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8/5/26, 10:37 AM From Amsterdam to Baghdad: Why Iraq’s digital future is closer than ever - Middle East Business News and Information - mid-east.i…
From Amsterdam to Baghdad: Why Iraq’s digital

future is closer than ever

August 4, 2026

By Ahmed Kadhum, Chief Investments Officer of Qi Group

Today, discussions at the world’s leading fintech conferences have moved beyond digital

payments. At Money20/20 Europe 2026 in Amsterdam, conversations revolved around a clear
shift in the sector’s priorities. The focus has shifted toward building interconnected digital

ecosystems that integrate financial services, commerce, education, government services, and
artificial intelligence within a unified framework. This convergence is transforming daily life,
while fundamentally reshaping the broader financial landscape. For emerging economies, it

offers substantial opportunities to create more agile and connected economic models.

This raises a fundamental question: Where does Iraq stand in this global transformation?

Iraq is increasingly well positioned for digital transformation, thanks to several key strengths. A
young population is driving the demand for technology, while government institutions continue
to make steady progress in advancing their digital transformation initiatives. These factors

provide Iraq with a unique opportunity not only to keep pace with the changes happening
across the globe, but also to leapfrog conventional stages of development that other economies

have had to navigate and establish itself as a forward-looking model for digital innovation.

Engineering & Technology
Payments: the beginning, not the end

Experiences from around the world demonstrate that even the most routine digital transaction

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