The Saudi Central Bank grants a technology company a license to operate in the payment services sector.
The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) has granted a license to Ation Innovative Information and Communications Technology Company to conduct payment services activities through a large payment company, bringing the total number of companies licensed to conduct payment services activities in the Kingdom to 31, according to what the Central Bank announced on Sunday.
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This decision comes as part of the Saudi Central Bank's efforts to support the payments sector and enable it to enhance the efficiency and flexibility of financial transactions, and to encourage innovation in financial services. The aim is to promote financial inclusion in the Kingdom and ensure access to financial services for all segments of society.
The Central Bank emphasized the importance of dealing only with licensed or authorized financial institutions, which can be verified by visiting the bank's website.
Open banking services
The Saudi Central Bank announced last Thursday that it has licensed “New Technology for Software Solutions” and “Lean Technologies Saudi Arabia for Information Systems Technology” to conduct payment services and provide account information services, one of the services related to open banking.
According to a statement from the Central Bank, the licensing of the two companies came after the success of the trial period within the Central Bank's legislative experimental environment.
This also comes within the framework of SAMA’s endeavor to support and empower the financial sector to raise the level of efficiency and flexibility of transactions, and to encourage innovation in financial services provided in a safe and reliable manner, with the aim of enhancing the level of financial inclusion and access to financial services for all segments of society.
Fintech companies
The Saudi Central Bank announced last Thursday that it has begun licensing financial technology companies to provide open banking services, after they have completed the requirements and procedures of the Central Bank's regulatory sandbox.
In a statement published on its website, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) added that this step comes as part of its efforts to support and empower the financial sector to enhance the efficiency and flexibility of transactions and encourage innovation in financial services provided securely and reliably. This aims to promote financial inclusion and ensure access to financial services for all segments of society.
Open banking is an innovative concept in the financial sector, enabling customers to securely share their financial data with an entity regulated by the central bank to access new and innovative financial services and products.
Kujer: Low oil exports do not threaten salaries, and the budget has been in crisis since 2023.
Kujer told Al-Furat News Agency: “The decrease in oil exports does not affect the salary situation, especially since the economy was already in crisis and affected before these events due to the lack of complete liquidity, and there were also not enough resources to cover the operational budget and what was done from the investment budget in the years 2023 and 2024.”
He added that "the government's debt to contractors, ministries and governorates was approximately 133 trillion dinars before the events," stressing that "the situation was already critical, whether it was related to these events or not."
Economic expert: A Hong Kong company has submitted a proposal to Iraq to extend two oil pipelines towards Jordan and Turkey.
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Economic expert Nabil Al-Marsoumi revealed that Iraq has received an offer to construct oil pipelines from the Hong Kong-based company Heritage Funds LPF.
Al-Marsoumi stated in a Facebook post, which was monitored by Iraq Observer, that this company possesses extensive experience in financing government projects and is prepared to implement and finance the construction of an oil and gas pipeline project using an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) model based on barter contracts with a share of crude oil.
He explained that the company submitted its offer to the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to implement the following two projects:
1. A project extending from the port of Basra to the city of Haditha, and from Haditha to Aqaba in Jordan or the port of Latakia on the Mediterranean Sea in Syria.
2. A pipeline extending from the port of Basra to the Turkish border.
Al-Marsoumi did not specify when this offer was submitted or whether it was related to the current crisis.
Iraqi oil production halted after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing war, and the strait is the main outlet for Iraqi oil exports.
While Iraq exported around four million barrels per day before the war, its exports have now plummeted to just 200,000 barrels per day via the Turkish Ceyhan pipeline and a few thousand more by tanker through Jordan.
Iraq faces complex economic challenges and fears of complete economic paralysis with the cessation of its oil revenues, which constitute more than 95% of the income of this rentier state.
Parliament session to elect the president postponed to April 8
An informed source revealed on Sunday that the coordination framework agreed to postpone the House of Representatives session scheduled for Monday to elect the President of the Republic, based on a request from the President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani.
The source explained to Iraq Observer that the new session has been scheduled for April 8th as the final date for holding the presidential elections.
Earlier today, Barzani sent a message to political leaders in Baghdad calling for the session to be postponed, stressing the need for consultation to take into account the entitlements of all political components according to their electoral sizes.
