US Dollar climbs back above 169,000 IQD in Baghdad, Erbil, and Basra

Packs of US dollars and Iraqi dinars. Photo: Pukmedia Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The exchange rate of the U.S. dollar against the Iraqi dinar edged upward across parallel retail and wholesale counters in Baghdad, Erbil, and Basra on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, pushing market selling prices back above the 169,000 dinar threshold per $100. In Baghdad, foreign exchange bureaus and trading desks quoted selling rates at 169,500 dinars per $100 against purchase bids of 168,500 dinars, gaining 500 dinars compared to Tuesday’s closing levels. In Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, counters registered selling quotes at 169,300 dinars per $100 alongside purchase transactions accepted at 168,750 dinars. Across the southern port hub of Basra, cash counters listed retail selling prices at 169,000 dinars against buying rates of 168,500 dinars per $100. The prevailing market rates sustain a marked premium over the Central Bank of Iraq’s official statutory cash price, which remains anchored at 152,000 dinars per $100 (1,520 dinars per dollar). The current spread of up to 17,500 dinars per $100 highlights ongoing demand for physical foreign banknotes outside the official trade-financing and electronic clearance mechanisms.