Having access to working capital is considered the most basic requirement of manufacturers in Iran. Under normal circumstances, industry generally obtains liquidity from four main sources: financial institutions, the National Development Fund, the capital market and, ultimately, credit lines and foreign investment.
Accessing capital is becoming more vital, but also more difficult in the presence of barriers imposed by Washington's "maximum pressure" sanctions campaign on Iranian banks and companies. The Iranian government seems to be left with perhaps two options to sponsor domestic industries: the stock market and the banking system. But the Iranian equities market is not deeply developed or investor-friendly. As such, Iranian firms currently are largely reliant on domestic lenders to meet their day-to-day cash requirements. However, the failure of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) to implement modern monetary policies in past years complicates the situation.