Barzani stressed the importance of the Coordination Framework and the National Political Council understanding the position of the Kurdish parties in Parliament, in order to ensure fair representation for the Kurdish component.
He concluded by saying that caution and consideration of the supreme national interest require further discussions between the concerned parties to reach effective and sustainable solutions that protect the security and safety of the country.
Iran vows "retaliatory response" by targeting the homes of American and Israeli leaders and officials
According to a brief statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, the highest body for joint military operations command in the Iranian armed forces, reported by the Iranian Fars News Agency, this comes in response to “ the evil and terrorist acts committed by the American and Zionist enemies, and their targeting of the homes of the Iranian people in various cities.”
He added that "the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a retaliatory measure, will target the homes of American and Zionist political leaders and officials in the region and the occupied territories."
The Iranian government announced on Sunday evening that more than 93,233 civilian facilities and 600 schools have been damaged since the war began on February 28, 2026, against the country.
For his part, an official in Iran’s Gilan province said that five houses were completely destroyed and 22 residential units were damaged in an attack on a village in the province.
The International Organization for Migration confirmed on Friday that the US-Israeli attacks targeting Iran damaged 82,000 civilian buildings, including hospitals, residential units and homes inhabited by about 180,000 people.
The UN agency said the destruction included buildings in 20 of Iran's 32 provinces.
Warning of attacks targeting American universities in Iraq
The embassy indicated in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency that "Iran and its affiliated terrorist militias may intend to target American universities in Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok, along with other universities perceived as being linked to the United States."
She added that "Iran, in particular, has directed threats at American universities throughout the Middle East, and Iranian-backed terrorist militias have carried out widespread attacks on American citizens and US-related targets throughout Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq."
The embassy advised American citizens to "leave Iraq immediately," while issuing updates on border crossing information with Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
In a related development, the American University of Beirut announced that "there is no evidence of a direct threat to the university, its campus, or its medical centers," but nevertheless decided to "adopt distance learning on Monday and Tuesday, with the exception of essential staff, and to suspend educational activities and in-person exams during these two days," stressing that the safety of the "university community remains the top priority."
These warnings and measures come hours after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard threatened to target American and Israeli universities in the region in response to recent attacks on Iranian higher education institutions.
The United States and Israel launched a sustained attack on Iran on February 28, killing hundreds, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. On March 2, the war expanded regionally to include Lebanon after Hezbollah entered the conflict.
Iran responded to the American-Israeli attack, resulting in widespread repercussions in the countries of the region, including Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
A member of the Development Committee calls for tomorrow's session to decide on the election of the President of the Republic.
Al-Akeeli said, during his appearance on the “Free Talk” program on Al-Furat satellite channel, that: “The current stage requires a clear decision from the coordinating framework regarding the formation of a new government, with the aim of distancing Iraq from the repercussions of the war and averting the escalating crises.”
He explained that “Iraqi interests require the leaders of the framework to expedite the resolution of the government formation issue, especially given the violation of constitutional deadlines,” noting that “the judiciary has stressed the need to adhere to constitutional deadlines for resolving the three presidencies.”
He added that "Iraq's geopolitical location makes it directly affected by the developments in the region," noting that "the Iraqi diplomatic voice at the beginning of the war was not up to par, due to the internal political situation, the existence of a caretaker government, and the failure to elect a president, which weakened the effectiveness of external action."
Al-Akeeli pointed out that "the Iraqi government tried to move through multiple diplomatic channels, but it faced obstacles, including the instability of the American position and the lack of clarity regarding the objectives of the war on Iran, as well as the limited powers of the caretaker government, which negatively affected Iraq's diplomatic role."
He explained that "Iraq is greatly affected by regional events, especially on the economic level, given that oil represents the main artery of the state budget in light of the escalating pace and expansion of the war."
Al-Akeeli stressed that “the next stage may witness broader and more influential Iraqi moves after the formation of a new government with full powers, while he considered that the United States and the Zionist entity failed to form an international coalition towards escalation and aggression against Iran.”
In a message to the leaders of the Shia and Sunni blocs in Baghdad, Masoud Barzani stated that electing the president requires further consultations.
The President of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, called for further consultations among political forces regarding the election of the President of the Republic and the appointment of the Prime Minister, stressing that the current stage requires broader consensus to avoid complicating the political scene.
