By Andrew Cunningham, for Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI). Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq's central bank governor cannot fight crime on his own On June 19, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placed Iraq on its grey list, subjecting […]
By John Lee. Iraq has been added to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring -- commonly known as the grey list -- following the organisation's June 2026 plenary session. Iraq made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and MENAFATF to strengthen the effectiveness of its anti-money […]
By John Lee. A workshop has been held on preparations for the next phase of Iraq's mutual evaluation process on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) at national and sectoral levels. The event was organised by the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI)'s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Office, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior […]
By John Lee. The United States and Iraq have held discussions focused on banking reform, financial compliance, and measures to counter illicit financial activity. According to a statement by the United States Special Envoy to Iraq, Mark Savaya, the talks involved the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), […]
By John Lee. Iraq has taken initial steps towards establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for virtual and digital assets, aligned with international best practices. The first meeting of the National High Committee for the Regulation of Virtual Assets was held in Baghdad at the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), bringing together senior representatives from regulatory, […]
By John Lee. The Institute for Financial Integrity (IFI) has launched its Fundamentals of Financial Crime Compliance training program, in partnership with the American University of Iraq - Baghdad (AUIB), the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), and K2 Integrity (K2i). The first two programs were held in July and August of this year, and the […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Rafidain Bank has signed a professional partnership agreement with U.S.-based consultancy K2 Integrity (K2i), during a ceremony hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington. The agreement is grounded in Iraqi Cabinet Resolution No. (23274) of 2023. K2 Integrity will deliver a wide range of services, including anti-money laundering […]
By John Lee. Karmal Brokerage has secured approval from the Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) to launch a comprehensive digital transformation project in preparation for operations on the "Tabadul" electronic trading platform. According to a press release, the initiative, the first of its kind in Iraq's financial market, supports the government's vision to enhance transparency and […]
By John Lee. Qi (International Smart Card), Iraq's largest electronic payment platform, has announced that it has entered into a landmark partnership with K2 Integrity (K2i), a US-based global financial integrity and compliance advisory firm. The multi-year collaboration aims to align Iraq's financial infrastructure with international standards in anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing […]
By John Lee. The Erbil branch of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) held a training workshop on "National and Sectoral Risk Assessment Procedures" in collaboration with the CBI's Banking Studies Centre and the Office of the Compliance Monitor. The event brought together representatives from private banks, non-banking financial institutions, and electronic payment companies operating […]
By Samer Khraishi, Regional Director for Account Management and Business Development, GCC, Iraq and Jordan at BPC. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Modernising Iraq's Financial Infrastructure: The Rise of Digital Payments Iraq's financial infrastructure has long been in need of significant […]
By John Lee. Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), Mr. Ali Mohsen Al-Allaq, participated in the opening of the second edition of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CFT) Conference, held in Baghdad. Organised by the Central Bank of Iraq, the Union of Arab Banks, and the Iraqi Private Banks League (IBPL), the […]
