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 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. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has launched its first National Financial Inclusion Strategy, covering the period 2025-2029. The initiative provides an integrated framework aimed at enabling all individuals and businesses to access the financial sector and use appropriate, secure financial services with consumer protection guarantees. The strategy is expected to contribute […]
By John Lee. Iraq's state-owned Al-Rafidain Bank has announced the launch of the second phase of its "Riyada" initiative [Iraqi Riyada Network for Access Development and Advancement, IRADA Network], following the success of the first phase, which it says funded over 8,000 productive projects with a total of more than 107 billion IQD [$82 million]. The […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has announced the launch of the country's first university-based virtual banking project, with the initial phase set to start at Al-Muthanna University. The project was unveiled during the university's comprehensive exhibition, held alongside the 2nd Scientific Conference on "Artificial Intelligence and Labour Market Requirements," organised by […]
By John Lee. Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani has launched the operations of the Permanent Council for the Development of the Private Sector in Iraq. The initiative aims to strengthen the role of the private sector in the national economy and address key legislative and institutional barriers. Prime Minister Al-Sudani highlighted the Council's responsibility to […]
By John Lee. In his speech to a conference in Baghdad, Ali Mohsen Al-Allaq, Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), highlighted significant progress in digital payments, citing an increase in ATMs and e-wallets, which helped boost financial inclusion to 40% from 20% in just two years, supported by CBI initiatives. He noted that […]
KRG and Visa sign strategic partnership to promote financial inclusion The KRG's financial inclusion initiative 'MyAccount' has entered a strategic partnership with Visa, a world leader in digital payments, marking a key milestone in advancing digital payment solutions and promoting financial inclusion in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. As part of this partnership, Visa will […]
By John Lee. Following approval from the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), the KRG has announced that the Bank of Baghdad will join its 'MyAccount' financial inclusion initiative. In a statement, the KRG said: "Bank of Baghdad's participation will help increase banking products and services and accelerate the emergence of consumer credit for the people […]
By John Lee. Germany's Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (German Agency for International Cooperation) has joined forces with the Iraqi Private Banks League (IPBL) to work on more inclusive financial services. "Together, we can harness the unique strengths from both the private sector and the public sector and make a significant contribution to financial inclusion […]
