Various banks are to install approximately 235 ATMs in Erbil, accompanied by the establishment of around 80 service centers. This infrastructure aims to facilitate the electronic disbursement of salaries to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) civil servants. The expansion of the MyAccount Initiative is evident through the deployment of ATM stations within banks and the redistribution of certain civil servants to these institutions.
Employees of the KRG, who are civil servants, have the option to withdraw and deposit funds at specific ATMs in Erbil and whole Kurdistan. At present, 10 state-owned banks are distributing bank cards to the employees. Marwan Ahmad, the project supervisor, informed Kurdaily on Monday that they have successfully registered approximately 25,000 accounts for their rightful owners.
Ahmad also highlighted that they are currently collaborating with banks to arrange the installation of ATMs at the designated stations.
The pilot project aims to be completed by 2025, ensuring the integration of all civil servants into the digital payment system. The Department of Information Technology (DIT) of the government took charge of designing, testing, piloting, and implementing a secure application.
This application is essential for enrolling KRG employees in the program, aligning with the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) requirements of the Central Bank of Iraq. A press release previously shared with Kurdaily provided this information.
However, four banks, namely Ashur, BBAC, Cihan, and RT, will provide services for the program. Erbil presently has ATMs operated by five private banks: RT Bank. Cihan Bank. , Ashur International Bank. , National Bank of Iraq. And BBAC Bank. All of these banks, except for the National Bank of Iraq, are to collaborate with MyAccount.
The Kurdistan Region government announced the “My Account” initiative in February 2023 with the aim of digitizing government services and enhancing citizen service. But at the first test, Many criticize this step. However, Many citizens and civil servants applaused this project for easing routines.
