The quality of Icelandic healthcare scores very high in OECD’s – Health at a Glance 2009. Be it treatment of coronary arrest or cerebral hemorrhage, or life expectancy of diagnosed breast cancer patients, Iceland rates top of the list.

Iceland joins the Netherlands on the top of the table, in a EUROSTAT survey, when it comes to household connections to the internet, where 90% of households are connected. As a whole connected European homes have increased from 60% to 65% in the course of one year.

The Central Bank of Iceland has taken the first step in the sequenced removal of the capital controls by permitting inflows of foreign currency for new investments and potential outflows of foreign currency that may derive from such investments in the future.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the first review of Iceland’s economic performance. The completion enables the process of $167.5 million loan to Iceland. The Ministry of Economic also announced that following the IMF completion an additional loan from the Nordic countries, amounting to $625 million, was expected.

Last Wednesday, Invest in Iceland Agency along with the Trade Council of Iceland and the Ministry of Industry, held a conference on Foreign Direct Investment into Iceland.

Iceland still maintains a strong position in the top 30 most competitive economies in the Global Competitiveness Report 09 – 10. Despite a nationalization of all major banks following a collapse in the countries financial sector Iceland still holds an incredible 26th spot. This is due to the fact that Iceland’s infrastructure is still solid and the economic foundations are sound. The report says that Iceland can rely on a world class education system, highly developed business environment, a flexible labor market, efficient infrastructure and strong institutions and that has secured the country a place in the top 30 in the face of a serious financial crisis.

A group of Norwegian investors, headed by Endre Røsjø, wants to make a 20 billion ISK long-term investment in the Icelandic economy. Røsjø has met with the Icelandic pension funds about creating an investment fund, where the pension funds would match the Norwegian contribution of 20 billion ISK.

Svein Harald Øygard, the former head of the Central Bank of Iceland is quoted to say that Iceland has the highest possibility for wealth creation in all of Europe.