Some Erbil ATMs struggle with cash withdrawal surge

ERBIL — Public servants in Erbil are facing mounting frustration as the Kurdistan Regional Government’s new “My Account” initiative struggles with demand and banks scramble to keep ATMs stocked with cash, leaving many unable to withdraw their long-overdue salaries.

The My Account project, launched in September 2023, is the KRG’s ambitious financial inclusion initiative aimed at digitizing salary distribution for over one million public sector employees and ensuring every public sector employee has a checking account.

The KRG announced that 193 ATMs have been installed across 63 locations, with plans to expand further into Sulaymaniyah and Duhok.

Long queues have faced specially-commissioned ATM booths, as salary and pension payments delayed for months were finally disbursed by Baghdad. The sudden surge in demand has seen ATMs run out of cash.

Civil servant Yasin Abdullah voiced his frustration to 964media, saying, “I came at night, and it had no money. Then I came early in the morning, and it was the same. Now I’ve come again, and still no money. What kind of ‘My Account’ is this?

He added, “How is it fair for someone to come four or five times, and the ATM still doesn’t have money? If they have an ATM, they should track it and make sure it never runs out of money.”

When inserting their cards, users have been met with an error message on the ATM screen stating, “Sorry, the ATM is temporarily out of service.”

Ahmed Tofiq, another employee, echoed similar sentiments. He told 964media, “We’ve been here since 8 a.m. this morning, waiting, and the ATM still doesn’t have any money. Their employees keep saying they’re about to fill it, but nothing has happened. We came this morning full of hope, but once again, it still had no money.”

An official from My Account, speaking anonymously as they were not authorized to speak to the media, admitted to 964media that the surge in registrations has caused operational strain on the system this month. “The process is running very smoothly in Sulaymaniyah and Duhok where fewer employees are registered, but in Erbil, the surge in registrations has put considerable pressure on ATMs, leading to more crowding,” the official said.

According to the latest data released today by My Account, 120,000 employees received their July salaries through the system, a notable increase from 75,000 in June and 50,000 in May.

Responding to complaints about unanswered calls to My Account customer service, the official acknowledged, “It’s true that in some locations it happens, but we are continuously dispatching our teams to resolve these issues.”

The official confirmed that measures are being taken to address the ATM shortages. “We continuously monitor the situation and have designated certain locations for banks to increase the number of ATMs. We have also requested banks to enhance their mobile teams to address issues, whether it’s refilling ATMs with cash or fixing technical problems,” they said.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani emphasized the successes of the initiative. Speaking at the Hi-Tech Expo in Erbil on Sept. 3, Barzani announced that the region’s banking sector has grown fivefold over the past 10 months, attributing the growth to the “My Account” initiative. “Our banking system is stronger and more efficient than ever. In just 10 months, we have achieved fivefold growth, proving the effectiveness of our strategy,” he said.

Barzani defended the ambitious goal of enrolling one million public sector employees into the banking system within a year, calling it a “challenging but essential step” toward economic modernization. He promised to increase the number of ATMs to 1,000 to better serve the system’s participants.

As of 2024, several banks are participating in the system, including Cihan Bank, RT Bank, National Bank of Iraq, BBAC Bank, and Iraqi Islamic Bank, all part of the Central Bank of Iraq’s Tawteen program. This program, which includes 43 banks such as Rafidain and Rasheed Banks, is aimed at enhancing banking services in Iraq.