Some in Sulaymaniyah face problems accessing cash withdrawals with TBI

SULAYMANIYAH — Public employees in Sulaymaniyah reported fresh problems accessing their salaries through the Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI), with empty ATMs and delays in bank card distribution leaving many unable to withdraw cash.

A resident told 964media the difficulties left several workers “without access to their wages,” while others voiced frustration at repeated trips to branches.

Dr. Narmin Maarouf, a member of Iraq’s parliamentary finance committee, said she followed up after receiving complaints. “We followed up on the problems at the Sulaymaniyah branch of the bank, and the manager promised to resolve them as soon as possible with the help of the relevant offices in the city,” she said. Maarouf added that TBI’s general manager in Baghdad, Bilal Sabah, assured her the situation was temporary and caused by the high number of new account openings.

The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Finance and Economy expressed concern, noting around 24,000 employees in Sulaymaniyah rely on TBI for salary payments. The ministry confirmed that 27 billion dinars were transferred to the bank between Sept. 1–3 to cover payments and urged TBI to increase staff and extend working hours.

The wider “My Account” initiative has expanded. The KRG said more than 900,000 employees are now enrolled, with over 465,000 withdrawing salaries “easily and without overcrowding” in recent rounds. Launched in September 2023, the project is designed to modernize salary payments for 1.2 million public sector employees by reducing reliance on cash.

Earlier this year, Aziz Ahmed, deputy chief of staff to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, criticized TBI for failing to install promised ATMs and delaying card distribution, saying “the scale of the issues with this bank can no longer be overlooked.”

The KRG has pledged to register all public employees in the system by the end of 2025.