US dollar climbs back to 158,000 IQD range across Baghdad, Erbil, and Basra

Packs of Iraqi dinars and a person counting a pack of US dollars. Photo: NRT Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The U.S. dollar rebounded across Iraq’s parallel currency exchanges on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, snapping a four-day downward trajectory and climbing back toward the 158,000-dinar threshold in Baghdad, with regional bourses in Erbil and Basra recording corresponding price gains. The upward adjustment reverses the brief dip into the 156,000–157,000 dinar range recorded late last week, re-expanding the spread against the Central Bank of Iraq’s statutory official peg of 131,000 dinars per $100 to over 20 percent. Market tracking published by the 964 Network showed that major exchange desks in Baghdad quoted cash selling rates at 158,000 dinars per $100 against purchase bids of 157,000 dinars, registering a 1,000-dinar climb compared to midweek levels. In Erbil, the commercial hub of the Kurdistan Region, parallel bureaus quoted selling figures at 157,800 dinars per $100, with buying rates closing at 156,500 dinars. In the southern trade center of Basra, trading mirrored the regional upswing, where retail counters offered greenbacks at 157,500 dinars for sale while maintaining buy orders at 156,500 dinars. The renewed upward pressure across currency trading floors comes as domestic wholesale merchants and private importers step up cash procurement ahead of end-of-month commercial settlements, absorbing market supply despite recent government announcements regarding incoming dollar cash shipments. Currency brokers note that while bilateral understandings reached during high-level meetings in New York have bolstered long-term liquidity expectations, day-to-day parallel desks continue to respond rapidly to immediate corporate cash demand and physical banknote availability in Baghdad’s primary wholesale bourses.