(MENAFN- Iraq Business News) By Padraig O'Hannelly.
For much of Iraq's recent history, the trend has been for educated and talented Iraqis to leave the country, and for Iraq to use its oil revenues to import the expertise it needs.
But that's changing; to at least some extent, the Iraqi diaspora is returning, innovative home-grown Iraqi businesses are being created, and some are even exporting their goods and services abroad.
One prime example is Arab Payment Services (APS) , which I visited on a recent trip to Baghdad. Founded by Ziad Khalaf in 2013, the company now employs 100 people, many of them Iraqis who have returned from overseas with new skills and experience.
The company provides a range of banking-related services, including ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) devices, and payment processing. In this business, proper security is essential. General Manager Haider Alobaidi, who has been with the company from the start, explained:
"Our processes all comply with international standards, such as PCI DSS [Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard] — our reputation depends on flawless execution, so there is no room for error."
In a country so reliant on cash, is there really a need for such a business? "Most definitely", says Roger Abhoud, Advisor to the Chairman:
"The demographics are all in our favour. Forty million people, 83 percent of them without bank accounts, increasing by one million people each year — more and more of those people want access to the sorts of services that we can provide, and that trend can only continue. It's a huge opportunity!"
His vision doesn't end there. APS has just opened an office in Dubai, and plans to expand internationally.
This is a new and positive phenomenon for Iraq, and one that will provide welcome opportunities in the years ahead.
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