Iran has received 22 requests for opening foreign banks: OIETA head

TEHRAN,Nov. 8 (MNA) - The Organization for Investment, Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran (OIETA) has so far received 22 requests in which foreign banks have expressed interest to establish branches in Iran, OIETA head Behrouz Alishiri announced on Monday. The organization is currently in talks with the foreign banks in this regard, Alishiri told without giving details. He also said some 5 billion dollars in foreign investment was approved in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year which began on March 21, 2011. In October, Alishiri said that in terms of the growth of foreign direct investment (FDI), Iran is ranked among the world’s top countries. Despite economic sanctions on the country, more than 400 foreign companies are now directly investing in Iran, he explained. With an 86-percent growth, the foreign investment figure hit the all-time record of $3 billion in 2009, and ranked Iran among the top six countries in this respect.