Private equity turns to Iraq

mln dollars: Trade Bank of Iraq’s private equity fund

For some, Iraq is one of the world’s few markets where prospects seem brighter than a year ago. With violence having subsided somewhat, lower oil revenue has encouraged the government to seek foreign investment more actively. Private equity practitioners in particular seem to think they have a better chance to assist in the reconstruction requirements of the country, with its young and relatively well-educated population, and the Middle East’s third-largest oil reserves.