By John Lee. Abu Dhabi's Invest AD plans to buy into the Asiacell IPO (initial public offering), making it the top holding in its Iraq fund. Sherif Salem (pictured), the manager of the Invest AD Iraq Opportunity Fund, and one of our Expert Bloggers on Iraq Business News, said: "Asiacell is going to be one […]
By Sherif Salem. While attending an investment conference in Erbil in November, I was struck by a theme that came through in almost all my meetings with listed-company executives: a desire to engage with foreign companies. It seems as if expertise is more in demand than capital as companies look to grow and take advantage […]
By Sherif Salem, of Invest AD. Iraq’s banks are quietly on the move, and the consequences for the economy could be powerful and far-reaching. The country has 49 banks, and although lending has increased in the last couple of years, the loan-to-deposit rate still stands at only 44%, compared to around 80-90% for other banks […]
The head of Invest AD, the Abu Dhabi-based investment firm, sees growth in Iraq and Qatar. Gulf News reports that performance by the firm's Iraq fund has been particularly strong. "This year, with political change in the Middle East, performance has been varied, with a large dispersion of returns across the region," executive director Mohammad […]
With most Middle East stock markets having been dragged down by the turmoil unleashed by the Arab spring and a sputtering global economy, some adventurous fund managers have started exploring opportunities in the tiny Iraqi market, according to a report from Bloomberg. The Iraqi Stock Exchange, or ISX, says its main market index has surged […]
According to a report in the Financial Times, investors are turning their attention to Iraq’s debt. In 2004, after the US invasion of Iraq, the 'Paris Club' of 19 western creditors agreed to forgive roughly 80% of the $37.2bn owed to them. This deal was used as a template for resolutions with other creditors and […]
Speaking at the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit this week, business leaders expressed their opinions about Iraq. They were keen to invest in the Iraqi market in sectors including energy, telecoms, finance and infrastructure: "Iraq is a country emerging from a difficult period, it's getting back on track and it's a country that cannot be […]
"Iraq is ... getting back on track and it's a country that cannot be allowed not to succeed." So said a top executive at Abu Dhabi-owned asset management firm Invest AD said on Monday. Speaking at the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit, Mohammed al Hashemi said Invest AD was still putting its Iraqi portfolio together, […]
Abu Dhabi's Invest AD has launched an Iraq Investment Fund to channel investment into high-growth companies in a country where improving stability and increased oil production should fuel strong economic expansion in coming years. Invest AD is seeding the fund and is marketing it alongside its other equities and private equity funds that invest in […]
