HSBC, Canadian bank apply for license in Iraq

[dArKeR]

British-based global banking giant HSBC and a Canadian bank are in the process of applying for permission to operate in Iraq, Arab bankers said on Thursday.

Iraq's central bank is receiving requests for applications for six licences. HSBC and a Canadian bank have requested applications, bankers who met with the two banks added.

An HSBC delegation was visiting Iraqi banks on Thursday as a bomb attack on HSBC buildings and the British Consulate in Istanbul killed at least 26 people.

"We are investigating whether it's possible for us to play a role in the financial reconstruction of Iraq," an HSBC spokesman said. He declined to comment further.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/worldbiz/archives/2003/11/22/2003076872

Control the oil, control the money, control the food, control the mind.

[cliss]

1. Cool.

Can you see the tellers at the local Baghdad branch of HSBC? They'll each have a gun in their holster, and they'll all be wearing Kevlar bulletproof vests.