[1][3] (Its origins lay in an earlier private equity firm, Safron Advisors, which had been founded in 1998 and which covered the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

[1] According to the organization Corporate Watch, MerchantBridge ranked 44th out of 66 UK companies in terms of making money in post-invasion Iraq.

[8] MerchantBridge engaged in a number of investments elsewhere in the Middle East, such as a 2008 one with UBS that enabled the Swiss bank to set up operations in Saudi Arabia.

Given the difficulties of the Iraqi post-war insurgency and sectarian violence in that country, the business environment was a challenge, but by 2009 about a third of MerchantBridge's revenues came from investments in Iraq.

Eric Le Blan, the COO of MerchantBridge, said, "Similar to Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the previous decade, Iraq represents a unique investment opportunity and despite appearances is definitely open for business.

Whilst other European countries such as France and Italy have recognised its huge potential, the UK's limited presence is noticeable.

[4][13] Another MerchantBridge founding partner, Abdullah Lahoud, as well as two bankers from JP Morgan and three aircraft personnel, also died in the crash.

[13][7] The loss of Al Rahim and Lahoud left the firm, according to reporting in the Abu Dhabi newspaper The National, "in disarray", with "[its] future ... in question".