Iraq Business News brings you the latest Iraq banking & finance news, with information on developments and opportunities.
Iraq has recovered $116 million [139 billion Iraqi dinars] from bank accounts in France belonging to an official from ex-dictator Saddam Hussein's regime, the country's Commission on Integrity said in a statement. The Commission said the funds comprised $106 million deposited in 'French Arab Union Bank' (UBAF), a French-registered bank whose shareholders include 19 Arab […]
By T. Keyzom Ngodup, co-founder and Executive Director at Ideas sYnergy www.ideas-sYnergy.net, an Iraq based private sector development consulting company. IRAQ INSIGHTS, published by Ideas sYnergy aims to consolidate and build intellectual capital on private sector development, empowering stakeholders to address issues of access and structural reforms on a diverse range of topics impacting inclusive […]
Minister Ali al-Dabbagh, Iraqi Government Spokesman, was interviewed by Padraig O'Hannelly for Iraq Business News at last week's Iraq Mining 2011 conference in London. The first part of the interview can be found here. In this second part of the interview, Dr al-Dabbagh discusses the Hydrocarbon Law, the valuation of the Iraqi dinar, foreign investment […]
Following his address to the Iraq Mining 2011 conference in London, the Chairman of Iraq's National Investment Commission, Dr Sami al-Araji, was interviewed by Padraig O'Hannelly for Iraq Business News: Iraq Business News: Dr al-Araji, in your speech you mentioned the visa problems that Iraqis sometimes have entering the UK; what some businesses are also […]
CNTV video on rumoured revaluation of Iraq's currency, the Iraqi Dinar:
Iraq's Finance Minister told Reuters on Wednesday that the country is targeting inflation of 5 percent in 2012. "I hope that in 2012, with some of the policies of the central bank, to control it (inflation) again to around 5 percent. For 2012, the target is 5 percent," Rafie al-Esawi [Rafi Hiyad al-Issawi, Rafia al-Issawi], pictured, […]
The deputy governor of Iraq's central bank has announced that foreign currency reserves have risen to close to $58 billion, and are expected to increase further thanks to a rise in oil revenues. Mudher Kasim said higher global oil prices could result in a budget surplus for 2011. Reuters quotes him as saying, “(The amount […]
According to a report from Aswat al-Iraq, an economic advisor to Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has described the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI)'s plan to redenominate the Iraqi currency as “the worst corruption and money-laundering process in the history of Iraq.” “The CBI must understand that it is playing with fire and undermining the course […]
An Iraqi economist says the country will lose $22 million because of "extra" Eid al-Fitr holidays that the Iraqi government announced. Eid al-Fitr, which follows the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, is usually three days, however, AKnews reports that the Iraqi government last week extended the holidays to six day, to accommodate differences between the […]
According to reports from Al-Sabaah, the Central Bank of Iraq is planning to make its new currency forgery-proof. Central Bank Governor Sinan al-Shabibi claims that the new currency's attributes will make it 'difficult' to falsify, and says that the project to delete the three zeros, if implemented, will enhance the value of the Iraqi dinar […]
London-based Standard Chartered Bank has been in talks for the past 3-4 months to buy a stake in Warka Bank, one of Iraq's biggest private banks, a central bank official said on Monday. Hassan al-Haidari, a central bank advisor, told Reuters: "They (Standard Chartered) wanted more than 50 percent but they (Warka) wanted (to give) […]
Trade Arabia reports that Iraq's core annual inflation rate increased to 7.1 per cent in July, up from 6.4 per cent in June. The Deputy Governor of Iraq's central bank, Mudher Kasim, told Reuters that the increase was driven mainly by higher housing rental prices and an increase in the cost of building materials; the […]
