Date: 15 Dec, 2025
Location: Baghdad - Republic of Iraq
The Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID) participated in the 5th Annual International Scientific Conference on “The Future of Financial Markets in Iraq in the Era of Contemporary Transformations,” organized by the Financial and Accounting Training Center of the Iraqi Ministry of Finance, and took place from 10 to 11 December 2025 in Baghdad.
AAAID was represented by H.E. Dr. Obaid Saif Hamad Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Board of AAAID, who delivered a specialized paper “The Role of Financial Markets in Mobilizing Savings” via virtual participation. His presentation addressed several key themes, focusing on the role of financial markets in mobilizing savings and directing them toward investments that support national economic growth.
In his address, Dr. Al Zaabi underscored the importance of regulating securities trading and developing effective mechanisms for investing savings and reinjecting them into the real economy. He highlighted the pivotal role of financial markets in liquidity management, risk mitigation, and investment hedging, while outlining the various types of financial markets and their contribution to the investment cycle. He also reviewed the institutional relationships between regulatory authorities, capital markets, and listed companies, as well as key financing instruments, including equities, bonds, and investment funds.
Dr. Al Zaabi further emphasized the need to establish a robust regulatory framework for financial technology (FinTech), cautioning against the potential social and economic risks associated with unregulated innovation. He called for aligning FinTech development with consumer protection objectives and financial stability requirements, noting that the Emerging and Growth Markets Committee of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) has identified FinTech as a strategic priority through the promotion of regulatory sandboxes, innovation hubs, and accelerators across emerging markets.
Highlighting the growing challenges of the digital era, Dr. Al Zaabi stressed the importance of enhancing financial literacy and investor education, particularly in light of the proliferation of low-cost digital platforms that are vulnerable to fraudulent activities and regulatory arbitrage. He reiterated the central role of corporate governance in addressing mismanagement, reducing financial crimes, and ensuring the efficient allocation of capital in support of sustainable shareholder value and long-term economic resilience.
Dr. Al Zaabi also called for the adoption of an integrated regulatory framework aligned with international best practices for capital market governance. He advocated the implementation of urgent structural reforms, including the modernization of mergers and acquisitions regulations, the regulation of securitization activities, the development of special purpose vehicles (SPVs), and the enhancement of investment management and venture capital frameworks. He further emphasized the importance of easing ownership transfer restrictions to enable companies to transition into publicly listed entities, alongside strengthening primary market issuance mechanisms—particularly the role of underwriters, issuance discounts, and advanced pricing methodologies such as book-building.
Concluding his remarks, Dr. Al Zaabi reaffirmed that the development of financial markets represents a strategic pathway to mobilize domestic savings and attract foreign investment, thereby reinforcing economic growth and financial stability in Iraq and across the wider Arab region.
