Iraq Business News brings you the latest Iraq banking & finance news, with information on developments and opportunities.
Iraq's Central Bank has reportedly granted new banking licences to four new private banks, each with capital of 250 billion Iraqi dinars [$212 million]. This reportedly brings the number of private banks operating in Iraq to 35. Meanwhile, an economic advisor to the Prime Minister is quoted as saying that a package of incentives is […]
The Trade Bank of Iraq plans to expand abroad and almost double of the number of its branches in Iraq next year to benefit from an anticipated oil boom, the bank's chairman, Hussein al-Uzri, told Reuters. The state-run bank is also eyeing financing deals in the energy sector as OPEC member Iraq moves ahead with […]
The formation of a new Iraqi government will undoubtedly be good for stock market sentiment, as such events generally are. And indeed the market has pretty obviously turned around already, with volumes increasing and the Rabee Securities index up about 6% since bottoming in early October. But skeptics may still argue that investors have no […]
A leading official in the Iraqi Ministry of Finance said on Monday that the Iranian banks currently operating in Iraq, and those planning to open branches in the country, are not covered by UN sanctions as they are not state-owned. The Finance Ministry’s undersecretary, Fadel Nabi, told AKnews that the Iranian banks present in Iraq […]
With the stated aim of contributing to the reform of the Iraqi banking sector, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE)'s Banking Institute has begun training employees of Iraq's central bank in modern methods of banking and finance, administration and human resources. According to Banking Institute Executive Director, Hala al-Said, the move comes within the context […]
An official from the Central Bank of Iraq said on Monday that the core annual inflation rate in Iraq jumped to 3.2 percent in October, from 1.9 percent in September, due to rising costs of housing, water and electricity. Spending on fuel is excluded from the calculations. "The inflation rate is still under control", senior […]
The oil and finance ministries agreed to set the price of oil barrel at $73, to be endorsed in the 2011 state budget, oil ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told Aswat al-Iraq news agency at the weekend. “The agreement comes in light of an export rate of 2.3 million barrels per day (bpd), including the oil […]
The Head of Tehran's Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines, Yahya Al-Ishaq, said Iran regards Iraq as one of the major investment locations in the Middle East region, the local satellite Press TV reported on Monday. Iraq's market and economic relations with Iran is a great opportunity for Tehran, and any failure to grasp this […]
The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) said on Friday that the performance of private banks is better than the performance of state-owned banks, indicating that the lack of restrictions and bureaucracy in private banks gave them a competitive advantage. Muzher Mouhammed Saleh, the chancellor of the CBI, told AKnews: "The future in Iraq will be […]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cited Iraq’s monetary policy as the reason for turning down an Iraqi request for a loan package to reduce its 2011 budget deficit, an advisor to the Iraqi government said on Sunday. AKnews reports that despite the IMF’s rejection, talks between Iraq and the fund continue. “The IMF… is […]
United States Forces-Iraq provided a forum for members of Iraq’s intelligence community to network across ministries in an effort to assess and promote processes leading to developing a more financially-secure and self-sustaining nation as U.S. Forces continue to draw down. The Intelligence Officer Financial Manager Conference was conducted at the Babylon Conference center here Nov. […]
The managing director of Iran's Arvand Free Zone, Ali-Asghar Parhizgar, has said Iraqi banks have filed requests to set up branches in the zone, according to a report from Tehran Times. Since the establishment of foreign banks' branches in Iran's free zones was facilitated, Iraqi banks have welcomed setting up shops in Arvand Free Zone, […]
