Iraq's issued currency reached 113.56 trillion dinars ($86.3 billion) at the end of May

Official data from the Central Bank of Iraq published on Tuesday, 4 August 2026 (13 Mordad 1405), show that the country's issued currency reached 113.56 trillion dinars, or 86.3 billion dollars, at the end of May 2026. The figure stood at 112.896 trillion dinars (85.8 billion dollars) a month earlier and at 99.799 trillion dinars (75.8 billion dollars) at the end of 2025.

Net currency circulating outside the banking system also climbed to 106.812 trillion dinars (81.2 billion dollars) at the end of May, up from 104.542 trillion dinars (79.5 billion dollars) a month earlier and 92.560 trillion dinars (70.3 billion dollars) at the close of last year. Cash held by banks, by contrast, fell to 6.748 trillion dinars (5.1 billion dollars) from 8.354 trillion dinars (6.3 billion dollars) at the end of April.

Economic expert Mohammed Al-Hassani told Shafaq News that the rise in issued currency indicates the Central Bank of Iraq injected additional liquidity into the economy. He said the continued concentration of cash outside banks, combined with declining bank holdings, reflects a persistent preference among individuals and businesses to hold money outside the banking system, which limits banks' capacity to expand lending and support broader economic activity.