In a letter addressed to the Coordination Framework and the National Political Council, Barzani warned that any attempt to impose the election of the President of the Republic without a prior agreement would be counterproductive and could exacerbate the political division.
He pointed to the importance of adopting a unified Kurdish mechanism for selecting a presidential candidate, in order to ensure fair representation and maintain the unity of the Kurdish position in Baghdad.
In a related context, Barzani stressed that the ongoing war in the region requires Iraqi political forces to freeze their differences and prioritize dialogue and understanding, in order to protect the country's stability and shield it from regional repercussions.
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Power outages hit northern Iran and Tehran after "attacks"
Iran's Energy Ministry said that the capital Tehran, surrounding areas and Alborz province are experiencing power outages "following attacks targeting facilities belonging to the electricity sector."
State television quoted the ministry as saying that "electricity has been cut off in these areas, and efforts are being made to resolve the problem."
US President Donald Trump had previously threatened to strike Iranian energy facilities if Tehran did not agree to negotiate a peace deal, but he has repeatedly extended the deadline set for this purpose.
Washington condemns the targeting of Nechirvan Barzani's house
The United States considered the attack targeting the home of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani to be a direct attack on Iraq's sovereignty, and strongly condemned the operation.
The US State Department said in a statement, “The United States condemns in the strongest terms the despicable terrorist attacks carried out by Iranian-backed terrorist militias in Iraq against the private residence of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.”
He added that “these actions by Iran and its followers represent a direct attack on Iraq’s sovereignty, stability and unity.”
The United States strongly condemned “in the strongest terms these indiscriminate and cowardly acts of terrorism perpetrated by Iran and its terrorist proxies in the Kurdistan Region and throughout Iraq.”
Map of supporters and opponents
Al-Araji just left the meeting... No parliament tomorrow, and Maliki lost the Loyalist and Virtue parties.
The head of the Reconstruction and Development bloc, Bahaa Al-Araji, said that he had just left the meeting of the blocs, where the presidency of the House of Representatives decided that the session to elect the president would be within the next two days, which means that it will not be held tomorrow. He also revealed that a split had occurred within the State of Law coalition with the departure of Abu Alaa Al-Walai and the Virtue Party, as he put it in an interview with journalist Hani Abdul Sahib, which was followed by the 964 network.
Bahaa Al-Araji – Head of the Reconstruction and Development Bloc, chaired by Al-Sudani:
The meeting of the heads of the blocs with the parliament presidency has just ended. All the heads of the blocs were present, including the brothers in the Democratic Party. The majority were in favor of starting with the constitutional entitlements. Yes, there was an objection from the brothers in the State of Law, specifically the Maliki wing in the State of Law. As for the rest, such as the “Abu Alaa Group” and the brothers in the Virtue Party or the Approach Party, they were in favor of holding the session.
There was also a clear objection from the brothers in the Sovereignty Council, headed by Al-Khanjar, and Al-Khanjar is a dagger by nature, and the name is fitting. Muthanna Al-Samarrai was in favor of holding the session, and the foundation was also against holding the session and said: We are with Masoud Barzani and let us give them a chance to provide national consensus.
The brothers in the Democratic Party were opposed and asked for a delay, and yesterday, Brother Fouad Hussein asked one of the leaders of the framework to postpone the session until the end of the war.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives decided that the session to elect the president will be held within the next two days.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives directed a question to the heads of the blocs today during the meeting: “Will you attend the session?” If the answer is yes, how many deputies will attend? The Speaker told them that they will be obligated to bring them to the council, and any absence I will say that this was not true.
The Badr bloc was the first to sign this order; the Rights bloc was in favor of a one-week deadline, after which the session was held.
I imagine that the quorum for the vote on the presidency will be achieved. The list signed by the deputies to hold the session reached 231 deputies, with the withdrawal of the deputies of the law.
The MPs who withdrew believed that this session was a conspiracy to facilitate a second term for al-Sudani.
Today it is clear that the Maliki wing in the State of Law does not want a second term for Mr. Al-Sudani, and Mr. Mohsen Al-Mandalawi was promised by Mr. Maliki that he would be Prime Minister.
The war also "moved away".
