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The main functions of the Information Technology and Payments Department
June 20, 2023
The Information and Communications Technology Department is considered one of the main departments in the Central Bank, because of its prominent role in computerizing the bank’s business in line with the latest developments in the world of technology and communications. The bank's various activities ensure the management, development, monitoring and auditing of the central bank's basic and supportive banking systems and operations, in accordance with international best practices and in a way that achieves the bank's strategy, in addition to its important role in developing the banking sector in the field of technology and security of information and communications and assisting decision-makers in achieving the objectives of the institution and the transition to E-governance, which directly affects enabling it to carry out its operations within the new organizational structure.
First: the basic tasks:
Contribute to the preparation of strategic plans and organizational excellence plans, follow up on strategic initiatives, and prepare annual and five-year work plans in the field of information and communication technology.
Improving the internal work environment of the bank and increasing harmony and technical harmony in the work between the various departments and sections of the Central Bank, on the one hand, and between the banks that are supervised by the Central Bank on the other hand, which necessitates the compatibility of the organizational level between this department and other departments.
Preparing, developing, and maintaining data centers, accompanied by integrated expert systems within the strategy of the Central Bank, and in line with the developments achieved in information technology and banking communications, and building expertise within the systems, in addition to achieving high specialization.
The possibility of the center working and dealing with other integrated "expert systems".
Preparing rapid response plans in the event of servers being exposed to accidents or intrusions, establishing safe alternative sites, inside and outside Iraq, continuity of work, and avoiding problems of outages and stoppages through the establishment of a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC), and the preparation of backup sites, And follow-up backup storage, and Swift restrictions in it.
Work, in coordination with the departments, to adopt the “Core Banking System” to manage its basic operations, and the “Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System” to manage the support systems for the operations of the Central Bank.
Adopting the information and communication security architecture, with its main elements (confidentiality, integrity, and data availability), and achieving compliance with ISO (ISO 27001), as well as with (Information Systems Audit and Control Association, ISACA) and (Cobit 5), through an advanced department that verifies security Information of the monetary authority represented by the Central Bank.
Manage risks related to information technology and set appropriate controls such as (backup, protection against viruses, intrusions, ...).
Preparing, activating and developing the Business Continuity Plan.
Developing an information security system to ensure the continuity of information availability (availability), confidentiality (security), and integrity (integrity).
Providing the necessary data to support the decision-making process within the departments of the Central Bank, to fulfill the tasks of the bank (as stated in Article 4 of its law) that include providing advisory and financial services to the government and establishing effective and sound systems for supervising them and contemporary communication with central banks and banks.
Securing communication with the branches of the Central Bank, and establishing and maintaining internal and external networks, according to work requirements.
Providing data, information and tools that contribute to the economic forecasting process and support the stability of the national economy.
Monitoring market developments, directing the bank's departments to encourage creativity, reduce operational risk, and reduce costs in all aspects of information technology.
Developing a program to qualify and train the staff in the Information and Communications Technology Department, each according to his specialization and work requirements, to ensure keeping up with recent developments.
Suggest programs and projects necessary for the department, manage them, and supervise the implementation of the necessary plans to ensure their delivery within the timetable, technical specifications, and budget allocated to them.
Follow-up the projects of other departments in terms of design and implementation stages to ensure the completion of projects within the specified timelines and project output requirements, and in accordance with the requirements of best practices and standards in project management such as (Project Management Institute, PMI), and given the importance and specificity of this task, it was introduced in the new organizational structure Project Management Professional (PMO) Division in the field of information and communication technology.
Second: Supporting tasks provided to other departments:
Computerizing the work of all departments of the Central Bank, by providing support services for these systems (management, maintenance, maintenance, and operation). Given the specialization of these works, a group of specialized departments and divisions will implement them in the new organizational structure of the Information and Communications Technology Department.
Providing continuous logistical support for the "National Switch" system for retail payment, and carrying out follow-up and close monitoring.
Providing continuous logistical support for the regular implementation of all systems operating in the bank.
Providing continuous technical support to the Payments Department to start the process of dominating salaries through bank branches and the system of buying and selling securities for the secondary market (CSD).
Training and developing human resources in the fields of information and communication technology to meet the requirements of the Bank's departments.
Contribute to the allocation of human, financial, material and informational resources, defining roles and responsibilities, and setting policies.
Developing the “Knowledge Strategy” at the Central Bank and its action plans, ensuring the building of “E-Knowledge” and implementing awareness-raising and training programs in the Bank’s departments and sections.
Implementing electronic archiving of the bank's operations, and all internal and external administrative correspondence.
Develop bills of quantities, determine the duration of project implementation, propose workshops with banks to unify policies, propose developmental approaches, and achieve comprehensive quality.
Contribute to the computerization of human resources management according to international standards.
Monitoring the Banks Linkage Network (IIBN), operating and maintaining its related devices within the framework of the Central Bank's work, providing technical support to banks in relation to these systems, following up the work of banks on the network, securing ways to communicate with them, following up on the main broadcasting stations, and developing the communications infrastructure.
Achieving information interconnection and electronic transactions with ministries, banks, institutions and individuals in order to provide the necessary information to implement the instructions and monitor the extent of compliance with them.
Participate in the selection of suppliers with regard to the banking, financial and administrative systems that the Central Bank plans to purchase and operate.
