Iraq's banking system faces daunting challenges as it seeks to overcome three decades of stagnation and isolation from the international banking community.  An Overview of the Iraqi Banking System provides a brief history of the modern banking industry and discusses the current status of both the private banks and state-owned banks in Iraq.  The regulation and supervision of the industry are also examined, including the role of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI).

The first Iraq Banking and Finance Conference, "Banking in Iraq: The 21st Century Challenge" gathered over 200 banking industry leaders from Iraq and abroad to discuss and prioritize issues central to rehabilitating the Iraqi banking system. 

Organized by USAID through its IZDIHAR and Economic Governance II projects, the two-day conference in Amman took stock of developments post-April 2003 and explored the prospects and modalities of building a vibrant banking industry in Iraq.

Conference participants included representatives from the Central Bank of Iraq, Iraq private and state owned banks, regional and international banking groups, non-bank financial institutions, bank training and certification organizations, banking experts and international donors.

The conference Agenda and Session Outlines provide a closer look at the topics discussed.  Presentations and background information can be found in the Reference Materials section as well as through links provided at the bottom of each session outline.

Coming Soon!  Deliberations from the plenary sessions are being compiled in a recommendations paper that will soon be disseminated and published on this site.