PM Barzani attends unveiling of new electronic payment project 

Currently, two Kurdish banks—Cihan Bank and RT Bank—are taking part in the project, but the project is open to other entities as well, the premier said.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (right) shaking hands with health workers at Erbil Maternity Teaching Hospital, March 7, 2023. (Photo: KRG)
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (right) shaking hands with health workers at Erbil Maternity Teaching Hospital, March 7, 2023. (Photo: KRG)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday visited newly established electronic banking machines (ATM), near a maternity hospital in Erbil, where hundreds of public employees for the first time received their monthly salaries through a new financial inclusion program, recently introduced by the government. 

The premier held a press conference at the health center, where he spoke about the financial inclusion pilot program, #MyAccount, the government is implementing. 

“Due to the lack of basic infrastructure, we were not able to benefit from the financial service sector in the past,” he said, adding the government has initiated this project to guarantee the rights of its citizens and build “trust.”

Currently, two Kurdish banks—Cihan Bank and RT Bank—are taking part in the project, but the project is open to other entities as well, the premier said.

PM Barzani called for other banks to take part in the project, with the goal of including more than a million users by 2025.

The government is planning to increase the number of ATMs across the Kurdistan Region to 1,000.

During his meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos in late January, he discussed the government’s efforts to develop its banking sector. There is a “willingness” from other countries and international banks to work with the Kurdistan Region as a banking partner, PM Barzani said.

He said the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) is also supporting our project. The Deputy CBI Governor on Saturday congratulated the Region for implementing its “progressive and international” program. 

As part of the government's plan to go paperless by 2025 and attract foreign investment, the KRG has been ramping up its digitization process. So far, driving licenses and issuing visas have been digitized.