Provide "help desk" service, and shared files service.
Conducting analysis and study of systems, following up the application of computerized systems, identifying and automating maintenance needs, and managing databases locally or externally.
Providing and maintaining integrated application systems that support the central bank's basic banking operations and support services.
Providing the infrastructure, systems, applications, and devices to ensure the optimal use of available information and communication technology resources, identifying the needs of systems, devices, and their accessories, working on providing them, following up on their development as needed, and providing the appropriate work environment to maintain them.
Create and manage user accounts, set up a single sign-on mechanism for users, and grant them powers according to business requirements.
Managing, updating and installing databases so that they are integrated, available and serve business requirements.
Building and maintaining the electronic portal (E-Portal) of the bank.
Equipping and maintaining computers, peripheral devices, maintaining local area networks, providing technical advice for new devices, and managing the stock of spare and operational materials.
Documenting the approved programs for the required systems in the bank’s departments and keeping copies of them.
The tasks and duties of the formations of the Payments Department
The Payments Section is concerned with the implementation of electronic payment systems through (operating, managing and maintaining) the systems in addition to the completion of projects that contribute to promoting the use of electronic payment tools instead of cash and instruments in financial transactions, and among its tasks:
Developing the infrastructure of payment systems according to international standards.
Supervising and controlling the financial operations carried out through the systems, in addition to supervising the participants in the systems, including banks and electronic payment service providers.
Develop plans to complete projects.
Approving the granting of licenses to electronic payment service providers from a technical point of view.
Among the most important projects that the Payments Department is currently working on is the nationalization of salaries project, the project of automating the work of ministries and government departments, and the electronic collection project.
First - The Planning and Follow-up Division consists of the following divisions:
1. The Statistics and Reports Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Preparing periodic statistics and reports available in the systems.
Preparing customized statistics and reports upon request, which need programming to extract them, in coordination with the Technical Support Division in this department.
Preparing statistics and reports related to payment systems and distributing them to the relevant departments in the Central Bank for the purposes of publication and distribution through various media.
Carrying out comparative studies (quantitative / or qualitative) on the transactions executed through the systems and upon request, and providing them to the administration.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
2. User Procedures Division whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Develop procedures for the user and update them periodically.
Preparing, publishing, updating and distributing work manuals for the uses of the systems, either in hard copies or electronic copies.
Follow-up the implementation of the tasks, duties and powers assigned to each department.
Preparing training plans related to payment systems for department departments, banks, electronic payment service providers and state departments, and conducting coordination for their implementation.
Preparing the job description in the department and updating it when needed.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
3. Project Implementation Follow-up Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Participate in preparing future plans for the proposed projects in the department and in coordination with the relevant authorities.
Studying the new payment systems projects to be established and determining their economic feasibility in coordination with the Quality Assurance Division.
Supervise the implementation of plans and continuous follow-up to ensure project delivery within time, budget and quality, and submit reports to senior management in coordination with the Quality Assurance Division.
Submit periodic reports on the progress of projects.
Proposing strategic programs and projects and discussing the projects proposed by the various departments in coordination with the Quality Assurance Division.
Preparing the requirements for project tender announcement through the self-efforts of the Division's employees and in cooperation with specialized companies in this regard if necessary.
Preparing plans to train and qualify the users of the systems resulting from the projects to ensure the proper functioning and success of work.
Coordinating the use of project resources.
Divide projects within the task structure.
Approving the methodologies and models used in the projects.
Managing change on the scope of projects in the department and according to work requirements.
Work on transferring knowledge to project managers on project management standards.
Follow up the development of project performance plans.
Follow up the implementation of future projects.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
Second: The Supervision and Compliance Division consists of the following divisions:
1. The Division of Examination of Applications, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Contribute and coordinate with the Banking Control Department to study and evaluate license applications to provide payment, settlement and electronic transfer services for funds provided by payment and electronic transfer service providers to ensure that they meet all technical, administrative, financial and legal requirements in coordination with the competent departments in accordance with the instructions issued in this regard.
Coordinating with the Banking Control Department to express an opinion on requests for granting and renewing licenses for providers of electronic payment services for funds and the amendments that have been updated thereon.
Coordinating with the Banking Control Department and the Operations Department - Dispute Division and the Help Desk to follow up on complaints, if any, regarding non-compliance by electronic payment service providers with the instructions issued by this bank in this regard.
Keep records of payment system managers and operators, payment service providers and authorized agents in accordance with the instructions in force, and update them continuously.
Studying modification requests for electronic payment service providers with regard to merger, liquidation, closure and sale of all / or part of the assets of payment service providers in coordination with the Banking Control Department.
Submitting periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
2. Rules and Procedures Division whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Developing the regulatory frameworks and rules for the payment systems that regulate the work of the participants and the means of payment in coordination with the relevant departments.
Coordinating with the relevant departments to determine the technical, administrative, legal and financial requirements and following up the requirements for subscription in payment systems and providing payment services and electronic transfer of funds as payment service providers.
Drawing up work policies and procedures and rules for payment systems in accordance with the best approved international standards and constantly updating them.
Develop the necessary procedures to ensure that customers and participants in payment, clearing and settlement systems obtain all their rights, follow up on complaints when they are submitted, organize the customer relationship with payment service providers, and resolve disputes between them, if any.
