The multibillion dollar South Korean deal to finance Iranian projects and the recent agreement between major Iranian private banks and their South Korean counterparts to boost correspondent ties have prodded top international lenders to strengthen their ties with Iranian banks.
According to the Export Development Bank of Iran’s chief executive, the situation has changed a lot compared with a few years ago as the level of cooperation with major foreign banks has significantly improved.
“After Iran’s nuclear deal, only small- and medium-sized foreign banks forged correspondent banking relations with Iran but after a few years, major international lenders started working with Iranian banks,” Ali Salehabadi also told the state radio.
He mentioned Germany’s Deutsche Bank as an example of a big lender that had no ties with Iran in the past, but currently accepts Iranian payment orders and processes their requests.
EDBI’s top official named Belgium’s KBC bank as another major European bank that has good ties with Iranian banks.
“Austria’s Oberbank, which already has good ties with Iran, is going to sign a new banking deal with our country in the foreseeable future wherein EDBI will also be a part of the contract to receive a credit line,” he said.