Kurdistan Region Launches e-Psûle Digital Payment Platform
Kurdistan PM Masrour Barzani attends unveiling of unified, fee-free system approved by Iraq’s central bank.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Tuesday will officially launch the e-Psûle project, a unified digital platform designed to modernize government bill payments, in a ceremony attended by Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Ali Al-Allaq, Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, alongside a wide range of investors and business leaders from the Kurdistan Region and across Iraq.
Launching this project marks a significant step in the KRG’s broader push toward digital governance and public-sector reform. Developed and fully owned by the KRG, e-Psûle provides a secure, centralized system for paying government bills electronically, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no additional fees or commissions charged to users.
According to officials, the platform allows citizens to settle bills quickly and securely through multiple digital channels, eliminating the need for in-person, cash-based payments that have long characterized public service delivery in the region.
Ending decades of cash-based inefficiency
For decades, government bill payments in the Kurdistan Region relied heavily on physical cash collection and office visits, often resulting in long queues, high administrative costs, and inefficiencies for both citizens and government institutions. As demand for faster, more transparent public services has grown, these legacy systems have become increasingly unsustainable.
e-Psûle addresses these challenges by enabling citizens to view and pay bills instantly through mobile applications, participating digital wallets, and partner banks. Payments are processed securely and transparently, with digital receipts issued immediately and stored for future reference.
The system has initially been integrated with the Ministry of Electricity, with Runaki electricity billing now available online. Officials said the electricity sector was prioritized to ensure wide public adoption and demonstrate the platform’s core functionality in a high-demand service area.
Citizen-centric and transparent by design
KRG officials emphasized that e-Psûle is designed to put citizens fully in control of their payments. Transactions are initiated solely by users, with no automatic deductions from bank accounts or wallets, ensuring explicit consent at every step. The platform applies zero transaction fees regardless of the payment channel used.
Transparency is a central feature of the system. Bills are displayed in full upfront, charges are itemized using standardized terminology, and users can access historical payment records at any time. Where supported by billers or payment providers, citizens can also pay on behalf of others or make batch payments, adding flexibility within a secure digital framework.
The platform has received official approval from the Central Bank of Iraq, reinforcing its credibility and security standards and positioning it as a long-term pillar of the Kurdistan Region’s digital transformation.
Broader economic and institutional impact
Beyond citizen convenience, e-Psûle is expected to deliver systemic benefits across government institutions and the financial sector. Digital collections allow bill-issuing entities faster access to funds, with settlements typically completed within an average of 72 hours and supported by near real-time tracking.
Automated reporting and digital records significantly reduce the operational burden associated with manual cash handling and paperwork, while partnerships with banks and wallet providers are expected to expand digital payment volumes and strengthen the region’s integration into the global digital economy.
Officials noted that the platform also supports intergenerational inclusion, enabling younger, digitally savvy users to assist older family members in managing payments, helping bridge the gap between traditional practices and modern financial services.
As cities across the Kurdistan Region continue to grow and daily life accelerates, e-Psûle represents a structural shift toward financial transparency, efficiency, and citizen-centric governance—allowing essential tasks to be completed in minutes rather than hours, and signaling a new phase in the region’s digital future.