Gold prices hold steady… Iraq’s foreign reserves decline by more than $7 billion in five months
Gold prices hold steady… Iraq’s foreign reserves decline by more than $7 billion in five months
2026-08-01
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Data from the Central Bank of Iraq showed a decline in foreign reserves during the first five months of 2026, while gold reserves remained higher than at the end of 2025, and the bank’s total assets decreased.
According to data reviewed by Shafaq News Agency, foreign reserves decreased from $101.082 billion at the end of January 2026 to $93.673 billion at the end of May, a decline of $7.409 billion, or 7.3%. Their value in local currency also fell from 131.407 trillion dinars to 121.775 trillion dinars, a decrease of 9.632 trillion dinars.
In contrast, the value of gold reserves increased compared to the end of 2025, reaching 33.295 trillion dinars at the end of May 2026, compared to 31.488 trillion dinars at the end of 2025, an increase of 1.807 trillion dinars, despite its decline from its peak recorded in March, which amounted to 38.386 trillion dinars.
Assets at the Central Bank of Iraq also decreased from 94.380 trillion dinars at the end of January 2026 to 88.114 trillion dinars at the end of May, a decrease of 6.266 trillion dinars, or 6.6%.
The numerical comparison shows that foreign reserves lost about 7.3% of their value during five months, while gold maintained annual gains exceeding 5.7% compared to the end of 2025, at a time when the total assets of the central bank shrank.
shafaq.com
