Dow Jones Newswires Interviews ICBG Chairman on $16.5M in Loans

Dow Jones Newswires Interviews ICBG Chairman on $16.5M in Loans

A reporter for Zawya Dow Jones, Hassan Hafidh, recently interviewed the Chairman of the ICBG Board of Directors, Wadea al-Handal, who remarked that "ICBG has guaranteed 1,075 loans granted to small and medium-sized enterprises [SMEs] worth nearly $16.5 million in the last three years." A link to the full article is provided below. With the support of the USAID-funded Tijara Provincial Economic Growth Program and its predecessor Izdihar, the Iraq Company for Bank Guarantees (ICBG) was established by Iraqi private banks to grant SMEs guaranteed loans based on the viability of their business plans. In the interview during the Iraqi Banking Conference in Amman, Jordan, al-Handal said "There are several other loans in the pipeline totaling $3 million." "Iraq Co for Bk Guarantees Extends 1075 Loans to SMEs," by Hassan Hafidh for Zawya Dow Jones, February 9, 2010