The Iraqi Private Banks League participated in the First National Forum for the Private Sector, represented by Deputy Executive Director Ahmed Al-Hashemi. In a session focused on the role of the private sector and international organizations in fostering the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Al-Hashemi underscored the importance of the lending strategy approved by the Central Bank. He outlined the primary objectives of the National Strategy for Bank Lending in Iraq for 2024-2029, which include increasing credit extended to the private sector by 4% of the non-oil GDP by 2029, amounting to 7 trillion dinars, and raising credit extended to SMEs by 3% of the non-oil GDP, equating to 5 trillion dinars, to address the existing funding gap of 9 trillion dinars. Al-Hashemi emphasized the efforts of the Iraqi Private Banks League, in cooperation with the Central Bank and several international institutions, to streamline the process of extending credit through training programs for bank employees. He highlighted that SMEs are the critical driver of economic growth and require an investment of 1 trillion dinars annually for their continued development.