KRG Reports Significant Progress in Digital Salary Banking Initiative

As of October, the KRG Council of Ministers Presidency’s Department of Media and Information revealed that 1.14 million salary recipients, representing 99% of the total, have signed up for the program. A total of 1.07 million bank cards have been issued, covering 94% of salary recipients.

In the latest salary cycle for September, 1.02 million people received their salaries digitally, equating to 90% of all salary recipients. This initiative is conducted in coordination with the Central Bank of Iraq, aiming to enhance access to modern banking services and empower salary recipients in managing their finances.

According to the government data, more than 11 trillion Iraqi dinars have been distributed via the program, with an additional 62 billion dinars remaining in bank accounts from six participating banks. The current operation includes nearly 800 ATMs at 200 locations, with a goal to expand this number to 1,000 in accordance with Central Bank regulations.

Seven banks are part of the initiative, including RT Bank, Cihan Bank, and the National Bank of Iraq. RT Bank leads with 205 ATMs, followed by Cihan Bank with 177 and the National Bank of Iraq with 158.

The digital salary program serves multiple beneficiary categories: civil servants at 398,293 individuals (39.2%), pensioners at 313,844 (30.9%), military personnel at 237,763 (23.4%), and families of martyrs at 66,390 (6.5%).

Erbil has the highest number of beneficiaries receiving digital salaries, totaling 422,130, followed by Sulaimani with 372,194, Duhok with 196,741, and Halabja with 25,225.

The KRG also noted additional services through the system, including advance notifications for salary distribution dates, ATM withdrawals, and access to various banking products. There remains an option for unregistered salary recipients to sign up through public banks or departmental accounting units.

The MyAccount team will continue distributing undelivered bank cards. Beneficiaries will soon have the option to switch banks with some restrictions and can withdraw cash from ATMs of participating banks, subject to a transaction fee of 0.04%, capped at 4,000 Iraqi dinars. Salary distribution schedules are communicated through the MyAccount WhatsApp channel, while assistance can be sought through designated banks or the MyAccount contact center at 1991.