Iraq Business News brings you the latest Iraq banking & finance news, with information on developments and opportunities.
In my October 11 post, I argued that the ISX stands a reasonable chance of joining this year’s emerging markets rally. Today, I’d like to make an even more audacious claim: in 2011, inflows of foreign money could potentially make Iraq the world’s top performing market. You can get some idea of the upside potential […]
We get many enquiries at Iraq Business News relating to the future of the Iraqi dinar (IQD), for example: Will the Iraqi dinar increase in value? Will the currency be re-denominated, dropping the 'three zeros'? Is it wise to buy Iraqi dinar? Firstly, Iraq Business News is not in a position to give investment advice. […]
According to media reports, Iraq's Central Bank said on Tuesday that the decision to remove the three zeros from the Iraqi currency would require consultation with the next government. Quoting a consultant refered to as Mohammed Saleh, the report says that deleting three zeros from the currency would negatively affect Iraqi citizens, but would facilitate […]
"Iraq is ... getting back on track and it's a country that cannot be allowed not to succeed." So said a top executive at Abu Dhabi-owned asset management firm Invest AD said on Monday. Speaking at the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit, Mohammed al Hashemi said Invest AD was still putting its Iraqi portfolio together, […]
MerchantBridge, the international private equity group with diverse investment interests operating from Iraq, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, has launched an Iraq equity fund, the "Mesopotamia Equity Fund Ltd". The Mesopotamia Fund is an open ended fund that will capitalize on the expected long term growth of the Iraqi Stock Exchange (ISX). […]
On October 6, the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) announced new deadlines for the private sector banks to reach the capital targets it set for them last March. According to the CBI’s original timetable, the banks had until the end of this year to bring their capital up to ID 100 bn (US$ 85 mn), […]
Gulf Keystone Petroleum (LSE: GKP), the Aim-quoted oil explorer, has raised £109m ($175m, 210 billion Iraqi dinars) to accelerate its Iraq-based drilling programme in a surprise share placement. The Financial Times reported on Saturday tha the placement was run by Mirabaud Securities and priced at 140p a share; Gulf Keystone’s shares closed at 143½p on […]
"Bi tarikh Al Ghad” is a weekly political talk-show prepared and presented by Ahmad Hassan and directed by Yaseen Mohamad Amin. It retraces the latest major political developments taking place in Iraq and handles events from a leading-edge angle. “Bi tarikh al ghad" projects the consequences of newest developments on the political process and highlights […]
Al- Rafidain Bank of Iraq, in cooperation with the National Investment Commission, announces the intention to invest the land number 07/14/1877 Mashtal / Waziriya, area of 5000 m ², for the establishment of six residential buildings for the staff of Al Rafidain Bank, in addition to services and up to 72 ( Seventy-two) apartments. Please […]
The recent declaration by Hunt Oil CEO Ray Hunt that his company was willing to work with partners in Iraq to develop its oil and gas assets in Kurdistan underlines the Region’s position as a likely new hotbed for M&A activity, according to a report from mergermarket.com. Hunt’s comments about oil and gas sector partnerships […]
The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the political risk insurance arm of the World Bank Group, today underscored its commitment to supporting investment into Iraq with an announcement of its first contract of guarantee for the country. The guarantee of $5 million backs a Turkish investment into a Baghdad plant that manufactures polyethylene terephthalate (PET) […]
An Iraqi official said on Thursday that some $18 billion [21 trillion Iraqi dinar] will be reduced from Iraq's proposed budget for next year. Speaking to AKnews, Fadhil Nabi, the deputy for the Iraqi finance minister said that the requested budget for 2011 amounts to over $87 billion but the income of the country falls […]
