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Iraq’s engagement with fintech is new but rapidly developing, amidst a contemporary economic history that has struggled with foreign intervention and internal corruption, while Iranians have been engaging with a form of fintech - alternative digital currencies - for some time, to evade and work around sanctions and a crippled economy.
In this episode we speak to Ali Al-Hilli and Shayan Eskandari, who are working at the intersection of technology and finance, to improve the livelihoods and prosperity in their home countries.
Ali Al-Hilli is a tech entrepeneur from Iraq with over 14 years of experience in business development, telecommunications, and fintech. He is currently Marketing and Communications Director at Miswag, the largest and oldest homegrown e-commerce startup in Iraq.
Shayan Eskandari is a PhD candidate at Concordia University. Originally from Iran, he has a background in blockchain engineering. Shayan is actively involved in creating and supporting open-source projects related to cryptocurrencies. He has been working on nonprofit educational content in Farsi on the topic of blockchain and cryptocurrencies for over a decade.
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![3.3 Re-Appropriating Technologies with and for Refugees and Migrants image](https://media.zencastr.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=90,quality=85/image-files/64b65a914e02ad75a89bebdd/8b4d0357-d39f-4210-aaa2-7bbac5757177.png)
![2.7 Migrant Cuisine in the Expat City with Vidya Balachander image](https://media.zencastr.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=90,quality=85/image-files/64b65a914e02ad75a89bebdd/13808f51-5a9e-4761-9a45-ee2e89b72af6.png)
![2.3 Iraqi Cuisine from Mesopotamia to Mosul with Nawal Nasrallah image](https://media.zencastr.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=90,quality=85/image-files/64b65a914e02ad75a89bebdd/3e8265d9-1651-4cb5-91b0-4bac90f9def8.png)