2008 in Iceland

The following lists events that happened in 2008 in Iceland.

Map of the 2008 Iceland earthquake

← 2007 2006 2005 2008 in Iceland → 2009 2010 2011
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2008 Timeline of Icelandic history

Incumbents

• President – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
• Prime Minister – Geir Haarde

Events

May

• May 29 - A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale strikes Iceland near the town of Selfoss.

September

• September 29 - The government of Iceland takes control of the country's number three bank, the struggling Glitnir Bank.

October

• October 7 - Subprime mortgage crisis
  • Russia agrees to provide Iceland with emergency loans of 4 billion euros ($5.4 billion).
  • Iceland's Financial Supervisory Authority takes control of troubled Landsbanki Bank.
• October 9 - Kaupthing Bank, Iceland's largest bank, is nationalized by the country's Financial Supervisory Authority.
• October 21 - Iceland's Kaupthing Bank fails to pay interest to its 50-billion-yen (US$493 million) bondholders in Japan.
• October 29 - Danish-based low-cost carrier Sterling Airlines files for bankruptcy and stops all passenger flights after its cash-strapped Icelandic investors were unable keep the company afloat.

November

• November 19 - The International Monetary Fund approves a US$2.1 billion rescue package for Iceland following its financial crisis.