Iceland Chamber of Commerce

Pay Day is today

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Pay Day 2026 is today, 28 June. From today, an employee starts working for their take-home pay, whereas from the beginning of the year until now they have been working for taxes, pension rights, and pension savings.

On a Yellow Card

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:44:00 GMT

Birta Karen Tryggvadóttir, economist at the Iceland Chamber of Commerce policy division, and Jakob Lars Kristmannsson, specialist at the Iceland Chamber of Commerce policy division, discuss the results of the new IMD competitiveness survey in which Iceland falls seven places year-on-year and now sits in 22nd place out of 70 countries.

A call for clearer metrics in the education system

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT

“The future of Icelandic society depends to a great extent on whether we succeed in building an education system that combines ambition, transparency, and clear metrics for performance.”
This was among the remarks made by Andri Þór Guðmundsson, chairman of the Iceland Chamber of Commerce, in an address at the Reykjavík University graduation ceremony on Saturday, 20 June 2026.

How did the government perform this winter?

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 05:00:00 GMT

The Iceland Chamber of Commerce has reviewed the economic impact of the government's legislative bills during the parliamentary session that has just ended. In total, 52 bills had significant economic effects, and their overall impact is somewhat negative. The impact varied by ministry, but the bills introduced by Jóhanns Páll Jóhannsson, Minister for the Environment, Energy and Climate, and Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir, Minister of Justice, produced the most positive effects.

Iceland falls seven places in competitiveness year-on-year

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Iceland falls seven places year-on-year in competitiveness and now sits in 22nd place out of 70 countries in 2026. Iceland's competitiveness declines across every main factor of the assessment by the IMD business school in Switzerland, which carries out an annual review of national competitiveness.

Is a new fiscal plan on track?

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:01:00 GMT

Birta Karen Tryggvadóttir, economist in the Iceland Chamber of Commerce's policy division, discusses the newly approved fiscal plan and why the target of a balanced budget in 2027 will not be met without changes.

A numerical scale is a step in the right direction

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Viðskiptaráð welcomes the plans of the Minister of Education and Children's Affairs to move final grades in compulsory schools from letters to numbers, but emphasises that a change in the presentation of grades should be part of a larger transformation that ensures grades and assessment criteria are comparable between schools.

One year since ESA complaint over unlawful state aid in the housing market

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:01:00 GMT

One year has now passed since the Iceland Chamber of Commerce submitted a complaint to the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) concerning unlawful state aid in the housing market. The Authority still has the case under review.

Streamlining in arrears

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:00:00 GMT

A government-appointed working group proposed 57 streamlining measures in spring 2025, after the government invited efficiency proposals from the public. Of the 57 proposed measures, 5 have been implemented, 20 are in progress, 6 are planned, and work has not begun on 26. It is important that the government continues to review state operations and puts the streamlining measures into action.

A stranglehold on a lifeline of society

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:17:00 GMT

Björn Brynjúlfur Björnsson, CEO of the Iceland Chamber of Commerce, discusses the dispute between Icelandair and its pilots and asks whether a small group should be able to hold a stranglehold on one of the most important lifelines of Icelandic society.

The Finnish-Icelandic Chamber of Commerce joins the Bilateral Commerce

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 15:03:00 GMT

The Bilateral Chambers welcome the Finnish-Icelandic Chamber of Commerce under their umbrella, which now includes 17 chambers.

The Icelandic Economy 2025

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Iceland’s economy slowed down last year after a strong recovery, but the outlook for coming years is optimistic. The population grows rapidly, mostly thanks to immigration. Export industries have strengthened significantly. The country continues to improve it's competitiveness. All this and more are covered in the latest edition of The Icelandic Economy.

Garðar Víðir Appointed New Chairman of the Arbitration Court of the Iceland Chamber of Commerce

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 09:49:00 GMT

A new board of the Arbitration Court of the Iceland Chamber of Commerce assumed its duties in May. Garðar Víðir Gunnarsson is the new chairman of the court, and Finnur Magnússon has joined the board.