ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – There are a total of 3,661 foreign companies conducting their business in the Kurdistan Region from a variety of countries, Blind Mohammed, director of the General Directorate of Company Registration, told The New Region on Monday.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has redoubled efforts in recent times to diversify its sources of revenue and make the Region an appealing destination for international businesses to invest in.

A recent visit by KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani marks the latest in a series of initiatives and attempts to that end, during which he oversaw the signing of a number of deals with US firms to develop two oil and gas fields. The two deals presided over by the premier are worth a combined 110 billion US dollars.

Turkey takes the lion's share among the 3,661 foreign companies that operate in the Region with 1,612 Turkish companies, followed by Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Lebanon, the UK, and the US, with 394, 233, 195, 189, and 166 companies, respectively, which work in a wide variety of different sectors, according to a document listing all the foreign companies operating in the Region that Mohammed sent to The New Region.

Mohammed announced earlier in January that nearly 40,000 companies—local and foreign—were registered and active in the Region, with, at the time, 3,527 of the 40,000 being foreign companies. This data shows that 134 new foreign companies have registered to work in the region since January.

Over 2,300 companies registered and acquired licenses to work in the region in the year 2024.