Kurdistan
A MyAccount staff member instructs public servants how to withdraw their salary from an ATM. File photo: Rudaw
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have reached an agreement on MyAccount, a government initiative to digitize financial services that has been a source of partisan tension since its launch in March 2023, two sources told Rudaw.
The PUK will support the MyAccount project after reaching an agreement with the KDP on several points, the two sources, members of the party’s delegations engaged in government formation talks, both confirmed.
According to their agreement, MyAccount will now fall under the jurisdiction of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Finance - shifting from its current oversight by the prime minister’s office. Additionally, copies of contracts signed with participating banks will be shared with the PUK.
MyAccount serves as an alternative to Baghdad’s Tawtin (localization) initiative, which also aims to pay public sector salaries in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region via bank accounts instead of handing out cash. Some people, particularly in Sulaimani, have preferred Tawtin over MyAccount due to skepticism about the KRG’s ability to transfer federal funds sent from Baghdad to cover the salaries.
The PUK had been a vocal opponent of the project and pushed for opening branches of federal banks in Sulaimani to register public servants for Tawtin.
“Don’t register for MyAccount - it belongs to Masrour [Barzani, the prime minister],” PUK leader Bafel Talabani said during the October 2024 election campaign. “Do Tawtin instead,” he added.
“MyAccount is over. There is nothing left under that name,” Sozan Mansour, spokesperson for the PUK faction in the Iraqi parliament, told party media just days after the election. “The right move is to open federal bank offices in the [Kurdistan] Region,” she added.
The PUK's position shifted significantly after the beginning of government formation talks with the KDP.
“We are negotiating on both Tawtin and MyAccount, and the talks are going very well, thanks to Prime Minister Masrour Barzani,” Talabani said in February.
As of March, out of more than 1.2 million public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region, 732,000 had registered for MyAccount, 405,000 had received debit cards, and over 550 ATMs had been installed across the region.
The PUK will support the MyAccount project after reaching an agreement with the KDP on several points, the two sources, members of the party’s delegations engaged in government formation talks, both confirmed.
According to their agreement, MyAccount will now fall under the jurisdiction of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Finance - shifting from its current oversight by the prime minister’s office. Additionally, copies of contracts signed with participating banks will be shared with the PUK.
MyAccount serves as an alternative to Baghdad’s Tawtin (localization) initiative, which also aims to pay public sector salaries in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region via bank accounts instead of handing out cash. Some people, particularly in Sulaimani, have preferred Tawtin over MyAccount due to skepticism about the KRG’s ability to transfer federal funds sent from Baghdad to cover the salaries.
The PUK had been a vocal opponent of the project and pushed for opening branches of federal banks in Sulaimani to register public servants for Tawtin.
“Don’t register for MyAccount - it belongs to Masrour [Barzani, the prime minister],” PUK leader Bafel Talabani said during the October 2024 election campaign. “Do Tawtin instead,” he added.
“MyAccount is over. There is nothing left under that name,” Sozan Mansour, spokesperson for the PUK faction in the Iraqi parliament, told party media just days after the election. “The right move is to open federal bank offices in the [Kurdistan] Region,” she added.
The PUK's position shifted significantly after the beginning of government formation talks with the KDP.
“We are negotiating on both Tawtin and MyAccount, and the talks are going very well, thanks to Prime Minister Masrour Barzani,” Talabani said in February.
As of March, out of more than 1.2 million public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region, 732,000 had registered for MyAccount, 405,000 had received debit cards, and over 550 ATMs had been installed across the region.
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