Iraq to seek up to $500 million in loans from Islamic Development Bank

Iraq will seek up to $500 million in loans from the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to help cover its projected deficit, complementing the country's return to the international debt market, according to the bond's prospectus. Baghdad wants to raise up to $6 billion in a series of dollar-denominated bonds, Iraq's first in nine years, to fund salaries as well as infrastructure projects in the oil and gas, electricity and transportation sectors.