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)
Iraqi Judges and Financial Investigators prepare Taskforce Investigations The Federal Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq, the Kurdistan Judicial Council and UNDP Iraq, with support from the U.S. Government, launched a series of workshops for investigative judges, prosecutors, investigators, auditors and financial analysts from all across Iraq in late November 2021. These workshops will aid Iraqi […]
The Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) has re-joined the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC). TBI were original founding members of IBBC and we are delighted to say they are now back in full participation mode, with President Dr Salem Chalabi taking a lead role at the recent IBBC Autumn conference Dubai. At the conference Dr […]
By John Lee. The Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS) at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) has issued a new report on the banking sector in Iraq. "Expanding Access to Banks in Iraq: Challenges & Pathways to Reform" argues that one of the major obstacles to the development of the private sector […]
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) has said it will strengthen its presence in Iraqi market by launching "ADIB Direct", a digital platform that meets the growing business demands in Iraq. ADIB Direct is an intuitive digital banking platform that integrates a suite of corporate banking solutions into a single, streamlined interface. The platform offers cash […]
From the Iraqi Voices podcast. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. How Can Iraq Upgrade Its Banking Sector? Iraqi Voices hosts Akel Al-Ansari, a commercial banking specialist, to discuss the current state of the banking sector in Iraq and what is […]
