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Iraq attractive by frontier market standards

15 July 2011

Lack of foreign ownership limits and a convertible currency are major advantages, reports Aaron Woolner

Read more: Iraq frontier market

Despite its recent history, Iraq has many positive attributes for international investors. A convertible currency and no limits on foreign ownership means Iraq is ahead of many of its frontier market peers as a destination for international investment, according to Henrik Kahm, manager of FMG’s Iraq fund.

Frontier markets – those with small illiquid stock markets that are generally considered to be at a much earlier stage of economic and financial market development than emerging markets – typically have onerous restrictions on the amount of a company foreign investors can hold. Iraq’s near neighbour Qatar, for example, caps overseas shareholdings at 20%.

Iraq, however, is completely...