Tishwash: We will not wait for companies, we will act
Baghdad reaches an understanding with the Doha Stock Exchange: Iraqi shares will be able to be traded in Qatar as well
The Iraqi Securities Commission revealed a project with the Qatar Stock Exchange that will allow for the joint establishment of companies, leading to “dual listing” that will allow the listing of Iraqi shares in both the Iraqi and Qatari markets.
The commission member, Wadah Al-Taha, said that it will not wait for major and promising companies to list their shares on the Iraqi Stock Exchange, but will form a committee to encourage those companies. He pointed out that expanding the Iraqi Stock Exchange requires the listing of government sector companies on the stock exchange.
Waddah Al-Taha – Member of the Board of the Securities Commission, in an interview with the media figure, Dhikrayat Muhammad:
Expanding the work of the Iraq Stock Exchange requires restructuring mixed companies, through the government sector relinquishing its shares and listing and offering them for investment, while we work on listing public government companies.
Usually, stock markets around the world represent a mirror of a country’s economy, but in Iraq, the stock market does not reflect the economy, for several reasons, including the weakness of the investment culture, the decline in government support and understanding, in addition to the fact that the importance of listing and initial public offerings is unclear to private sector companies.
We seek to “deepen” the Iraqi Stock Exchange, meaning diversify its sectors participating in the subscription, with the aim of reducing the ceiling of investment risks and creating relative attractiveness for investors. We are currently working on merging our governance draft with the draft of the International Finance Corporation to give a global character to our investment environment and send reassuring messages to foreign investors.
Instead of waiting for promising emerging companies to come to the Iraqi market for listing, we are currently working on forming a specialized committee to move towards such companies and reach an understanding with them in order to list their shares in the market. The criteria for selecting the targeted companies revolve around performance, financial efficiency, company history, sector quality, and management nature.
We have a memorandum of understanding with the Qatari side, and we hope to approve it during the coming period. It has very good content, as it allows us to establish companies jointly, and we aspire to reach the stage of “dual listing” where the Iraqi stock can trade in the Iraqi and Qatari markets, in addition to applying the regulatory standards in effect there.
We apply a high level of “global standard” procedures in terms of combating money laundering. The market is very safe in this regard. Our standards are sometimes harsh and restrictive for investors, but they ensure that there are no illegal financial activities. link
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Tishwash: Trade Bank of Iraq announces the number of transfers completed since the launch of the Central Bank platform
The Trade Bank of Iraq announced today, Thursday, that it has transferred more than 4,000 remittances since the launch of the Central Bank platform.
The bank’s media advisor, Aqil Al-Shuwaili, said in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “More than four thousand various transfers have been transferred to companies and individuals since the launch of the Central Bank of Iraq platform until today, October 10, 2024.”
He added, “250 transfers were transferred from the Iraqi bank to the relevant authorities, including commercial, industrial, and even educational transfers link
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Tishwash: Minister of Finance stresses the need to adhere to timetables to achieve economic reforms
Finance Minister Taif Sami Mohammed stressed, on Thursday, the need to adhere to timetables to achieve economic reforms.
A statement by the ministry, seen by Al-Eqtisad News, stated that “Minister of Finance Taif Sami Mohammed chaired a meeting to follow up on the implementation of the government program related to financial, economic and digital affairs, where she reviewed the latest developments in the plans and procedures adopted by the government to achieve economic and financial reforms and discussed the challenges facing the implementation of the program.”
The minister stressed, according to the statement, “the importance of adhering to the specified timetables and achieving the desired goals in enhancing economic stability.”
The statement added that “the meeting addressed the most prominent economic and financial indicators, and reviewed the results of the reforms that have been completed so far, in addition to discussing ways to accelerate the pace of reform in vital sectors. Sami stressed the need for cooperation between all parties to achieve sustainable development and improve the standard of living for citizens.”
The statement concluded by saying that “the minister urged the concerned parties to continue working hard and intensifying efforts to ensure the success of the reform program and achieve sustainable economic growth link
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Tishwash: Very frank” talk from Al-Sudani’s advisor: They will bomb us and we will be strategically patient like Iran
“A new map is coming, whether we like it or not.”
Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie, advisor to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said that the new regional map in the region “is happening, whether we like it or not,” and therefore it is necessary to invest in Iraq’s role, as it ranks second in the United States’ interests after Israel, warning that “the one who falls will fall, and do not let us fall.”
The advisor pointed out that Tel Aviv launching a strike inside Iraq instead of Iran is possible and is the most likely scenario, especially if it fails to reach an understanding with Tehran. He said that Iraq is an unarmed country and cannot do anything other than political diplomatic options due to the clear Western superiority, “even the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles were unable to repel the Kremlin’s missiles.”
He criticized the actions of “some brothers who are gnawing at al-Sudani’s flanks, even though he defends them before the United States and tries to prevent a strike against Iraq.” He called for Iraq to adopt the Turkish method in dealing with the risks of war, as well as the Iranian method “which invented the policy of strategic patience.”
He concluded by saying, “The West sees us as a successful country (..) All the Americans want is for us to be an economic zone not subject to Russian military influence, or Chinese economic influence, without the existence of (sub-state) as this world is ruled by states and not armed groups, and the majority of the political forces supported by the reference are with this trend.” link