Al-Hakim is planning the return of Al-Sudani, and Parliament is ready on Tuesday... Bahaa Al-Araji is very optimistic
The head of the Reconstruction and Development parliamentary bloc, Bahaa al-Araji, revealed on Sunday (March 29, 2029) an intensive political movement led by the Wisdom Movement to reinstate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for a second term as Prime Minister. He confirmed that 9 out of 12 forces within the coordination framework support this direction. Al-Araji indicated that the upcoming parliamentary session next Tuesday will witness the achievement of a two-thirds quorum to elect the President of the Republic, considering any further delay to be a “clear violation of the constitution.” He added that Iraq is exempt from the decision to prevent passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and that Washington informed the Kurdistan Regional Government of the error of its decision to prevent oil exports. Al-Araji also announced that April 8 has been set as the final date for resolving the outstanding entitlements.
The Reconstruction and Development Coalition published, via its Facebook page, a statement by the head of the bloc, Bahaa Al-Araji, which was followed by the 964 Network , in which he revealed that “the two-thirds quorum required to elect the President of the Republic will be achieved in the upcoming parliamentary session on Tuesday, stressing that the opposition does not exceed a minority, foremost among them the “Al-Asas” Coalition, while the Badr Organization and the Victorious and National Approach blocs will be at the forefront of those present.”
Al-Araji explained that “Fuad Hussein requested a postponement of the session, but in his opinion, the current delay constitutes a clear violation of the constitution.”
In the Prime Minister's file, Al-Araji stated that "nine out of twelve forces within the coordination framework support granting Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani a second term, noting that the Wisdom Movement is the owner of this project, and it is supported by the Sadiqun and Badr blocs and the forces of Abu Alaa Al-Walai."
He confirmed that “Nouri al-Maliki pledged to return the position to al-Sudani, and that the decision to withdraw al-Maliki’s nomination was taken implicitly despite the existence of an opposing wing within the State of Law coalition.”
On the security and regional level, Al-Araji praised Al-Sudani’s success in “keeping Iraq away from the war that Israel is trying to drag it into,” stressing that “the authority to declare war is limited to the Commander-in-Chief and Parliament, and that the decision to defend oneself belongs to the Popular Mobilization Forces alone.”
Al-Araji described the targeting of the army in Habbaniyah as an unintentional mistake, while he considered the bombing of Nechirvan Barzani’s house as a blatant attempt to incite strife.
Regarding the international scene, Al-Araji criticized the policies of the Trump administration, describing the decision to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei as a “foolish decision,” stressing that “Iraq is exempt from the decision to prevent passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and that Washington informed the Kurdistan Regional Government of the error of its decision to prevent oil exports.”
In a subsequent post on the “X” platform, Al-Araji said, “With a firm will and sincere parliamentary efforts, today we reaped the fruits of diligent work by setting April 8 as the final date for resolving the stalled entitlements.”
He added, “This achievement would not have seen the light of day were it not for the insistence on breaking the deadlock and moving towards forming a fully empowered government capable of confronting the grave challenges facing Iraq.”
Iran: Strikes target petrochemical plant, National Bank, and Mehrabad Airport
Iranian media reported on Sunday night that two factories, an airport, and a residential area had been hit.
Fars News Agency reported: An attack on a petrochemical production unit in Tabriz did not result in a leak of toxic materials and the situation is under control.
Meanwhile, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported casualties from an airstrike that targeted a residential area north of Tehran.
Iranian television also announced airstrikes targeting a branch of the National Bank and a cardboard factory south of Tehran.
He continued in another report: Air raids targeted Mehrabad Airport west of Tehran.
Iranian Navy: "Abraham Lincoln" is under surveillance and our response will be decisive once it enters firing range
The commander of the Iranian Navy, Admiral Shahram Irani, confirmed that the movements of the American aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln are under surveillance, noting that once it enters within range of their fire, their response will be decisive.
Irani said that his country is closely monitoring the movements of the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the region.
He added that "all the carrier's locations, movements, and requests from countries in the region are subject to close and immediate monitoring," stressing that "as soon as it enters the range of Iranian fire, there will be a response and revenge for the blood of the martyrs in Dena."
Irani asserted that "the eastern Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman are under the complete control of the Iranian naval forces," emphasizing "the readiness of his forces to deal with any field developments in the region."
If you missed the last episode here it is for your watching/listening enjoyment.
TRUMP REVEALS IRAN’S “GIFT” — 10 OIL TANKERS THROUGH HORMUZ?!
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