The Government Has Taken Major Steps To Promote Electronic Payments And Financial Inclusion, Achieving Qualitative Leaps In 2025.
Money and Business Economy News – Baghdad A government source revealed the steps taken by the Iraqi government to develop and promote electronic payments, noting that since the Iraqi government assumed office more than two and a half years ago, the importance of a strong and efficient banking system has become clear to it.
The development of electronic payments and increased financial inclusion in the country are among its most prominent features.
The government and the Prime Minister have considered this goal a top priority, as it is a key objective in the strategies of countries around the world, given its close connection to economic stability and growth.
The source added to Al-Eqtisad News that the Iraqi government has taken a series of decisions and measures through the Council of Ministers and the Ministerial Council for the Economy, in addition to the committees emanating from them, which include representatives from the government, the Central Bank, and the private sector, to monitor this aspect.
These committees include the Electronic Payment Performance Monitoring Committee, the Electronic Payment and Financial Inclusion Stimulation Committee, the Digital Transformation Committee, and the Digital Transformation and Electronic Payment Process Evaluation Committee in Iraqi Ministries and Government Institutions.
He explained that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani had previously issued a set of decisions and directives based on reports received from these committees, which led to significant progress in several indicators in this field during 2025, as
:
- The percentage of digital transformation of Iraqi ministries and institutions rose to about 32%, after it was less than 18% in 2022, with a growth rate of
It reached 78%.
The number of bank accounts reached approximately 20 million, compared to 8 million in 2022, a growth exceeding 150%.
The number of bank cards also increased to 21-22 million cards (of all types, including credit, debit, and prepaid), up from 16 million cards in 2022, representing a growth rate of 38%.
The number of point-of-sale (POS) devices reached approximately 62,000, up from less than 10,000 in 2022, a growth of 520%.
The number of ATMs reached approximately 7,531, up from approximately 2,223 in 2022, a growth rate of 239%.
Total electronic payments reached approximately 1.37 trillion dinars in May 2025, compared to less than 90 billion dinars at the end of 2022, with a growth rate of 1,400%.
Data indicates that financial inclusion in Iraq has reached approximately 40%, up from less than 10% in 2019.
The source revealed that "the Prime Minister recently issued a number of future decisions related to a number of important projects in the field of electronic payments, stressing the need to complete them as soon as possible.
These projects include:
- Activation of the local card, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
- Activate the fast payment project.
- Activating the unified electronic collection application.
- Localizing private sector salaries in line with the government sector.
- Establishing a unified center for complaints related to electronic payment transactions, headquartered at the National Data Center.
The source also expected these projects to be completed in less than a year, stressing that their implementation would contribute to Iraq's advancement to a new level among advanced countries in this field. 232 viewshttps://economy-news.net/content.php?id=57098
