By Ahmed Tabaqchali, Chief Strategist of AFC Iraq Fund. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Banks and the Predictability of Earnings The market, as measured by the Rabee Securities RSISX USD Index, which over the last two months discounted and looked through […]
By John Lee. Moody's Investors Service has assigned first time local currency long-term/short-term deposit ratings of B3/NP for National Bank of Iraq (NBI), and foreign currency long-term/short-term deposit rating of Caa1/NP. At the same time, the rating agency has assigned a Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA) of caa2, Adjusted BCA of b3, as well as long-term […]
Iraqi Banking Sector and Financial Infrastructure Overview This report dives deep into the financial sector in Iraq, covering Iraqi banks, government structure and spending, electronic and cashless payments, and recent developments in the Iraqi financial scene, as well as the main issues noted. In terms of banking services and technology, Iraq is getting close to […]
By John Lee. Fitch Ratings has assigned the Sumer Commercial Bank (SCB) a Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of 'CCC+', and Viability Rating (VR) at 'ccc+'. It says the rating reflects the bank's "weak operating environment, limited franchise, unstable business model and weak profitability". More here. (Source: Fitch Ratings)
By John Lee. Al Sanam Islamic Bank, a newly-established Islamic bank in Iraq, has selected ICS BANKS Islamic Banking software solution from ICS Financial Systems (ICSFS). The signing ceremony took place at ICSFS' centre of excellence, Amman, Jordan. According to a press release, Al Sanam Islamic Bank will provide comprehensive, Shari'a-compliant financing products and services […]
By John Lee. Fitch Ratings has said that Iraq's government debt is set to fall steeply as a share of GDP in 2022, bringing it to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels. It adds that while this is positive for the sovereign's creditworthiness, the decline may not be sustainable, as it partly reflects political tensions that have constrained […]
By John Lee. Fitch Ratings has assigned the Kurdistan International Islamic Bank (KIIB) a Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of 'CCC+', and Viability Rating (VR) at 'ccc+'. It says the rating reflects the bank's "weak franchise, unstable business model and operations in the highly volatile operating environment of Iraq". More here. (Source: Fitch Ratings)
By John Lee. Iraq's Minister of Finance has directed the Agricultural Cooperative Bank to postpone the payment of debts owed by farmers for a period of two years. Dr. Ali Allawi (pictured) said: "Based on Article Thirteen of the Food Security Law, it was decided to postpone for a period of two years the collection […]
The President and Chairman of the Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) has said that he expects it will be "a number of years" before payment processing services such as Paypal and Stripe will be able to operate in Iraq. Responding to a question from Iraq Business News (IBN) at the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC)'s […]
Diebold Nixdorf has announced that Al Qurtas Islamic Bank is the first to deploy its DN Series ATMs in Iraq. The bank's ATMs will be monitored by Vynamic View software to detect and prevent downtime, optimize performance and reduce costs for the bank. Sara Ahmad, chief executive officer at Al Qurtas Islamic Bank, said: "We […]
By John Lee. Fitch Ratings has assigned the Erbil-based Region Trade Bank for Investment and Finance Private Shareholding (RTB) a Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of 'CCC+', and Viability Rating (VR) at 'ccc+'. It says the privately-owned bank has minimal market shares in Iraq, no competitive advantages and limited distribution capabilities. More here. (Source: Fitch […]
By John Lee. Fitch Ratings has assigned Gulf Commercial Bank (GCB) a Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of 'CCC+'. GCB is a privately-owned bank, headquartered in Baghdad and regulated by the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI). More here. (Source: Fitch Ratings)