Preparing instructions and controls that guarantee the rights of the financial consumer, following up the principles and international standards followed in this field, and determining the minimum level of controls for disclosure by banks and payment service providers that provide payment and electronic transfer services when marketing their services and products to the financial consumer (financial service recipients) and ensuring their commitment to behavior controls. Professionalism and following international principles and standards in this field.
Cooperate with the internal control authorities (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Reporting Office, the Securities Commission, the Ministry of Communications) and the external regulators (the World Bank) to enhance the adequacy of payment systems.
Preparing notes and circulars for banks, payment service providers, and entities subject to supervision and compliance.
Cooperate with international institutions and bodies and central banks in order to follow up on developments in payment, clearing and settlement systems.
Contribute to the development of a comprehensive pricing policy that includes subscription fees and the use of systems, and work to review and update them.
Determine standards and frameworks for risk management processes for participants.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
3. The Compliance Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Coordinating with the concerned departments to ensure the follow-up of the safety of the financial positions of the payment service providers subject to supervision in accordance with the provisions of legislation, instructions and controls approved by the Central Bank in this regard.
Ensuring that all payment service providers subject to supervision comply with legislation, regulations and rules with relevant standards, including the basic principles of the financial market infrastructure issued by the Bank for International Settlements in accordance with best practices and international standards.
Coordinating with the Internal Audit Department, the Banking Control Department, the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Office and the World Bank in areas related to the supervision of payment systems in accordance with the laws and instructions in force in this regard.
Monitoring and evaluating programs to correct abuses on an ongoing basis, according to the timetables for the correction program, and when necessary.
It is mandatory to access the payment systems of payment service providers to view the data.
Work on evaluating payment systems and their fulfillment of technical requirements and their compliance with laws by providing the concerned authorities with reports and data that contribute to conducting continuous monitoring of office and field supervision operations when needed.
Evaluating payment, clearing and settlement systems and business continuity plans and taking the necessary measures to follow up on recommendations in coordination with all relevant authorities.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
Third: Systems Division, which consists of the following divisions
1. Systems Management Division (IRPSI / RTGS / C-ACH system) and its tasks are summarized as follows:
Managing and operating all payment, clearing and settlement systems in the Central Bank.
Follow-up with the Department of Financial Operations and Public Debt Management regarding the operation of the Central Depositary System for Securities CSD.
Determine the working hours of the systems and the times of the sessions through the schedule.
Follow-up and control of operations settlement sessions through the systems.
Monitor the balances and ceilings of the guarantee and the settlement accounts of the participants to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of the systems.
Calculation of wages and fines incurred by the participants for their use of the payment and settlement systems operated by the Central Bank.
Preparing, saving and printing reports on the systems.
Follow-up updates on the systems and conduct the necessary tests on the examination environment, in coordination with the Technical Support Division, the Information and Communications Technology Department, and the concerned banks.
Coding the central bank's magnetic instruments and examining them before providing them to the relevant departments.
Manage the monthly clearing (Payroll) sessions in Iraqi dinars for the Baghdad and Basra branches and follow up on the implementation of salaries for the employees of the Central Bank of Iraq.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
2. Participants Management Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Follow up on administrative matters related to banks' participation in the regulations.
Sending informational messages to participants in the event of any change in the systems (changing the start or end time of work, changing session times, adding a new participant to the system, or notifying them of the need to bring electronic authorizations to renew their powers
Continuous communication with the participants in the systems of banks and bank directorates and providing directives that ensure the progress of work without interruption.
Receiving notifications of the problems facing the participants, classifying them, and providing proposed solutions to address them in coordination with the concerned authorities.
Follow-up documenting the data of participants in the systems and constantly updating them in order to ensure speedy communication with them when needed.
Holding training courses for new participants in the systems.
Preparing and updating work manuals for payment systems, after completing tests on systems or updates of new systems functions.
Examine the instruments submitted by the banks to ensure that they comply with the required security specifications and give the original approval in preparation for their use.
Examination of instruments submitted by net banks to ensure that they comply with security specifications and to give final approval in preparation for their use.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
3. The Compliance Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Matching balances between payment systems and the ICBS accounting system.
Help settle differences between the participants.
Monitor net settlements of transfers and follow up on their processing with the IRPSI system through the RTGS system.
Reload transfers and transfer them to the main accounting system ICBS in cases of suspension or non-conformity.
Extracting reports and conducting reconciliations between payment systems, liquidation, settlements and the accounting system.
Matching the fees imposed on the systems with the transactions actually executed.
Managing and following up the function of linking the internal accounting systems of banks and the accounting system of the Central Bank. ICBS
Keeping the balances of the participants in the RTGS system.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
Fourth: Operations Division, consisting of the following divisions:
1. The Division of Conflicts, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Receiving all inquiries related to users of payment systems, and transferring them to the relevant departments and divisions in the department, each according to his competence.
Communicate with the departments and people in the relevant department, each according to its competence, to follow up on the measures taken to solve problems received from users and participants.
Participate in the preparation and drafting of an agreement for settling disputes and resolving disputes in preparation for its signature by the participants in the systems for duly approval.
Follow-up disputes related to regulations and contribute to resolving them in accordance with the instructions issued in this regard to ensure that all parties obtain their rights.
