Iraqi Cabinet Approves Government Programme
By John Lee. Iraq's Council of Ministers has approved the government programme for 2026-2029, covering 139 priorities across 14 key sectors, and referred it to the Council of Representatives in accordance with Article 38/First of the amended Council of Ministers Internal Regulations (No. 2 of 2019). The session was chaired by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. […]
Update on Oil Discovery in Najaf's Qurnain Block
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Oil has issued an update on the new hydrocarbon discovery at the Qurnain exploration block in Najaf province, Spokesman Salim al-Rakabi told state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the first exploratory well yielded promising indications of light crude oil, adding that the assessment programme has begun, with the first […]
Egyptian Firm Wins $18.6m Contract at Zubair Oil Field
By John Lee. The Egyptian Maintenance Company (EMC), commercially known as 'San Masr' or 'San Misr', has won an international tender issued by Eni for the supply of electrical equipment at the Zubair oil field in Basra province. The total contract value is $18.6 million over three years. The contract covers the supply of a […]
DNO Updates on Kurdistan Ops
By John Lee. Norwegian oil and gas operator DNO ASA posted record second-quarter revenue of $761 million, up 21 percent quarter-on-quarter, driven by strong North Sea production at high commodity prices, which more than offset the impact of a production shutdown at its Kurdistan operations. Operating profit rose 55 percent to $439 million, while net […]
Iraqi Housing Fund Loans: Electronic Applications Open Soon
By John Lee. Electronic applications for loans from the Iraqi Housing Fund are to open on 23 August for a four-day period, with each day allocated to a different group of governorates. Applications open at 10am on the day assigned to each governorate. According to the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Public Municipalities, the schedule […]
Iraqi Bank Reforms Could Open up Sector for Regional Investors
By Matt Smith, for Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI). Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi Bank Reforms Could Open up Sector for Regional Investors Last month the Central Bank of Iraq said that seven previously restricted banks had been given […]
Iraqi-Turkish Rail Talks on Development Road Project
By John Lee. Iraq's General Company for Railways has met with a Turkish delegation to discuss implementing a framework memorandum of understanding (MOU) on transport infrastructure development signed earlier in August. The meeting, chaired by the company's director Mohammed Habib Jabr, was attended by Burak Aykan, Director General for European Union Affairs and Foreign Relations […]
New Card Payment Access for Iraqi Online Merchants
By John Lee. SwiftPayIQ, a technical intermediary platform developed and operated by Baghdad-based Palace Tech for Software Solutions LLC, has launched a service connecting Iraqi online merchants with licensed electronic payment gateways, providing streamlined merchant onboarding, electronic invoicing and payment links. Abdullah Al-Fayyadh, CEO of Palace Tech, told Iraq Business News that merchant verification, compliance […]
Iraq Car Sales Slump in H1 2026
From Focus2Move. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq Car Sales Slump 28.6% in H1 2026; Only Jetour and Great Wall Defy Losses Iraqi Vehicle Market in 2026 continues to slump. H1 sales fell by 28.6%, with Hyundai and Suzuki being affected […]
Iraqi Airways Resumes Basra-Delhi Route, Launches Kirkuk-Delhi
By John Lee. Iraqi Airways is to resume its Basra-Delhi service from 18th August, with one weekly flight operating each Tuesday. The route was suspended in early March due to regional conditions. The airline cited improved conditions and increased travel demand between Iraq and India as the reasons for reactivating the service. A direct weekly […]
Possible New Oil Export Pipeline via Fishkhabur and Baniyas
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Oil is reportedly planning a new pipeline system to transport and export crude oil via two northern routes: Basra-Haditha-Fishkhabur and Haditha-Baniyas. According to the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA), the project is intended to diversify export routes and reduce dependence on the main southern export terminal. A meeting to […]
Lebanon Plans Iraqi Oil Transit Hub
By John Lee. Lebanon is preparing to serve as a storage and re-export hub for Iraqi crude oil and petroleum products in the first phase of a planned transit arrangement. Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chaired a meeting on Sunday to review readiness across the relevant ministries and agencies. The meeting addressed logistical and infrastructure […]