This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Teenage Fanclub: In Mosul Extremists Ramp Up Under-20s Recruitment One of the latest inventions by the Islamic State in Mosul is the mobile pulpit. Most recently a caravan for propaganda […]
On July 19, 2019, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation [1] with Iraq. An improved security situation and the recovery in oil prices have improved near-term vulnerabilities. Large fiscal and current account surpluses—around 8 and 6 percent of GDP, respectively—were recorded in 2018, allowing the government to […]
By Ahmed Tabaqchali (pictured), CIO of Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) Iraq Fund. This article was originally published in the Marsh to Mountain blog. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. “Forget the Donations, Stupid”: New dynamics in funding the reconstruction of Iraq Key […]
By Ahmed Tabaqchali (pictured), CIO of Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) Iraq Fund. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. ‘It’s Not the Donations, Stupid’: Key Points from the Kuwait Conference With a few exceptions, the coverage of the “Kuwait International Conference for the […]
Fitch Ratings has revised the Outlook on Iraq's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to Stable from Negative and affirmed the IDR at 'B-'. The Country Ceiling has been affirmed at 'B-' and the Short-Term Foreign-Currency IDR at 'B'. KEY RATING DRIVERS The revision of the Outlook reflects the following key rating drivers: Iraq's fiscal […]
Fitch Ratings has affirmed Iraq's Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'B-' with a Negative Outlook. The Country Ceiling is affirmed at 'B-' and the Short-Term IDR at 'B'. KEY RATING DRIVERS Political risk and insecurity in Iraq are among the highest faced by any sovereign rated by Fitch. Progress has been made in pushing […]
By Omar Sattar, for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On May 19, Iraq signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a loan for as much as $15 billion over the next three years. Observers are wondering how Iraq will […]
Fitch Ratings issued its first rating on Iraqi sovereign debt, giving it the fifth-worst junk grade, due in part to the cost of the civil conflict and the global slump in oil prices. The rating comes as the country is planning a $5-billion bond issue towards the end of this year. The international ratings agency […]
Payment for wheat exports to Iraq in the late 1980s will finally be distributed to growers in Australia, according to a report from Weekly Times Now. Grain growers will share in about $48m in repayment of debt owed by Iraq relating to three wheat pools run by the former Australian Wheat Board, and affecting 52,000 […]
Iraq has asked its Arab neighbours to forgive its pre-invasion debts, urging them to follow the United Arab Emirates and Algeria which have already written off what they were owed, according to Reuters. "We've asked Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Libya, Jordan, Sudan, Egypt and Morocco to help Iraq in closing up its debt situation," Iraqi […]
According to a report in the Financial Times, investors are turning their attention to Iraq’s debt. In 2004, after the US invasion of Iraq, the 'Paris Club' of 19 western creditors agreed to forgive roughly 80% of the $37.2bn owed to them. This deal was used as a template for resolutions with other creditors and […]
Iraq has agreed to pay $408 million in cash to Egypt to settle old debts owed by Baghdad from more than two decades ago, a government spokesman said. Reuters reports that the debts date back to a period when United Nations sanctions following the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait blocked the payment of salaries that […]