Educating the financial consumer (institutions and individuals) of his rights and ensuring that he obtains them.
Follow-up problems presented by participants and users and provide solutions in cooperation with the various departments in the Payments Department and related departments.
Identifying repeated complaints after studying, analyzing and treating them, which constitute a phenomenon, finding the necessary solutions for them, and recommending amending procedures and instructions to ensure that they do not occur in the future.
Establishing a database of complaints submitted to the Central Bank and preparing records of completed procedures.
Participate in special arbitration committees, if necessary, to adjudicate disputes that arise between participants in payment systems.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
2. The National Switchboard Management Division N.S. Its tasks are summarized as follows:
Follow up the system administrations and related infrastructure, monitor the communication between the system and the participants, and note the existence of any problems in the application interfaces.
Monitoring the movements (received and sent) that are made through the system.
Maintaining electronic records of the operations carried out through the system.
Extracting the NSI net settlement files and sending them through the RTGS system and following up on their settlements to maintain continuity of the link with the real-time gross settlement system or any clearing and settlement system to be determined.
Receiving the net settlement files from the participants' exchanges and conducting reconciliation and settlement operations later.
Contribute to defining the necessary infrastructure, including software and hardware, for the national exchange system, with the implementation, supervision and follow-up of all subscriber integration testing operations (connection operations) with the system.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
3. Systems Technical Support Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Create and modify login accounts for payment systems.
Establishing and amending the electronic authorization E - Token, and following up its renewal for users of payment systems in accordance with the payment systems.
Change the password for user accounts.
Granting or modifying the necessary powers for user accounts or accounts used to manage the system.
Create or modify groups of authorities on payment systems.
Reactivate suspended user accounts.
Monitor and follow up the performance of the systems to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of their performance and the absence of any problems.
Continuous communication and coordination with subscribers, following up on their observations, and providing advice to users of the systems in order to ensure smooth workflow.
Evaluating the functional problems facing the workflow of the systems among the participants and trying to find appropriate solutions, if possible, according to the maintenance agreements with the supplying company. As for the technical problems, they are referred to the Information and Communications Technology Department to take the necessary action.
Coordination and follow-up with the Department of Information and Communications Technology regarding the procedures related to the installation of new payment systems and their accessories (for the first time only) for banks and payment service providers.
Coordinating with the Information and Communications Technology Department to retrieve data on the participants' archiving systems, based on a request submitted by the participants to the Payments Department.
Functional training for users of the systems participants.
Preparing, processing and programming customized reports at the request of the concerned departments.
Contribute to the preparation of a business continuity and disaster recovery plan to ensure that the systems continue to operate in all circumstances without interruption.
Contribute to the preparation and processing of the business continuity website within the Central Bank to ensure business continuity without interruptions for subscribers in emergency cases, in coordination with the Information and Communications Technology Department.
Operating the payment systems on the experimental environment when needed and the environment parallel to the actual environment, in coordination with the Systems Section and the Information and Communications Technology Department.
Contribute to the preparation of technical and functional requirements for new payment systems projects and for announcing tenders, in coordination with the relevant authorities.
Contribute to the preparation of supply and maintenance contracts for current and new payment systems projects, in coordination with the relevant authorities.
Contacting companies that supply payment systems operating in the Central Bank to report a problem related to the functions of the system and send all required documents according to the approved change form and in coordination with the Information and Communications Technology Department.
Adding new banks and branches to the systems.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
4. The Quality Assurance Division includes the following divisions:
:diamonds: The Strategic Planning Unit, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Following up the work of the Payments Department within the Bank's five-year strategic plan.
Work in coordination with the relevant authorities to ensure that the systems and procedures followed are in accordance with international standards for payment systems.
Following up the latest developments in the field of payment systems and preparing a future plan for the continuity of payments.
Calculating completion rates for projects related to the department's departments and following up the progress of projects' work according to a specific timetable within the department's strategic plan.
Submit reports of performance indicators and obstacles that prevent the completion of projects and total and monthly completion rates in relation to the department's five-year strategic plan.
Coordinating with the various departments to communicate with the bank's departments
Identifying future projects and their implementation plans
:diamonds: Evaluation Unit, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Conduct periodic evaluations of the participants.
Analyzing the data of the participants according to statistical analysis programs and extracting the results of the evaluation and submitting a summary of the results in periodic reports and publishing them.
Develop measurement and evaluation tools for evaluation processes.
Evaluation reports regarding evaluation programs.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
Fifth: Financial Inclusion Division
Follow up on the implementation of the Central Bank of Iraq's strategy for financial inclusion.
Cooperation and coordination with relevant external institutions.
Contribute with the Division of Banking Awareness and Public Protection in achieving financial inclusion for individuals and using simplified advertising campaigns, education and education to encourage them to deal with banking services.
Measuring and analyzing the results of financial inclusion indicators and updating them periodically.
Contribute to defining standards for the financial services provided that contribute to enhancing financial inclusion.
Preparing questionnaires to measure the percentage of financial inclusion for all service providers.
Preserving the priorities for work, as well as all the priorities of the Coordinating and Supreme Committee that will be formed later.
