Iraqi dinar

Iraqi dinar
دينار عراقي (Arabic) دیناری عێراقی (Kurdish)
25,000-dinars banknote from the 2003 series
ISO 4217
Code	IQD
Denominations
Subunit
​1⁄1,000	fils
Symbol	د.ع
Banknotes
Freq. used	1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000 dinars
Rarely used	250, 500 dinars
Coins
Freq. used	no coins
Rarely used	25, 50, 100
Demographics
User(s)	Iraq
Issuance
Central bank	Central Bank of Iraq
Website	www.cbi.iq
Valuation
Inflation	1.79%
Source	Central Bank of Iraq, May 2015.

The Dinar (Arabic pronunciation: [diːˈnɑːr]) (Arabic: دينار, (sign: د.ع; code: IQD) is the currency of Iraq. It is issued by the Central Bank of Iraq and is subdivided into 1,000 fils (فلس), although inflation has rendered the fils obsolete since 1990.

History[edit]

The dinar was introduced into circulation in 1932, by replacing the Indian rupee, which had been the official currency since the British occupation of the country in World War I, at a rate of 1 dinar = 11 rupees. The dinar was pegged at par with the British pound until 1959 when, without changing its value, the peg was switched to the United States dollar at the rate of 1 dinar = 2.8 dollars. By not following the devaluations of the US currency in 1971 and 1973, the dinar rose to a value of US$3.3778, before a 5 percent devaluation reduced the value of the dinar to US$3.2169, a rate which remained until the Gulf War, although in late 1989, the black market rate was reported at five to six times higher than the official rate.^[1]

After the Gulf War in 1991, due to UN sanctions, the previously used Swiss printing method was no longer available so new, inferior quality, notes were produced. The previously produced notes became known as the Swiss dinar and continued to circulate in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Due to sanctions placed on Iraq by the United States and the international community along with excessive government printing, the new dinar notes devalued quickly. By late 1995, US$1 was valued at 3,000 dinars at the black market.

Recent developments[edit]

Following the deposition of Saddam Hussein in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi Governing Council and the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance began printing more Saddam dinar notes as a stopgap measure to maintain the money supply until new currency could be introduced.

Between 15 October 2003, and 15 January 2004, the Coalition Provisional Authority issued new Iraqi dinar coins and notes, with the notes printed by the British security printing firm De La Rue using modern anti-forgery techniques to "create a single unified currency that is used throughout all of Iraq and will also make money more convenient to use in people's everyday lives". Multiple trillions of Dinar were then shipped to Iraq and secured in the CBI for distribution to the masses in exchange for the 'Saddam dinar'.^[2] Old banknotes were exchanged for new at a one-to-one rate, except for the Swiss dinars, which were exchanged at a rate of 150 new dinars for one Swiss dinar.

There is considerable confusion (perhaps intentional on the part of dinar sellers) around the role of the International Monetary Fund in Iraq. The IMF as part of the rebuilding of Iraq is monitoring their finances and for this purpose uses a single rate (not a sell/buy) of 1170 dinars per dollar. This "program rate"^[3] is used for calculations in the IMF monitoring program and is not a rate imposed on Iraq by the IMF. For a wider history surrounding currency in the region, see British currency in the Middle East.

Use in speculation and fraud since the Iraq war (2003–present)[edit]

Since Iraq has few exports other than oil, which is sold in dollars, there is little demand for dinars, resulting in an extremely high exchange rate compared with other currencies: on 2 March 2019, the Central Bank’s indicative exchange rate was 1,190 dinars for one dollar, or 1,355 dinars for one euro.^[4]

However, downfall of Saddam Hussein resulted in the development of a multi million-dollar industry involving the sale of dinars to speculators. Such exchange services and companies sell dinar at an inflated price, pushing the idea that the dinar would sharply increase in value to a profitable exchange rate some time in the future, instead of being redenominated. This activity can be either a legitimate service to currency speculators, or foreign exchange fraud: at least one major such currency exchange provider was convicted of fraud involving the dinar.^[5] The phenomenon re-surged following the election of Donald Trump in November 2016, with many buyers believing that Trump would cause value of the dinar to sharply increase.^[6]

In 2014, Keith Woodwell (director of the Utah Division of Securities) and Mike Rothschild (writer for Skeptoid blog) stated that the speculation over the Iraqi dinar originated from a misunderstanding of why the value of the Kuwaiti dinar recovered after the first Gulf War, leading to an assumption that the Iraqi dinar would follow suit after the fall of Saddam: Woodwell and Rothschild noted substantial differences with the economic and political stability of Iraq and Kuwait, with Iraq facing pervasive sectarian violence amid near-total reliance on oil exports.^[7][8]

In response to the growing concerns with fraud and scams related to investment in the Iraqi dinar, State agencies such as the Washington state,^[9] Utah,^[10] Oklahoma,^[11] Alabama^[12] and others have issued statements and releases warning potential investors. Further alerts have been issued by news agencies.^[13]

These alerts usually warn potential investors that there is no place outside Iraq to exchange the dinar, that they are typically sold by dealers at inflated prices, and that there is little evidence to substantiate the claims of significant appreciation of their investment due to revaluation of the currency.

