The US military and the Iraqi government have pressed neighboring states to crack down on the smuggling of money to al-Qaida in Iraq and other Sunni insurgents in the country. Iran also has been accused of funneling money and arms to Shiite militias in the wartorn country.
"While I cannot confirm that the attacks were terrorist related, it does fit past trends of terrorist groups in Iraq of financing their operations through crimes -- like kidnappings for ransom, robberies and black marketeering," US Army Maj. David Shoupe, a military spokesman, said in an e-mail.
Insurgents in Afghanistan also are believed to have staged bank robberies, kidnappings for ransom and other criminal activities to raise funds.
In April, gunmen armed with silenced weapons killed at least seven people during a daylight heist of jewelry stores in Baghdad. In the same month, gunmen used similar tactics, killing two, during the robbery of a currency exchange office in the southern city of Basra.
The banking industry has enjoyed a revival in Iraq with the decline in violence over the past two years.
Despite the security gains, attacks continue.
Two bombs hidden in plastic bags exploded in separate areas in mainly Shiite parts of Baghdad late Tuesday, killing at least five people, according to police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information.
Also Tuesday, Britain said it will withdraw its remaining forces from Iraq to Kuwait by the end of the month because the Iraqi parliament failed to pass a deal allowing them to stay to protect oil platforms and provide training.
Britain already has withdrawn its combat forces according to a previous agreement. The British Ministry of Defense said the new announcement related to between 100 and 150 mostly navy personnel left to train the Iraqi navy. US troops would stand in for the British while they were out of the country, according to the ministry.
An agreement reached with the Iraqi government would have let some British troops stay in Iraq to train after most had left their bases around the southern city of Basra.
The lingering presence has faced opposition, principally by followers of anti-US Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who stalled the ratification of the deal until lawmakers adjourned Monday for their summer recess.
British Embassy spokesman Jawwad Syed said Tuesday it was a procedural delay and that the remaining British forces will pull back to Kuwait until the issue is resolved. The troops' existing mandate expires on July 31.
"We have general broad support for our agreement ... we're hopeful that when we have the next parliamentary session, we should achieve a ratification," Syed said.
Syed and Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said talks were under way to find an interim solution.
"The government considers it a benefit to have British forces for training purposes," al-Dabbagh said.
But al-Sadr's followers struck a hard-line.
"We will insist on blocking this agreement even after the end of the parliament's recess," Sadrist lawmaker Falah Shanshal said. "We reject any foreign presence on our waters and land."
At the height of combat operations in the months after the US-led invasion, Britain had 46,000 troops in Iraq. Washington still has about 130,000 troops in Iraq and has shifted units south as London ended its combat mission.
British Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth said the British troops were likely to be out of Iraq until late September, when parliament resumes after Ramadan.