Preparing external correspondence on financial inclusion.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, annual and exceptional) to the relevant authorities
https://cbi.iq/news/view/2363
June 20, 2023
The Information and Communications Technology Department is considered one of the main departments in the Central Bank, because of its prominent role in computerizing the bank’s business in line with the latest developments in the world of technology and communications. The bank's various activities ensure the management, development, monitoring and auditing of the central bank's basic and supportive banking systems and operations, in accordance with international best practices and in a way that achieves the bank's strategy, in addition to its important role in developing the banking sector in the field of technology and security of information and communications and assisting decision-makers in achieving the objectives of the institution and the transition to E-governance, which directly affects enabling it to carry out its operations within the new organizational structure.
The tasks of the department can be divided into two groups of tasks: basic and supportive, as follows:
First: the basic tasks:
Contribute to the preparation of strategic plans and organizational excellence plans, follow up on strategic initiatives, and prepare annual and five-year work plans in the field of information and communication technology.
Improving the internal work environment of the bank and increasing harmony and technical harmony in the work between the various departments and sections of the Central Bank, on the one hand, and between the banks that are supervised by the Central Bank on the other hand, which necessitates the compatibility of the organizational level between this department and other departments.
Preparing, developing, and maintaining data centers, accompanied by integrated expert systems within the strategy of the Central Bank, and in line with the developments achieved in information technology and banking communications, and building expertise within the systems, in addition to achieving high specialization.
The possibility of the center working and dealing with other integrated "expert systems".
Preparing rapid response plans in the event of servers being exposed to accidents or intrusions, establishing safe alternative sites, inside and outside Iraq, continuity of work, and avoiding problems of outages and stoppages through the establishment of a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC), and the preparation of backup sites, And follow-up backup storage, and Swift restrictions in it.
Work, in coordination with the departments, to adopt the “Core Banking System” to manage its basic operations, and the “Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System” to manage the support systems for the operations of the Central Bank.
Adopting the information and communication security architecture, with its main elements (confidentiality, integrity, and data availability), and achieving compliance with ISO (ISO 27001), as well as with (Information Systems Audit and Control Association, ISACA) and (Cobit 5), through an advanced department that verifies security Information of the monetary authority represented by the Central Bank.
Manage risks related to information technology and set appropriate controls such as (backup, protection against viruses, intrusions, ...).
Preparing, activating and developing the Business Continuity Plan.
Developing an information security system to ensure the continuity of information availability (availability), confidentiality (security), and integrity (integrity).
Providing the necessary data to support the decision-making process within the departments of the Central Bank, to fulfill the tasks of the bank (as stated in Article 4 of its law) that include providing advisory and financial services to the government and establishing effective and sound systems for supervising them and contemporary communication with central banks and banks.
Securing communication with the branches of the Central Bank, and establishing and maintaining internal and external networks, according to work requirements.
Providing data, information and tools that contribute to the economic forecasting process and support the stability of the national economy.
Monitoring market developments, directing the bank's departments to encourage creativity, reduce operational risk, and reduce costs in all aspects of information technology.
Developing a program to qualify and train the staff in the Information and Communications Technology Department, each according to his specialization and work requirements, to ensure keeping up with recent developments.
Suggest programs and projects necessary for the department, manage them, and supervise the implementation of the necessary plans to ensure their delivery within the timetable, technical specifications, and budget allocated to them.
Follow-up the projects of other departments in terms of design and implementation stages to ensure the completion of projects within the specified timelines and project output requirements, and in accordance with the requirements of best practices and standards in project management such as (Project Management Institute, PMI), and given the importance and specificity of this task, it was introduced in the new organizational structure Project Management Professional (PMO) Division in the field of information and communication technology.
Second: Supporting tasks provided to other departments:
Computerizing the work of all departments of the Central Bank, by providing support services for these systems (management, maintenance, maintenance, and operation). Given the specialization of these works, a group of specialized departments and divisions will implement them in the new organizational structure of the Information and Communications Technology Department.
Providing continuous logistical support for the "National Switch" system for retail payment, and carrying out follow-up and close monitoring.
Providing continuous logistical support for the regular implementation of all systems operating in the bank.
Providing continuous technical support to the Payments Department to start the process of dominating salaries through bank branches and the system of buying and selling securities for the secondary market (CSD).
Training and developing human resources in the fields of information and communication technology to meet the requirements of the Bank's departments.
Contribute to the allocation of human, financial, material and informational resources, defining roles and responsibilities, and setting policies.
Developing the “Knowledge Strategy” at the Central Bank and its action plans, ensuring the building of “E-Knowledge” and implementing awareness-raising and training programs in the Bank’s departments and sections.
Implementing electronic archiving of the bank's operations, and all internal and external administrative correspondence.
Develop bills of quantities, determine the duration of project implementation, propose workshops with banks to unify policies, propose developmental approaches, and achieve comprehensive quality.
Contribute to the computerization of human resources management according to international standards.
Monitoring the Banks Linkage Network (IIBN), operating and maintaining its related devices within the framework of the Central Bank's work, providing technical support to banks in relation to these systems, following up the work of banks on the network, securing ways to communicate with them, following up on the main broadcasting stations, and developing the communications infrastructure.
Achieving information interconnection and electronic transactions with ministries, banks, institutions and individuals in order to provide the necessary information to implement the instructions and monitor the extent of compliance with them.
Participate in the selection of suppliers with regard to the banking, financial and administrative systems that the Central Bank plans to purchase and operate.
Provide "help desk" service, and shared files service.
