Prime Minister's Advisor: Iraq Is Qualified To Become A Regional Financial Center With Four Strategic Powers.

 
Yesterday, 13:18  Baghdad - INA - Nassar Al-Hajj  The Prime Minister's financial advisor, Mazhar Mohammed Salih, identified four factors that make Iraq a regional financial center on Sunday, stressing that Iraq possesses foreign reserves exceeding $100 billion.
 
“There are four elements of strength that make Iraq a regional financial center, the 
first of which is that it is the second largest producer of crude oil in the Middle East, and 
it has the fourth largest oil reserves in the world, through which it competes to take precedence in the global energy market, through     more production  and     achieving financial flows
 
that make it a financial and economic pillar in the economic geography of the Middle East, by achieving large financial surpluses that can be directed to investment in financial infrastructure,” Saleh told the Iraqi News Agency (INA). 

He stated that "Iraq has foreign reserves exceeding $100 billion, which provides it with a
     significant financial safety margin, confidence in     monetary stability, and       high financial investment attractiveness."

 He added, "The second factor is Iraq's unique geoeconomic location,  which is a vital corridor linking the world's north to its south.
 
This represents an open economic space between global markets and their financial and commercial attractions, with links that provide important climates for the concentration of regional financial markets,
 
which will revolve around the strategy of the 'development project' linking Europe and the Gulf." He continued:
 
"The third factor is the demographic or human factor, and   its foundation is the population boom, as   the percentage of the population under the age of thirty is close, which makes Iraq one of the young nations.

The high percentage of youth (more than 60% under the age of thirty)
will provide a flexible human base that can be trained in
     financial technology,
     banking innovation,
     digital technology, and
     artificial intelligence." 

He noted that   "the government is undertaking the establishment of an important college for artificial intelligence sciences as inputs to the financial labor market and its foundations." He added,
 
"The fourth factor is modernizing and restructuring governance in government-owned banks,
given that they currently control 80% or more of banking activity." 

He emphasized that  "the reform campaign being led by the government today for the aforementioned banks aims to transform Iraq into a global financial center after ridding it of the risks of bureaucracy and inefficiency inherited over many decades." 

He pointed out "the importance of  electronic payments and the  gradual expansion of the use of bank cards, point-of-sale (POS),   collection systems, and  smart wallets, which have helped achieve significant leaps in digital financial inclusion. 

This is coupled with the presence of the Iraq Stock Exchange and the Securities Commission,
which operate in a robust, integrated, and promising manner as an infrastructure to establish Iraq as a regional hub for consolidating the country's institutional financial stability." 

He explained that  "the legal, executive, and regulatory infrastructure requirements are the key lever for enabling this transformation. These include, for example,
     linking banks to effective electronic payment platforms and
     supporting the development of the current National Data Center to serve as the sovereign digital financial infrastructure that supports Iraq's efforts to transform into a regional financial center."

 He pointed out that  "Iraq's transformation into a regional financial center will be achieved through the 
     collection and integration of financial, banking, and economic data,
     supporting smart monetary and financial policies,
     enabling financial technology and smart data analysis,
     enhancing transparency and governance of financial institutions,
     stimulating the non-banking finance sector, such as microfinance companies,
     reforming the insurance sector, and
     licensing financial technology (Fintech) companies." He pointed out that
 
"the current political, legal, and institutional stability that our country enjoys today,
in a prosperous and solid manner,
is the true basis for financial strength.
 
There is no financial center without a stable and secure political and legal environment."
 
Saleh emphasized the importance of building regional and international partnerships, such as
studying the importance of joining regional payment systems and financial structures of international groups such as the   G20 or   BRICS, or  partnerships with strong financial centers in  Singapore, Dubai,  Hong Kong, and others.       https://ina.iq/ar/economie/236406-.html