By John Lee. More than 400 companies, including around 50 from the European Union, have gathered in Baghdad for the two-day Iraq National Trade and Investment Forum (INTF) 2026. The event, held on 28-29 October at the Babylon Rotana Hotel, attracted more than 750 registrations from businesses, government institutions, chambers of commerce, financial institutions and […]
By John Lee. The National Investment Commission (NIC) has held a preliminary meeting with a delegation from Ecolog International, which it says is a "German company headquartered in the Netherlands", to discuss potential investment cooperation in Iraq. According to the NIC, the meeting was chaired by commission head Adel Dakhil Muhammad al-Yasiri, with the director-general […]
By John Lee. The Netherlands Embassy in Baghdad is to lead the first Dutch agri-food trade mission to federal Iraq in almost 15 years, visiting Baghdad and Kerbala from 28 to 30 October 2026. The mission will connect Dutch companies and knowledge institutes with Iraqi businesses, government officials, and other key players to explore trade, […]
By John Lee. A career guidance and counselling campaign has been launched for around 750 university students and jobseekers in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The initiative is being delivered by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, career development centres (CDCs), the Kurdistan Workers Unions Federation, […]
Joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada on the Strait of Hormuz: 19 March 2026 19 March 2026 We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and […]
By Nancy Ezzeddine, for The Clingendael Institute. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq's elections: greater fragmentation among the usual elite suspects Iraq's 2025 parliamentary elections offered a clear look at how political authority in the country is shaped in practice. While […]
By John Lee. The General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI) has confirmed the signing of a contract with Dutch firm Fugro to carry out third-party surveying of the al-Faw navigation channel, in preparation for issuing internationally recognised Admiralty charts. Director General Farhan al-Fartousi told the state-owned Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the survey work will […]
By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has laid the foundation stone for the Medical Health City project in southern Baghdad, covering an area of 120,000 m². The launch ceremony was attended by the Minister of Health and representatives of international pharmaceutical companies. The project includes five pharmaceutical factories with a total investment […]
By John Lee. Kevir Entertainment, the first Kurdish-led video game studio, has presented its debut title at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany - the world's largest gaming convention. The Duhok-based studio, founded in 2023, developed its flagship game Operation Stutter after joining the inaugural Orange Corners KRI Accelerator in Erbil, where it refined its business model […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi Ministry of Justice has announced a major legal settlement with three Dutch companies. It said that the companies had filed international lawsuits against Iraq with claims amounting to about $800 million [IQD 1.04 trillion]; following "sustained legal and technical negotiations," the amount was reduced to $80 million [IQD 104 billion], […]
By John Lee. Iraq's state-owned Rafidain Bank has announced that it has "completed" 87 percent of its foreign debt obligations through high-level legal and financial negotiations, significantly reducing the country's external liabilities. As part of Iraq's adherence to the Paris Club Agreement and with direct Cabinet approval, the bank concluded major settlements with Dutch and […]
By John Lee. Iraq has signed a new academic protocol with the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. The protocol aims to expand mutual scholarship opportunities under the Study in Iraq initiative, while fostering joint educational and research programmes that address pressing water challenges. It also includes cooperation between IHE Delft and Iraqi universities and […]
