Digital Economy in a Bind

Instability, indecision and ad hoc policymaking are among major challenges facing Iran’s economy, which make any short-, medium- and long-term planning impossible for people, economic players and small and large businesses.
Masoud Khansari, the president of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, prefaced his article for the Persian economic daily Donya-e-Eqtesad on this note. A translation of the text follows:
The case of Iran’s non-compliance with the Financial Action Task Force, or nuclear negotiations that have been ongoing for more than 20 years are specific examples of this instability. These issues have increased capital flight and reduced foreign investment to an extent that, according to the latest statistics by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade, foreign investments in domestic industries have plummeted by 82.7% in the first half of the current fiscal year (started March 21) compared with the same period of last year.