Conducting analysis and study of systems, following up the application of computerized systems, identifying and automating maintenance needs, and managing databases locally or externally.
Providing and maintaining integrated application systems that support the central bank's basic banking operations and support services.
Providing the infrastructure, systems, applications, and devices to ensure the optimal use of available information and communication technology resources, identifying the needs of systems, devices, and their accessories, working on providing them, following up on their development as needed, and providing the appropriate work environment to maintain them.
Create and manage user accounts, set up a single sign-on mechanism for users, and grant them powers according to business requirements.
Managing, updating and installing databases so that they are integrated, available and serve business requirements.
Building and maintaining the electronic portal (E-Portal) of the bank.
Equipping and maintaining computers, peripheral devices, maintaining local area networks, providing technical advice for new devices, and managing the stock of spare and operational materials.
Documenting the approved programs for the required systems in the bank’s departments and keeping copies of them.
The tasks and duties of the formations of the Payments Department
The Payments Section is concerned with the implementation of electronic payment systems through (operating, managing and maintaining) the systems in addition to the completion of projects that contribute to promoting the use of electronic payment tools instead of cash and instruments in financial transactions, and among its tasks:
Developing the infrastructure of payment systems according to international standards.
Supervising and controlling the financial operations carried out through the systems, in addition to supervising the participants in the systems, including banks and electronic payment service providers.
Develop plans to complete projects.
Approving the granting of licenses to electronic payment service providers from a technical point of view.
Among the most important projects that the Payments Department is currently working on is the nationalization of salaries project, the project of automating the work of ministries and government departments, and the electronic collection project.
First - The Planning and Follow-up Division consists of the following divisions:
1. The Statistics and Reports Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Preparing periodic statistics and reports available in the systems.
Preparing customized statistics and reports upon request, which need programming to extract them, in coordination with the Technical Support Division in this department.
Preparing statistics and reports related to payment systems and distributing them to the relevant departments in the Central Bank for the purposes of publication and distribution through various media.
Carrying out comparative studies (quantitative / or qualitative) on the transactions executed through the systems and upon request, and providing them to the administration.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
2. User Procedures Division whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Develop procedures for the user and update them periodically.
Preparing, publishing, updating and distributing work manuals for the uses of the systems, either in hard copies or electronic copies.
Follow-up the implementation of the tasks, duties and powers assigned to each department.
Preparing training plans related to payment systems for department departments, banks, electronic payment service providers and state departments, and conducting coordination for their implementation.
Preparing the job description in the department and updating it when needed.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
3. Project Implementation Follow-up Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Participate in preparing future plans for the proposed projects in the department and in coordination with the relevant authorities.
Studying the new payment systems projects to be established and determining their economic feasibility in coordination with the Quality Assurance Division.
Supervise the implementation of plans and continuous follow-up to ensure project delivery within time, budget and quality, and submit reports to senior management in coordination with the Quality Assurance Division.
Submit periodic reports on the progress of projects.
Proposing strategic programs and projects and discussing the projects proposed by the various departments in coordination with the Quality Assurance Division.
Preparing the requirements for project tender announcement through the self-efforts of the Division's employees and in cooperation with specialized companies in this regard if necessary.
Preparing plans to train and qualify the users of the systems resulting from the projects to ensure the proper functioning and success of work.
Coordinating the use of project resources.
Divide projects within the task structure.
Approving the methodologies and models used in the projects.
Managing change on the scope of projects in the department and according to work requirements.
Work on transferring knowledge to project managers on project management standards.
Follow up the development of project performance plans.
Follow up the implementation of future projects.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
Second: The Supervision and Compliance Division consists of the following divisions:
1. The Division of Examination of Applications, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Contribute and coordinate with the Banking Control Department to study and evaluate license applications to provide payment, settlement and electronic transfer services for funds provided by payment and electronic transfer service providers to ensure that they meet all technical, administrative, financial and legal requirements in coordination with the competent departments in accordance with the instructions issued in this regard.
Coordinating with the Banking Control Department to express an opinion on requests for granting and renewing licenses for providers of electronic payment services for funds and the amendments that have been updated thereon.
Coordinating with the Banking Control Department and the Operations Department - Dispute Division and the Help Desk to follow up on complaints, if any, regarding non-compliance by electronic payment service providers with the instructions issued by this bank in this regard.
Keep records of payment system managers and operators, payment service providers and authorized agents in accordance with the instructions in force, and update them continuously.
Studying modification requests for electronic payment service providers with regard to merger, liquidation, closure and sale of all / or part of the assets of payment service providers in coordination with the Banking Control Department.
Submitting periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
2. Rules and Procedures Division whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Developing the regulatory frameworks and rules for the payment systems that regulate the work of the participants and the means of payment in coordination with the relevant departments.
Coordinating with the relevant departments to determine the technical, administrative, legal and financial requirements and following up the requirements for subscription in payment systems and providing payment services and electronic transfer of funds as payment service providers.
Drawing up work policies and procedures and rules for payment systems in accordance with the best approved international standards and constantly updating them.
Develop the necessary procedures to ensure that customers and participants in payment, clearing and settlement systems obtain all their rights, follow up on complaints when they are submitted, organize the customer relationship with payment service providers, and resolve disputes between them, if any.
