IDEAS BEYOND BORDERS · PROJECT BRIEF
Kurdistan is Open for Business
Making it easier for people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to turn an idea into a formally registered business.
Funded by Atlas Network through Smart Bets.
Implemented by Ideas Beyond Borders, Rwanga Foundation, and Education, Community and Health (ECHO), working with relevant Kurdistan Regional Government departments.
The approach
The project combined research on regulatory barriers, stakeholder engagement, and practical testing of online business registration. Founders were invited to try the system, document their experience, and provide feedback for improvements. Administrative changes under existing authority offered a path forward while wider legislative reform remained unfinished.
Results from the startup pilot
| Result | What it measures |
|---|---|
| 998 applications | Applications received in one week for the startup competition. |
| 30 selected startups | The group chosen to attempt formal registration and test the process. |
| 18 completed registrations | Completed by the December 2025 update, representing 60% of the selected group. Not every participant completed registration. |
| 16 feedback reports | Comprehensive reports submitted by participating startups on their registration experience. |
| 3 Entrepreneur of the Year awards | Recognition of selected startups at the conclusion of the pilot. |
Source: “Kurdistan is Open for Business -Final Report-July 2025,” incorporating updates dated 18 December 2025. This brief uses those dated updates rather than earlier targets or activities described in the same report. These are historical figures.
The wider registration system
The December 2025 report records a statement by the head of the General Directorate of Company Registration that more than 7,000 new companies had registered since introduction of the online process. This regionwide figure is separate from the 30-startup pilot. IBB’s February 2026 reporting describes processing times of as little as 24 hours, with actual requirements and approvals dependent on the application.
Policy progress and remaining work
- Reported changes: a move from lump-sum to annual profit-based taxation, removal of mandatory first-year attorney and accountant hiring, and permission to use a home address as an official business office.
- Still being coordinated in the final report: multi-year startup tax exemptions. This brief does not describe these exemptions as fully implemented.
- Unfinished legislative goal: modernization of the 1997 Companies Law. The project did not report passage of a new Companies Law.
- Platform improvements: founder feedback identified needs for clearer steps, better notifications, tutorial guidance, and connections to other government offices.
This is a project summary, not legal or tax advice. Check current rules with the relevant government authorities.
Why the work matters
A simpler route into the formal economy gives founders more time and resources for their business. The project connected local ambition with practical reform, while using direct experience to show where further work was needed.
Sources & reporting notes
- Internal project source: “Kurdistan is Open for Business -Final Report-July 2025,” updated through 18 December 2025. Accessed from the project’s Google Drive archive. The report combines planning, interim results, and later updates. Its public summary above uses dated outcomes and does not reproduce personal, contractual, or medical information.
- Internal narrative: “Kurdistan Is Open for Business: and This Time, We Mean It,” by Faisal Saeed Al Mutar. Used to inform the project’s framing.
- IBB’s project overview: scope, partners, and Atlas Network Smart Bets funding.
- From Months to 24 Hours: Reforming Business Registration in Kurdistan, IBB, 13 February 2026: public reporting on reform and Brwa Sami’s experience.
- Rwanga Foundation closing ceremony report, 18 December 2025: public confirmation of the ceremony, registered startups, and awards.
- Atlas Network Podcast, 4 June 2026. The site’s video uses the episode published by Atlas Network and linked by IBB. Video chapters follow the publisher’s timestamps.
Photographs come from the supplied project archive, including the December 2025 closing ceremony. The group photograph used with Brwa’s story comes from IBB’s published article and is labeled as a wider project photograph, not a portrait of Brwa. This website is an information and impact site; it is not the government registration system.
Support Ideas Beyond Borders
Help IBB continue its wider work expanding access to knowledge and opportunity. Donations are made on IBB’s official website and are not represented here as restricted to this historical project.
Support Ideas Beyond Borders ↗
Website prepared 26 October 2026. Pilot and policy status above reflect the source dates indicated.