This website was created to provide information to parties interested in the Icelandic financial market, but not for the purpose of selling securities. We however provide a list of Dealers in Iceland that do offer securities to international investors. Investors have a choice of signing a custody agreement with any of our Primary Dealers, or of internetional settlement through agents like Clearstream or Euroclear.

Icelandic bonds are traded on NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange Iceland. (Members of OMX submit their bid and ask offers on the Exchange between 09:30 and 15:30 GMT each business day. Yield and price information are shown on our Market Overview page (15 min. delay).

The currency market in Iceland is open from 9:15 to 16:00 GMT on business days.

No, you need to go through a member of NASDAQ OMX, preferably one of the Primary Dealers in Government Securities or HFF bonds

Interest paid to non-residents is subject to withholding tax. However, non-residents can apply to the local tax commissioner for tax exemption/reduction if covered by treaty. To apply for a withholding tax exemption/redustion is a simple process and can be done through an agent.

Left-Click once with the mouse on the name of the security you need more information about on the banner on the right. That action will call forth detailed information about that instrument. For details, select show Attributes in the Market overview page.

Each dealer sets his own rules for their service. Some have minimum amounts and others none. Fees for custody accounts are also different depending on deposit amount. For detailed information contact individual dealers

Settlement takes place the next business day after trading or T+1.

In Iceland the standard is two days, T+2, for currency transactions.

Yes, it is the smallest country in the world with its own currency and flexible exchange rate. It is a small flexible economy and in such countries there is a case to interpret the current account differently since it is more volatile. A current account deficit might be optimal since it has to absorb large, lumpy investments and due to consumption smoothing.

Iceland is one of the richest countries in the world and #5 in PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) terms. Iceland‘s institutional rankings are: #5 for Economic Freedom #2 for Low Corruption #4 for Competitiveness #1 for Freedom of the Press

Final maturity, date of interest and principal payments etc. are called forth with a left-click of the mouse on the name of a security on the banner to the right.

Yes, the Government Debt Management (GDM) and the Housing Financing Fund provide information on their Bloomberg pages ICDO and HFFI. Some Primary Dealers also have their own pages ISLA, KAUP, and LAIS. You can also find overview on the Icelandic TSY and Money Market on the page BTMM IC. For news type NI ICE GO.

Icelandic Government-backed securities can be purchase from Primary Dealers. You find a list with contact information here.

Yes, on page ISLA

Yes, the page is KAUP

Yes, the page is LAIS.

Yes, the page is MPIB.

Yes, the page is STRB.

Financial instability occurs when there is a disruption to financial markets in which asymmetric information and hence adverse selection and moral hazard problems become much worse, so that financial markets are unable to efficiently channel funds to those who have the most productive investment opportunities.

There are three major routes to this occuring: 1) Deterioration in bank balance sheets, 2) Deterioration in non-financial balance sheets and 3) Currency crises. A floating FX regime is less likely to lead to instability than a pegged regime (according to Stanley Fischer).

The theory of financial crises does not give them prominent role as there are deeper fundamentals that drive financial instability. Curren account deficits and counterpart of large capital inflows can lead to lending boom that precipate financial instability, but this has not been a problem in Iceland where large current account deficits have been reversed with little stress on the financial system.