Earlier this month it was reported that the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) might redenominate the Iraqi dinar after the new government is formed, exchanging one new dinar for 1,000 old. (For more on this story, see https://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2010/09/14/central-bank-wants-to-drop-zeros-from-iraqi-dinar/.) While such a redenomination would obviously help to simplify transactions and record keeping, it is not clear […]
An unusual feature of many of the listed Iraqi banks is that investments account for a greater share of their deposits than loans. This is true, for example, of Mansour Bank (BMNS), National Bank of Iraq (BNOI), Commercial Bank of Iraq (BCOI), Gulf Commercial Bank (BGUC), Bank of Baghdad (BBOB), and Middle East Investment Bank […]
Last month, Central Bank of Iraq governor Al-Shibibi told AFP he was hoping foreign banks would play a bigger role in developing Iraq’s financial system. From the banks’ point of view, he said, “the prospects are good, except for security.” But the foreign institutions that have already entered the Iraqi market through investments in local […]
Starting September 1, the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has announced it will be reducing the required reserve rate (RRR) from 20% to 15%. As this move frees up an additional 5% of deposits for the banks to lend out, you might think it would be positive for loan growth and stimulative for the economy […]
On August 8, the Iraq Securities Commission (ISC) announced that a total of 18 companies would be suspended for failing to submit their 2009 financials. Of these, 6 had already been suspended for never having submitted 2008 financials. (See the table for a complete list of the companies.) As of August 25, only four of […]
On August 11, the Iraqi paper Addustour (Constitution) reported that the government would be providing six hotels with a total of US$ 300 milion to upgrade their facilities in preparation for the Arab League summit, which is scheduled to be held in Baghdad next March. The six—the ISX-listed Palestine (HPAL), Babylon (HBAY), Baghdad (HBAG), Mansour […]
At the end of June, Al Ahli United Bank (AUB) announced that it was seeking to raise its stake in Commercial Bank of Iraq (BCOI) from 49% to 60% by purchasing 6.6 billion BCOI shares in the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX). The purchases are to take place over a two-month period starting July 4, with […]
So far two subscription periods for Warka Bank’s ID 150 bn rights issue have come and gone without any official announcement of the results. The last date for existing shareholders to subscribe was May 16. As most of them did not take up their rights, there was a subsequent public offering open to everyone except […]
It’s always been a bit of a mystery why anyone should care about bonus share issues. Since a company’s retained earnings are already owned by the shareholders, you would think that converting these earnings into shares shouldn’t have any effect on an investor’s returns. Following a bonus, the share price should logically fall by an […]
On July 6, the website of Kurdistan’s Peyamner News Agency reported that Iraq’s second stock exchange had “opened” in the Kurdish city of Erbil. It wasn’t clear what was meant by opening, however. The Erbil Stock Exchange (ESX) was licensed in February and trading is not due to start until later this year. I believe […]
The Iraqi paper Addustour (Constitution) has reported that recent attacks on financial institutions have led some savers to withdraw cash from their bank deposits and keep it hidden at home. At first glance, it might seem that such a trend could potentially lead to runs on the banks or even a breakdown in the payments […]
Over the last three months, stocks accounting for over half the turnover on the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) in the first quarter of this year have been suspended from trading. (See chart. Trading values for the quarter were computed from statistics available in the Rabee Securities Weekly Bulletin, online at http://rabeesecurities.com) Of the first quarter’s […]
