects the Iraqi economy to grow 3.1 percent in 2016, according its flagship "Global Economic Prospects" report released yesterday. This follows an estimated growth of 0.5 percent last year, driven by increased oil production. Growth rates of 7.1 percent and 6.5 percent are predicted for 2017 and 2018 respectively. These figures are […]
By John Lee. Basra is to receive an allocation of five dollars per barrel of oil exported from the province in the 2016 budget. Local MP Hassan al-Khalati said that this will be a significant benefit to the people of Basra. (Source: Shafaaq)
A US$1.2 billion loan will support Iraq in strengthening fiscal stabilization and improving efficiency in the energy sector to help counter the effects of the drop in oil prices and rising security costs. The World Bank Group’s Board of Directors acknowledged the Government of Iraq’s engagement in a rigorous reform program and approved the Emergency […]
By John Lee. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to finalize an agreement with Iraq in the coming days for a program to monitor its economy. The fund's Middle East director, Masood Ahmed, told Reuters the program would establish a track record of effective performance from the Iraqi authorities which could lead to a […]
Falling oil prices have driven the Kurdish region of northern Iraq to the brink of bankruptcy. Government salaries have not been paid for months, and citizens are suffering - some are being forced to take second jobs. Al Jazeera's Imran Khan reports from Erbil:
By John Lee. The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), Ali Mohsen Ismail (pictured), has said that he expects Iraq’s foreign currency reserves to total about $60 billion by the end of the year. According to the report from Bloomberg, that is higher than the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts, and sufficient to […]
Almost 75 percent of Iraq’s draft budget for 2016 is earmarked for operational expenditure, with 25 percent set aside for investment purposes, a lawmaker has said. He added that more than 6,500 government-sponsored projects are still on hold for a second consecutive year because of falling oil prices. The Iraqi government has already submitted the […]
By John Lee. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) may provide a large loan to Iraq to help stabilize the country's finances, a senior IMF official has told Reuters. Masood Ahmed (pictured), Director of the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department, said an IMF team will discuss with Iraqi officials early next month how to […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Cabinet has approved a budget of 106 trillion Iraqi dinars ($91 billion) for 2016. The figures are based on crude oil output of 3.6 million barrels per day (BPD) at a price of $45 a barrel. Spokesman Saad al-Hadithi told The Associated Press that Iraq will run with a deficit of […]
