By John Lee. Prime Minister Mr. Mohammed S. Al-Sudani received a delegation from the international electronic payment company Visa Inc., led by the company's Regional President for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Andrew Torre. During the meeting, His Excellency expressed the government's determination to implement reform and move forward with plans for […]
By Winthrop Rodgers, for Rest of World. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Why cash is still king in Iraq After decades of war, displacement, and sanctions, Iraq remains cut off from the global financial system. Click here to read the […]
By John Lee. ZainCash Iraq has announced a partnership with Western Union to enable international money transfers through the ZainCash mobile application. According to a press release, this allows customers in Iraq to easily and reliably send and receive money to more than 200 countries and territories. The app can be used by individuals, small […]
By John Lee. Fitch Ratings has affirmed Iraq's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'B-' with a Stable Outlook. More details here. (Source: Fitch Ratings)
By John Lee. Fitch Ratings has assigned the Gulf Commercial Bank (GCB) 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 and unstable business model, operations in the highly volatile operating environment of Iraq, a high impaired loans ratio (which is […]
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)
