Search Results for Sebyan T. S. Al-aaraji

Abstract

The aim of this research is to assess the impact of electronic payments on increasing the volume of deposits in the Iraqi banking sector for the time period (January 2018 – September 2025), using an econometric analytical method that includes descriptive time-series analysis, and estimation of an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. The study uses the indicators of mobile electronic payments and financial transactions processed via the retail payment system (IRPSI) as the independent variables, and the total deposits and current deposits as dependent variables, with the control variables being the money supply, inflation, and oil prices. The results show the gradual growth of the use of electronic payment instruments, especially in terms of the retail payment system, while mobile payments have a limited impact; current deposits are the most significant factor in total deposits. The estimates derived in ARDL show that there is no significant relationship between mobile payments and deposits in the short and long run, while retail payment system transactions have a significant and negative relationship due to its strong relationship with cash withdrawals, particularly cash withdrawals by government salary. The results shown in the control variables indicate that money supply and oil price are important factors in increasing deposits while inflation decreases current deposits because of the loss of purchasing power. Overall, the results indicate that while the electronic payment system is still evolving in Iraq, the use of cash remains at a high level, which necessitates further efforts to boost and reinforce the non-cash payment policy, increase financial and digital awareness, and strengthen the technical systems to promote the efficiency of electronic payment systems and their ability to contribute effectively to the mobilization of deposits within the banking sector.