DOING BUSINESS IN IRAQ: ON TRACK TO WIDER ECONOMIC REFORM. BY HASSAN HADAD*

A few months into his term Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi laid out his vision for reforms in front of global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos. By the summer of 2015 his political reforms had grabbed all the headlines, overshadowing the reforms he was bringing to the military and economy. But as the fight against Da’ish draws down, the focus has turned back t

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Noah’s Ark – Specialized Incubators

Noah's Ark is a unique Iraqi initiative to alleviate unemployment among youth by institutionalizing youth entrepreneurship. At Noah’s Ark, we have plans to establish Specialized Incubators dedicated to specific tasks as follows: Developing project blueprints for highly viable projects that are well analyzed technically, operationally, and economically. These project bluepri

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The growth of the Iraqi tech ecosystem. By Hal Miran*

Uncovering innovation in unexpected places, the Bite.Tech team is breaking open Iraq’s budding tech entrepreneurship scene It might be surprising to know that the region of the Middle East has become a blossoming entrepreneurial and tech startup hub. From Jordan to Lebanon and Iran to Egypt, the region has made significant progress with innovation driving tech startup growth

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Access to financial services for SMEs in Iraq

General introduction: A 2011 World Bank study on Iraq’s financial sector indicates that bank credit in Iraq amounts to only 10% of GDP and would need to rise by an additional $38 billion to catch up to the MENA average of 55%. In a Market Assessment in 2010, over 700 Iraqi MSMEs were interviewed on their major business constraints and opportunities. Results revealed that acce

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