By John Lee. Zain Mart, the e-commerce platform of Zain Iraq, has formed a partnership with Switch, a financial solutions company, to offer instalment payment plans to eligible banking customers. Under the agreement, Switch cardholders whose salaries are domiciled with Rasheed Bank and National Bank of Iraq (NBI) will be able to purchase products on […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has held a meeting with licensed electronic payment companies in Iraq to advance the development of the national payments system and promote financial inclusion. According to the CBI, the governor emphasised that e-payment firms must raise the quality, efficiency, and reliability of their services to build […]
By Valentina Pasquali, for Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI). Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. ZainCash CEO: Iraq is 5 years behind in digital payments A burgeoning youth market is driving adoption of digital payments in Iraq, but deep-rooted reliance on […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) reported that retail electronic payments using local cards increased in the third quarter of 2025 to 2,984,232 million Iraqi dinars (approximately $2.28 billion), up from 2,111,296 million Iraqi dinars (approximately $1.61 billion) in the same period of 2024. The bank noted that this growth supports financial […]
By John Lee. Iraq has taken initial steps towards establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for virtual and digital assets, aligned with international best practices. The first meeting of the National High Committee for the Regulation of Virtual Assets was held in Baghdad at the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), bringing together senior representatives from regulatory, […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has published its National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2025-2029. The document was officially launched in May. Click here to download the full report [Arabic]. To browse our comprehensive library of reports on Iraq, click here. (Source: CBI)
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) chaired the latest meeting of the Iraqi Payments Council to review progress in adopting electronic payment systems across government institutions and the private sector. The meeting discussed the procedures and mechanisms used by ministries and public sector bodies to implement e-payment technologies, the level of progress […]
By John Lee. The Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) and Chairman of the Iraqi Payments Council, Mr. Ali Mohsen Al-Allaq, chaired the regular meeting of the National Payments Council at the Bank's headquarters. The meeting was attended by Council members, including senior officials from the Central Bank, representatives of ministries and government […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI)'s Mosul branch, represented by Director General Dr Hussein Lazem, participated in the "Informatics, Digitalisation, and Their Impact on Sustainable Development" conference organised by the College of Administration and Economics at the University of Kirkuk. The event featured several research papers and studies, including two submitted by […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI)'s Basra branch has launched the campaign "Your Transport is Easier ... with Easier Payment" in cooperation with electronic payment companies operating in the province. The initiative is part of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2025-2029. The campaign aims to deploy point-of-sale (POS) devices in public transport […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has announced the launch of inter-wallet money transfer services, enabling individuals and businesses to conduct financial transactions with greater speed and flexibility. The new services include: Inter-wallet transfers between verified permanent wallets across different service providers. Inter-wallet transfers from verified permanent wallets to merchant wallets across […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has announced the launch of the "Al-Samawal" campaign starting on 1st September 2025, in cooperation with banks and electronic payment service providers, as part of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (2025-2029). The initiative aims to raise financial awareness, provide free bank account openings for traders and […]
