By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani chaired a meeting focused on the reform of Iraq's banking sector, particularly Rafidain Bank, with representatives from Ernst & Young (EY) presenting recommendations. Key proposals included updating the bank's legal status, capital structure, and strategy to align with global banking standards. The recommendations will be submitted […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, met with a delegation from Russian oil company Lukoil to review ongoing cooperation and projects in Iraq. The discussions focused on the company's operations in the West Qurna-2 and Eridu [Block 10] oil fields and the progress made in these developments. Al-Sudani emphasized the government's priority […]
By John Lee. The Chairman of Iraq's National Investment Commission (NIC), Dr. Haider Mohammed Makkiya, has laid the foundation stone for Iraq's tallest skyscraper, part of the Downtown Baghdad project. This iconic development will feature the capital's first high-rise tower, standing at 65 stories, along with eight additional towers. The project includes over 1,300 residential […]
By John Lee. The International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Iraq Mission has issued its Annual Report 2023. Established in 2003, it has over 1,600 staff, and sub-offices across all governorates, with main offices in Baghdad, Erbil, Mosul and Basra. Click here to download the full report in English Click here to download the full report […]
By John Lee. Iraq has opened a new embassy in the Irish capital, Dublin. In a separate meeting on Thursday with Irish President Michael D Higgins, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein called for the opening of a resident Irish Embassy in Baghdad to strengthen bilateral relations. Full statement from Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Deputy […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Trade announced the registration of 599 national companies and 27 branches of foreign companies during September. The Companies Registration Department, led by Rashad Khalaf Hashim, also issued several decisions, including amendments to contracts of joint-stock companies, adjustments to capital, and the merging and liquidation of companies. Additionally, 897 companies […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Foreign Economic Relations Department, through its commercial attaché in Washington, held talks with US-based MACK Trucks to explore avenues of economic and commercial cooperation between Iraq and the United States. The discussions focused on technology transfer and establishing truck assembly lines in Iraq, following the Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this […]
By John Lee. An opinion piece published by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy argues that the US should consider supporting both the Development Road project and Turkiye's wider plans in Iraq, "since both serve the paramount goal of counterbalancing Iranian influence." Soner Cagaptay writes: "Ankara believes that the lucrative construction contracts for the […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi government has agreed new pricing for wheat based on the type of irrigation method used. Wheat grown on lands using modern irrigation systems will be priced at 850,000 Iraqi dinars [$649] per ton, with a 90% government subsidy compared to global market prices; wheat from lands using traditional irrigation will […]
By John Lee. Mass Group Holding (MGH) and GE Vernova have announced significant progress in the modernization of Iraq's largest power facility, the 4.5 GW Bismaya [Besmaya] Power Plant in Baghdad. Phase 1: Phase 1 involved Advanced Gas Path (AGP) upgrades on four GE Vernova 9F.04 gas turbines at the Besmaya Power Plant. The upgrades […]
By John Lee. A meeting of the Iraqi Cabinet this evening approved an increase in Iraq's quota at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by 831.9 million Special Drawing Rights (SDR), equivalent to 1.45 trillion Iraqi dinars [$1.1 billion] based on the exchange rate as of October 8, 2024. This 50-percet increase in Iraq's previous quota […]
By John Lee. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings has listed 79 Iraqi universites, ranking two of them in the range 1,001-1,200 worldwide, 3 in the range 1,201-1,500, and a further 16 in the category 1,501+. The remaining 58 universities were listed with 'recorder' status, meaning that they submitted data but did not meet […]