In February 2014, the Better Business Bureau included investing in the dinar as one of the ten most notable scams in 2013:^[14] There has also been a book written on the subject.^[15]

Coins[edit]

Coins were introduced in 1931 and 1932 in denominations of round 1, and 2 fils in bronze, and scalloped 4, and 10, fils in nickel. 20, 50, and 200 fils were 50% silver. The 200 fils coin is also known as a rial. Bronze substituted nickel in the 5 and 10 fils from 1938 to 1943 during the World War II period and reverted to nickel in 1953. Silver 100 fils coins were also introduced in 1953. These coins first depicted King Faisal I from 1931 to 1933, King Ghazi from 1938, and King Faisal II from 1943 until the end of the kingdom.

Following the establishment of the Iraqi Republic, a new series of coins was introduced in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 fils, with the 25, 50, and 100 fils in silver until 1969. In this series an allegorical sun replaced the image of the king, shapes and sizes remained the same with the exception of the 1 fil which was decagon shaped. This image was then replaced by three palms in 1968. In 1970, 250 fils pieces were introduced, followed by 500 fils and 1 dinar coins in 1982. A number of the coins for 1982 were a commemorative series celebrating Babylonian achievements. During this period, many of the coins were identified by their shape due to being made of similar composition metals, as from 1980 onward 250 fils were octagonal, 500 fils square, and 1 dinar decagon shaped. Coin production ceased after 1990 due to the emergency conditions generated by the Gulf War and international sanctions.

In 2004, new 25-, 50- and 100-dinar coins were introduced in bronze, brass, and nickel-plated steel respectively. They are sparse in design and depict an abstract map of Iraq and the main rivers.

Banknotes[edit]

A five-dinar banknote with an image of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

In 1931, banknotes were issued by the government in denominations of ​¹⁄₄, ​¹⁄₂, 1, 5, 10 and 100 dinars. The notes were printed in the United Kingdom by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co.^[17] From 1931 to 1947, the banknotes were issued by the Iraqi currency board for the government of Iraq and banknotes were convertible into pound sterling. From 1947, the banknotes were issued by the National Bank of Iraq, then after 1954 by the Central Bank of Iraq.

100 dinars notes ceased production in the 1940s, however, the same denominations were used until 1978, when 25 dinars notes were introduced. In 1991, 50 dinars were introduced and 100 dinars reintroduced, followed in 1995 by 250 dinar notes and 10,000 dinars notes in 2002.

Banknotes that were issued between 1990 and October 2003, along with a 25-dinar note issued in 1986, bear an idealized engraving of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Following the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq's currency was printed both locally and in China, using poor grade wood pulp paper (rather than cotton or linen) and inferior quality lithography (some notes were reputedly printed on presses designed for printing newspapers).

The primitive printing techniques resulted in a limitless variety in coloration and detail, one layer of the printing would be too faint while another would be too dark. Counterfeit banknotes often appeared to be of better quality than real notes^{[citation needed]}. Some notes were very poorly cut, and some notes even lacked serial numbers. Despite the collapse in the value of the Iraqi dinar, the highest denomination printed until 2002 was 250 dinars. In 2002, the Central Bank of Iraq issued a 10,000-dinars banknote to be used for "larger, and inter-bank transactions". This note was rarely accepted in practice due to fears of looting and counterfeiting. This forced people to carry around stacks of 250-dinars notes for everyday use. The other, smaller bills were so worthless that they largely fell into disuse. This situation meant that Iraq, for the most part, had only one denomination of banknote in wide circulation.

Currency printed before the Gulf War was often called the Swiss dinar. It got its name from the Swiss printing technology that produced banknotes of a considerably higher quality than those later produced under the economic sanctions that were imposed after the first Gulf War. After a change-over period, this currency was disendorsed by the Iraqi government. However, this old currency still circulated in the Kurdish regions of Iraq until it was replaced with the new dinar after the second Gulf War. During this time the Swiss dinar retained its value, whilst the new currency consistently lost value at sometimes 30 percent per annum.

In 2003, new banknotes were issued consisting of six denominations: 50, 250, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 25,000 dinars. The notes were similar in design to notes issued by the Central Bank of Iraq in the 1970s and 1980s. A 500 dinars note was issued a year later, in October 2004. In the Kurdish regions of Iraq, the 50 dinar note is not in circulation.