Preparing instructions and controls that guarantee the rights of the financial consumer, following up the principles and international standards followed in this field, and determining the minimum level of controls for disclosure by banks and payment service providers that provide payment and electronic transfer services when marketing their services and products to the financial consumer (financial service recipients) and ensuring their commitment to behavior controls. Professionalism and following international principles and standards in this field.
Cooperate with the internal control authorities (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Reporting Office, the Securities Commission, the Ministry of Communications) and the external regulators (the World Bank) to enhance the adequacy of payment systems.
Preparing notes and circulars for banks, payment service providers, and entities subject to supervision and compliance.
Cooperate with international institutions and bodies and central banks in order to follow up on developments in payment, clearing and settlement systems.
Contribute to the development of a comprehensive pricing policy that includes subscription fees and the use of systems, and work to review and update them.
Determine standards and frameworks for risk management processes for participants.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
3. The Compliance Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Coordinating with the concerned departments to ensure the follow-up of the safety of the financial positions of the payment service providers subject to supervision in accordance with the provisions of legislation, instructions and controls approved by the Central Bank in this regard.
Ensuring that all payment service providers subject to supervision comply with legislation, regulations and rules with relevant standards, including the basic principles of the financial market infrastructure issued by the Bank for International Settlements in accordance with best practices and international standards.
Coordinating with the Internal Audit Department, the Banking Control Department, the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Office and the World Bank in areas related to the supervision of payment systems in accordance with the laws and instructions in force in this regard.
Monitoring and evaluating programs to correct abuses on an ongoing basis, according to the timetables for the correction program, and when necessary.
It is mandatory to access the payment systems of payment service providers to view the data.
Work on evaluating payment systems and their fulfillment of technical requirements and their compliance with laws by providing the concerned authorities with reports and data that contribute to conducting continuous monitoring of office and field supervision operations when needed.
Evaluating payment, clearing and settlement systems and business continuity plans and taking the necessary measures to follow up on recommendations in coordination with all relevant authorities.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
Third: Systems Division, which consists of the following divisions
1. Systems Management Division (IRPSI / RTGS / C-ACH system) and its tasks are summarized as follows:
Managing and operating all payment, clearing and settlement systems in the Central Bank.
Follow-up with the Department of Financial Operations and Public Debt Management regarding the operation of the Central Depositary System for Securities CSD.
Determine the working hours of the systems and the times of the sessions through the schedule.
Follow-up and control of operations settlement sessions through the systems.
Monitor the balances and ceilings of the guarantee and the settlement accounts of the participants to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of the systems.
Calculation of wages and fines incurred by the participants for their use of the payment and settlement systems operated by the Central Bank.
Preparing, saving and printing reports on the systems.
Follow-up updates on the systems and conduct the necessary tests on the examination environment, in coordination with the Technical Support Division, the Information and Communications Technology Department, and the concerned banks.
Coding the central bank's magnetic instruments and examining them before providing them to the relevant departments.
Manage the monthly clearing (Payroll) sessions in Iraqi dinars for the Baghdad and Basra branches and follow up on the implementation of salaries for the employees of the Central Bank of Iraq.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
2. Participants Management Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Follow up on administrative matters related to banks' participation in the regulations.
Sending informational messages to participants in the event of any change in the systems (changing the start or end time of work, changing session times, adding a new participant to the system, or notifying them of the need to bring electronic authorizations to renew their powers
Continuous communication with the participants in the systems of banks and bank directorates and providing directives that ensure the progress of work without interruption.
Receiving notifications of the problems facing the participants, classifying them, and providing proposed solutions to address them in coordination with the concerned authorities.
Follow-up documenting the data of participants in the systems and constantly updating them in order to ensure speedy communication with them when needed.
Holding training courses for new participants in the systems.
Preparing and updating work manuals for payment systems, after completing tests on systems or updates of new systems functions.
Examine the instruments submitted by the banks to ensure that they comply with the required security specifications and give the original approval in preparation for their use.
Examination of instruments submitted by net banks to ensure that they comply with security specifications and to give final approval in preparation for their use.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
3. The Compliance Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Matching balances between payment systems and the ICBS accounting system.
Help settle differences between the participants.
Monitor net settlements of transfers and follow up on their processing with the IRPSI system through the RTGS system.
Reload transfers and transfer them to the main accounting system ICBS in cases of suspension or non-conformity.
Extracting reports and conducting reconciliations between payment systems, liquidation, settlements and the accounting system.
Matching the fees imposed on the systems with the transactions actually executed.
Managing and following up the function of linking the internal accounting systems of banks and the accounting system of the Central Bank. ICBS
Keeping the balances of the participants in the RTGS system.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
Fourth: Operations Division, consisting of the following divisions:
1. The Division of Conflicts, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Receiving all inquiries related to users of payment systems, and transferring them to the relevant departments and divisions in the department, each according to his competence.
Communicate with the departments and people in the relevant department, each according to its competence, to follow up on the measures taken to solve problems received from users and participants.
Participate in the preparation and drafting of an agreement for settling disputes and resolving disputes in preparation for its signature by the participants in the systems for duly approval.
Follow-up disputes related to regulations and contribute to resolving them in accordance with the instructions issued in this regard to ensure that all parties obtain their rights.
Educating the financial consumer (institutions and individuals) of his rights and ensuring that he obtains them.
