US dollar edges closer to 170,000 dinars across Basra, Erbil, and Baghdad

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 higher across major domestic parallel markets on Saturday morning, November 14, 2026, nudging closer to the psychological 170,000 IQD ceiling—particularly in Basra and Erbil—after stabilizing near 167,000 IQD per $100 throughout the previous week. According to morning monitoring figures published by the 964 Network across key regional commercial centers, physical cash rates traded as follows: Baghdad: Currency exchange counters posted retail selling rates at 169,500 IQD against buying offers of 168,500 IQD per $100. Erbil: Currency desks quoted slightly higher selling rates at 169,600 IQD alongside purchasing bids of 169,200 IQD per $100. Basra: Foreign exchange offices recorded the highest retail selling quotes at 169,750 IQD, with buying rates settling at 168,250 IQD per $100. This upward pressure sustains a wide spread—reaching up to 17,750 dinars in Basra—above the official benchmark set by the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), which remains fixed at 152,000 IQD per $100 (1,520 IQD per dollar). The continued climb reflects persistent parallel-market demand for physical banknotes to settle unrecorded cross-border trade outside the official banking and electronic wire window.