Mosul Bank plans merger of convenience
On April 24, the ISX website reported that Mosul Bank (BMFI) will hold a general assembly meeting on May 22 to discuss a possible merger with Union Bank (BUOI). A capital increase via a rights and bonus issue is also on the agenda. The evident objective of such a merger would be to satisfy the […]
Record Iraqi Oil Exports in March
Iraq's oil ministry has reported record oil income for the the month of March. Because of rising oil prices combined with a third consecutive month of exports in excess of two million barrels per day (bpd), Iraq exported a total of 66.9 million barrels of oil last month, generating $7.167 billion in income at an […]
FDI Report - Iraq Nearly Triples FDI Projects
Iraq Business News' media partners at fDi Intelligence, by the Financial Times, have issued their new "Global Outlook Report 2011". The report finds that foreign direct investment projects into Iraq increased by 175% in 2010, albeit from a very low base. Iraq attracted 7% of FDI into the Middle East region in 2010, up from […]
Iraq's Journalist Protection Law Needs to be Reviewed
By the Centre for Law and Democracy. A Journalist Protection Law, prepared by the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists and endorsed by the government of Iraq, has been laid before the Iraqi Parliament for its consideration. A Note on the draft Law prepared by CLD highlights the important protections for journalists included in the draft Law. […]
Share Price Prompts Heritage Oil Buy-Back
Heritage Oil Plc (LSE: HOIL), the independent upstream exploration and production company with operations in Iraqi Kurdistan, has announced that it is commencing with immediate effect, a buy back programme to spend up to $100 million to acquire its Ordinary Shares, as the Board of Directors (the "Board") considers that the current share price is […]
NIC's New Investment Software
The National Investment Commission (NIC) is getting ready to adopt the 'COMFAR' computer program to evaluate the feasibility of investment projects submitted to the commission. The commission describes it as a "digital process that is adopted in most of the developed countries". An NIC official source said that this program is prepared by the United […]
Iraqi Inflation Hits 5.7%
The advisor to the Iraqi Central Bank (ICB) has said that inflation jumped from 5.5% in February to 5.7% due rising electricity prices in Iraq. Muzher Mouhammed told AKnews that the high rate of inflation in Iraq is due to the March hike in electricity prices. "The rising inflation simply affects the economy but does […]
Iraq Offers 12 New Oil Blocks in 4th Round
Iraq's Oil Ministry announced on Monday the launch of the fourth round of oil licences for 12 sites in the provinces of Nineveh [Ninawa], Anbar, Diyala, Wasit [Wassit], Basra, Najaf, Muthanna, Qadisiya, and Babil, indicating that the majority of areas include gas and oil. Iraq formally invited international energy firms to compete for these new […]
KRG Temporarily Suspends Land Allocations to Private Companies
As part of the reform program announced by President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani (pictured), and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), all land allocations to private companies and investors have been suspended for two months, pending a new, more efficient mechanism for land allocations. This decision excludes agricultural and industrial projects, as well as projects […]
Badra Oil Field - First Phase Started
The Russian Gasprom Oil Company has began implementing the 1st phase of southeastern Iraq’s Badra oil field in Wassit [Wasit] Province, the Province’s Media director said on Sunday, according to Aswat al-Iraq. “Gazprom’s team charged with executing the Badra oil field, 90 km to the east of Kut, has began the first phase of implementing […]
Sonoro Energy Granted Permit for Iraq Project
Sonoro Energy Ltd has announced that it has now received an investment permit from the provincial governorate of Salah ad Din [Salahadin, Salahaddin] allowing the Company to proceed with its asphalt (heavy oil) project. This permit allows Sonoro to immediately commence operations and allows for the importation of necessary equipment and personnel. Finally, this permit […]
Maliki-Nujayfi Showdown in Mosul
The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. […]