In March 2014, the Central Bank of Iraq began replacing banknotes with anti-counterfeiting enhanced versions that include SPARK optical security features, scanner readable guarantee threads in addition to braille embossing to assist vision-impaired persons.^{[18][19][20][21]}

In February 2015, the Central Bank of Iraq announced on their website the removal of the 50-dinar notes from circulation on 30 April 2015. Citizens holding these banknotes were immediately advised to redeem them at their nearest bank for the 250 and higher denomination dinar notes at a one-to-one rate at no charge.^[22]

In November 2015, the Central Bank of Iraq announced the introduction of a new 50,000-dinar banknote. This is the first new denomination banknote since the new series was first issued in 2003, and also the largest ever printed by the CBI. The current notes no longer depict an image of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and now feature inscriptions in both Arabic and Kurdish.^[23] The banknotes are printed using new security features from Giesecke & Devrient & De La Rue and measure 156 × 65 mm. They feature an outline map of Iraq showing the Euphrates & Tigris rivers as well as the Great Mosque of Samarra.

Kingdom of Iraq dinar series (1932–1958)[edit]

Kingdom Dinar Series
Image		Value	Main Color	Description
Obverse	Reverse			Obverse	Reverse
		​1⁄4 dinar (1931)	Green and black	King Faisal I
		​1⁄2 dinar (1931)	Red and black	King Faisal I
		1 dinar (1931)	Black and dark brown	King Faisal I
		1 dinar (1933)	Green and dark brown	King Faisal II as a child	Kingdom Coat of arms with 1 dinar written inside
		5 dinars (1931)	Red and black	King Faisal I
		10 dinars (1931)	Dark brown and black	King Faisal I
		100 dinars (1931)	Yellow red and black	King Faisal I

Swiss dinar series (1979–1986)[edit]

1990–2003 series[edit]

1990–2002 Series
Image		Value	Main Color	Description
Obverse	Reverse			Obverse	Reverse
		​1⁄4 dinar (1993)	Green	Palm trees	Al-Bab al-wastaniy li-sur Baghdad (middle gate of the town wall of Baghdad)
		​1⁄2 dinar (1993)	Violet	Astrolabe	Great Mosque of Samarra
		1 dinar (1992)	Pink and green	A gold dinar coin	Mustansiriya Madrasah
		5 dinars (1992)	Red	Saddam Hussein	The Monument to the Unknown Soldier, King Hammurabi with the sun god Shamash
		10 dinars (1992)	Blue-green	Saddam Hussein and Ishtar gate	Lamassu, Assyrian carving of a winged bull
		25 dinars (1990)	Green	Horses	Abbasid Palace
		25 dinars (1986)	Green-brown	Saddam Hussein & Qadisiyah battle	Al-Shaheed Monument
		25 dinars (2001)	Green	Saddam Hussein	Ishtar gate
		50 dinars (1991)	Pink and green	Saddam Hussein	Great Mosque of Samarra
		50 dinars (1994)	Brown and blue	Saddam Hussein and the Al-Shaheed Monument	Saddam Bridge
		100 dinars (1991)	Green and purple	Saddam Hussein	Hands of Victory (Swords of Qādisīyah)
		100 dinars (1994)	Blue	Saddam Hussein and the Hisn al-Ukhaydir (Al-Ukhaidir Fortress)	Baghdad Clock
		100 dinars (2002)	Blue	Saddam Hussein	Old Baghdad
		250 dinars (1995)	Violet	Saddam Hussein and the Qadisiya hydroelectric dam	Liberty Monument, Baghdad
		250 dinars (2002)	Violet	Saddam Hussein	Dome of the Rock
		10,000 dinars (2002)	Pink / violet	Saddam Hussein, The Monument to the Unknown Soldier	Mustansiriya Madrasah, Arabic astrolabe

2003–present[edit]

2003 Series
Image		Value	Main Color	Description
Obverse	Reverse			Obverse	Reverse
		50 dinars	Purple	Grain silos at Basra	Date palms
		250 dinars	Blue	An Astrolabe	Spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra
		500 dinars	Blue-green	Dukan Dam on the Little Zab river	Lamassu, Assyrian carving of a winged bull
		1,000 dinars	Brown	A gold dinar coin	Mustansiriya Madrasah, Baghdad
		5,000 dinars	Dark blue	Gelî Ali Beg and its waterfall	Al-Ukhaidir Fortress
		10,000 dinars	Green	Abu Ali Hasan Ibn al-Haitham	Great Mosque of al-Nuri (Mosul)
		25,000 dinars	Red	A Kurdish farmer holding a sheaf of wheat, a tractor and a gold dinar coin	Carving of the Code of King Hammurabi

Exchange rate[edit]

See also[edit]

• British currency in the Middle East
• Central Bank of Iraq
• Economy of Iraq
• Iraqi art
• Iraqi Swiss dinar
• Kuwaiti dinar

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Central Bank of Iraq homepage
• Council on Foreign Relations: benefits of the new Iraqi dinar
• Iraqi Dinar Scam – Washington State Department of Financial Institutions warning
• Iraqi Dinar Scams – Oklahoma Securities Commission warns residents
• Dmoztools.net – Iraqi Dinar