Iraq's key exports — crude oil and dates — face 20-35 day payment delays through CBI's complex FX auction system and compliance barriers. LCORE's gold DVP eliminates the multi-hop SWIFT chain entirely: buyer deposits gold in Abu Dhabi escrow, commodity ships, delivery is confirmed, and gold releases to the exporter. Settlement completes in 2-3 business days with a minimum transaction size of $5M. No USD intermediary bank required.
Request ConsultationWhen IQD payments are blocked by correspondent banking compliance, LCORE's gold DVP provides a neutral Abu Dhabi alternative. Iraqi oil exporters can deposit physical gold into DVP escrow -- commodity delivers -- payment in IQD confirms -- gold releases. 2-3 working days.
ADGM English Law governs. Lloyd's $200M insurance throughout. UAE geopolitically neutral -- not subject to US, EU, or UK sanctions regime.
Confidential. Min $5M. ADGM 28158.
Iraq is OPEC's second-largest crude oil producer, with production of approximately 4.5 million barrels per day from the southern Rumaila, West Qurna, Majnoon, Halfaya, and Zubair supergiant fields. The Basra Heavy and Basra Medium crude grades export via SPM terminals in the Persian Gulf, primarily to India, China, South Korea, and European refineries. Natural gas — largely flared due to infrastructure deficits — is increasingly being captured for power generation and potential export. Sulphur from gas processing at Missan fields is a significant fertiliser raw material export. Iraq's northern Kurdish region (KRG) exports crude independently via the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline to Turkish ports, with separate settlement structures from federal government flows. Iraq's oil export revenue of approximately $90B (2023) annually makes it one of the world's most significant sovereign commodity sellers.
Iraq's banking sector is fragmented between CBI-regulated commercial banks, Iranian-linked banks, Kurdish banks, and informal hawala networks. The Iraqi dinar (IQD) maintains a de facto USD peg but is not internationally convertible. The CBI controls USD auctions for import financing, which periodically creates shortages and parallel market premiums. Several Iraqi banks have been sanctioned by the US Treasury for facilitating Iranian sanctions evasion, with CBI itself under scrutiny. In late 2023, the US Treasury cut off USD access for approximately 14 Iraqi banks due to Iranian sanctions evasion concerns, triggering a CBI USD auction crisis and immediate commodity import payment disruption. The Kurdistan Region's oil export revenues are disputed with Baghdad, creating payment uncertainties for buyers of Kurdish crude. LCORE's gold DVP provides a neutral Abu Dhabi settlement mechanism for Iraqi crude and other commodity trades where IQD non-convertibility and CBI USD constraints create payment friction.