🇮🇸 Iceland News

Author Ragnar Jónasson takes on new role

Ragnar Jónasson, who works as a lawyer and also writes books, has started a new role as a special adviser at the law firm LOGOS. The move places him at one of Iceland's best-known firms while he continues his writing on the side. He has spent years combining the two professions, and the balance between them has become part of his public image. His novels have found readers well beyond Iceland, keeping his name in circulation in two very different circles. Neither Jónasson nor LOGOS has detailed what his day-to-day duties will involve. The hire still stands out, because few people move between legal practice and publishing so visibly.

mbl.is · world F

Icelandic innovation company Flow signs U.S. distribution agreement

Icelandic innovation company Flow has signed a distribution agreement with the US firm USVetServe. The deal opens a route for Flow's meditation and wellbeing technology to reach American veterans. The company's offering centers on meditation tools designed to help users manage stress in everyday life. Partnering with an organisation that works with former service members gives Flow access to a group that often carries heavy stress loads. The agreement fits a wider pattern of Icelandic wellness technology finding buyers abroad. Neither side published numbers, so the scale and pace of the rollout remain unclear. Flow has yet to say whether USVetServe will carry the full range or start with a smaller selection.

mbl.is · economy F

We would be cutting interest rates under normal circumstances

Iceland would be cutting interest rates under normal circumstances, but the inflation picture is keeping that move off the table for now. The economy is clearly cooling, and job creation has slowed to some extent. Even so, export industries are holding their ground, with fisheries and aluminium production performing well. Tourism is also doing reasonably well all things considered. The Icelandic krona remains relatively strong, and a young data centre industry is emerging as an extra source of revenue. The complication is inflation, which still stands at 5.9 percent despite the broader slowdown. Uncertainty over the labour market adds a further layer of caution. All of this explains why a cut that would otherwise be an easy call is being held back.

mbl.is · world F