Policy demonstration · IPLP Cohort 13

NABIZ: Iraq's Digital Gateway for Business Registration & Investment

A unified online platform to help Iraq diversify beyond oil, formalize SMEs and startups, reduce unemployment, and attract international investment.

2.8 days
Average registration
86%
Digital completion
3 langs
EN · AR · KU
Why NABIZ matters

A single digital front door for Iraq's economy

NABIZ replaces fragmented manual processes with one application journey, one business identity, and one transparent compliance trail — for citizens, government, and global investors.

Diversify beyond oil

Accelerate non-oil private-sector growth by reducing the time and cost to formalize a business.

Reduce unemployment

Make it dramatically easier for SMEs and startups to register, hire, and access incentives — creating real private-sector jobs.

Attract investors

Give foreign investors a predictable, English-Arabic-Kurdish pathway with clear documents, timelines, and fast-track zones.

Protect public revenue

Anti-abuse safeguards — beneficial ownership, activity-code locking, related-party detection — prevent fictitious re-registration.

Formalize SMEs & startups

3–5 year tax incentives reward businesses that register, report annually, and grow into long-term taxpayers.

Govern with data

Real-time KPIs by sector and governorate help ministries plan, target reforms, and measure impact.

The current challenge

Manual processes hold Iraq back

  • Heavy dependence on oil revenue makes the economy vulnerable to global price shocks.
  • Many young Iraqis still rely on public-sector employment as the main job pathway.
  • Registering a company today involves multiple offices, paper documents, and unpredictable timelines.
  • Informality keeps SMEs and startups outside the formal tax base.
  • International investors lack a transparent, single-window entry process.
~40%
Public-sector employment dependency
>90%
Oil share of state revenue
30–90 days
Time to register today (typical)
2.8 days
With NABIZ (modeled)
How the platform works

One application. One business identity. One linked tax profile.

01
Apply online
Step-by-step wizard collects applicant, ownership, sector, and documents.
02
Check eligibility
Tax Incentive Gateway calculates SME (3y) or startup/priority (5y) eligibility.
03
Government review
Reviewers, tax officers, and sector authorities work the same case file.
04
Digital certificate
Unified Registration Number, Tax ID, QR-verified certificate issued.
Platform modules

Everything Iraq needs in one platform

Registration Engine

Unified online incorporation for SMEs, startups, sole owners, partnerships, LLCs, and foreign branches.

Tax Incentive Gateway

Automated 3-year SME and 5-year startup/priority eligibility checks linked to tax ID.

Beneficial Ownership Registry

Verified ultimate owners and directors to prevent shell-company abuse.

Investor Services Portal

Multilingual, document-light pathway for foreign branches and investment licenses.

Compliance & Anti-Abuse Engine

Activity-code lock, related-party detection, continuity test, exemption sunset registry.

Government Analytics Dashboard

KPIs by sector and governorate; abuse-flag alerts; impact on jobs and revenue.

Economic Diversification Impact

How NABIZ helps Iraq move beyond oil

The platform is designed to unlock measurable, multi-year outcomes for the Iraqi economy.

  • Non-oil private-sector growth in technology, agriculture, manufacturing, services, and creative industries
  • Formalization of SMEs and startups into the national tax base
  • Youth entrepreneurship through 5-year startup incentives
  • Private-sector job creation across all governorates
  • Reduction in informal employment
  • Future tax-base expansion as exemptions sunset on schedule
Implementation roadmap

Phased rollout for national reform

Phase 1
Foundation
Legal review, process mapping, platform design.
Phase 2
Pilot
Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Najaf, Mosul.
Phase 3
National rollout
All governorates and agency integration.
Phase 4
Optimization
Mobile app, analytics, AI monitoring, investor services.

Ready to see NABIZ in action?

Launch the prototype portal and walk through the full applicant journey, eligibility checker, and government dashboards.