Follow-up problems presented by participants and users and provide solutions in cooperation with the various departments in the Payments Department and related departments.
Identifying repeated complaints after studying, analyzing and treating them, which constitute a phenomenon, finding the necessary solutions for them, and recommending amending procedures and instructions to ensure that they do not occur in the future.
Establishing a database of complaints submitted to the Central Bank and preparing records of completed procedures.
Participate in special arbitration committees, if necessary, to adjudicate disputes that arise between participants in payment systems.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
2. The National Switchboard Management Division N.S. Its tasks are summarized as follows:
Follow up the system administrations and related infrastructure, monitor the communication between the system and the participants, and note the existence of any problems in the application interfaces.
Monitoring the movements (received and sent) that are made through the system.
Maintaining electronic records of the operations carried out through the system.
Extracting the NSI net settlement files and sending them through the RTGS system and following up on their settlements to maintain continuity of the link with the real-time gross settlement system or any clearing and settlement system to be determined.
Receiving the net settlement files from the participants' exchanges and conducting reconciliation and settlement operations later.
Contribute to defining the necessary infrastructure, including software and hardware, for the national exchange system, with the implementation, supervision and follow-up of all subscriber integration testing operations (connection operations) with the system.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
3. Systems Technical Support Division, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Create and modify login accounts for payment systems.
Establishing and amending the electronic authorization E - Token, and following up its renewal for users of payment systems in accordance with the payment systems.
Change the password for user accounts.
Granting or modifying the necessary powers for user accounts or accounts used to manage the system.
Create or modify groups of authorities on payment systems.
Reactivate suspended user accounts.
Monitor and follow up the performance of the systems to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of their performance and the absence of any problems.
Continuous communication and coordination with subscribers, following up on their observations, and providing advice to users of the systems in order to ensure smooth workflow.
Evaluating the functional problems facing the workflow of the systems among the participants and trying to find appropriate solutions, if possible, according to the maintenance agreements with the supplying company. As for the technical problems, they are referred to the Information and Communications Technology Department to take the necessary action.
Coordination and follow-up with the Department of Information and Communications Technology regarding the procedures related to the installation of new payment systems and their accessories (for the first time only) for banks and payment service providers.
Coordinating with the Information and Communications Technology Department to retrieve data on the participants' archiving systems, based on a request submitted by the participants to the Payments Department.
Functional training for users of the systems participants.
Preparing, processing and programming customized reports at the request of the concerned departments.
Contribute to the preparation of a business continuity and disaster recovery plan to ensure that the systems continue to operate in all circumstances without interruption.
Contribute to the preparation and processing of the business continuity website within the Central Bank to ensure business continuity without interruptions for subscribers in emergency cases, in coordination with the Information and Communications Technology Department.
Operating the payment systems on the experimental environment when needed and the environment parallel to the actual environment, in coordination with the Systems Section and the Information and Communications Technology Department.
Contribute to the preparation of technical and functional requirements for new payment systems projects and for announcing tenders, in coordination with the relevant authorities.
Contribute to the preparation of supply and maintenance contracts for current and new payment systems projects, in coordination with the relevant authorities.
Contacting companies that supply payment systems operating in the Central Bank to report a problem related to the functions of the system and send all required documents according to the approved change form and in coordination with the Information and Communications Technology Department.
Adding new banks and branches to the systems.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional)
4. The Quality Assurance Division includes the following divisions:
:diamonds: The Strategic Planning Unit, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Following up the work of the Payments Department within the Bank's five-year strategic plan.
Work in coordination with the relevant authorities to ensure that the systems and procedures followed are in accordance with international standards for payment systems.
Following up the latest developments in the field of payment systems and preparing a future plan for the continuity of payments.
Calculating completion rates for projects related to the department's departments and following up the progress of projects' work according to a specific timetable within the department's strategic plan.
Submit reports of performance indicators and obstacles that prevent the completion of projects and total and monthly completion rates in relation to the department's five-year strategic plan.
Coordinating with the various departments to communicate with the bank's departments
Identifying future projects and their implementation plans
:diamonds: Evaluation Unit, whose tasks are summarized as follows:
Conduct periodic evaluations of the participants.
Analyzing the data of the participants according to statistical analysis programs and extracting the results of the evaluation and submitting a summary of the results in periodic reports and publishing them.
Develop measurement and evaluation tools for evaluation processes.
Evaluation reports regarding evaluation programs.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual and exceptional).
Fifth: Financial Inclusion Division
Follow up on the implementation of the Central Bank of Iraq's strategy for financial inclusion.
Cooperation and coordination with relevant external institutions.
Contribute with the Division of Banking Awareness and Public Protection in achieving financial inclusion for individuals and using simplified advertising campaigns, education and education to encourage them to deal with banking services.
Measuring and analyzing the results of financial inclusion indicators and updating them periodically.
Contribute to defining standards for the financial services provided that contribute to enhancing financial inclusion.
Preparing questionnaires to measure the percentage of financial inclusion for all service providers.
Preserving the priorities for work, as well as all the priorities of the Coordinating and Supreme Committee that will be formed later.
Preparing external correspondence on financial inclusion.
Submit periodic reports on the Division's activities (weekly, monthly, annual and exceptional) to the relevant authorities
https://cbi.iq/news/view/2363
