Iraqi Dinar

Overview

The Iraqi Dinar is issued by the Central Bank of Iraq. The Dinar was subdivided into 1,000 fils, but inflation has rendered the fils obsolete. As a result the deposition of Saddam Hussein in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the new Iraqi Dinar was released on October 15, 2003.

Economy

• As security improves, foreign investment is helping to spur increased economic activity, particularly in the energy, construction, and retail sectors.
• To reach its economic potential, Iraq needs to reduce regulatory impediments and make significant upgrades to its oil processing, pipeline, and export infrastructure.

History

• The Dinar was fixed at par with the British Pound until 1959, then fixed to the US Dollar at one Dinar to 2.8 Dollars. It was decoupled from the US Dollar when that currency was devalued in 1971 and 1973.
• After the Gulf War in 1991, UN sanctions meant that new, inferior quality banknotes were printed in large quantities-and the Dinar quickly lost its value. The previous issue stayed in circulation, and became known as the ""Swiss dinar."" It continued to circulate, especially in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq.
• The new (convertible) Iraqi Dinar was released on October 15, 2003. It replaced all old Dinar and Swiss Dinar banknotes, which were no longer legal tender. (One old Dinar was exchanged for one new Iraqi Dinar; one unit of the Swiss"" Dinar was exchanged for 150 new Iraqi Dinars.) The new Iraqi Dinar banknotes were similar to the Swiss Dinar notes, with more security features to guard against counterfeiting.
• The new banknotes were in demand by overseas investors expecting the currency to increase in value as Iraq's economy improved.