Banks and currency exchanges to open only after meeting gov’t-imposed criteria

AMMAN — Banks and currency exchanges will not open or provide any services before they meet certain criteria, Minister of Labour Nidal Bataineh said on Saturday, noting that the matter was discussed with the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ).

Bataineh, who is also head of the ministerial team for the continuity of work, said that no facility would be allowed to open or provide any service without a prior-made plan adopted by the authorities and the ministerial team, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He said the plan should focus on the safety of citizens first and foremost ensuring there will be no crowding, especially under the current circumstances.

As for March’s salaries, the Labour Ministry, in cooperation with various ministries, issued a clarification statement, a copy of which was obtained by The Jordan Times, explaining how salaries will be paid under a system developed by the CBJ. It will be posted later in an instructional video along with phone numbers for technical support.

“Employers and employees, to transfer the salaries of workers in the private sector in a healthy and safe manner under the curfew and to avoid the dangers of using cash in light of the coronavirus crisis, an online channel has been provided for the purpose of paying the salaries,” the statement said.

“You can open online wallets as employers and as employees through service providers licenced by the CBJ,”  the statement added

Following are the service providers’ numbers and links; Mahfazati (0788001333, http://forms.umniah.com/GeneratedForm?FormName=MahfaztiRegistration), Zain Cash (0791444100 or 1444, /https://promo.zaincash.jo.zain.com:90/zcregister), Orange Money (0777700141 or 1441, Android: https://bit.ly/2TVYBy8, iOS: https://apple.co/2JdpqYn), and aya (06-5509292, https://aya.jo).

The service providers also include National Wallet (06-5002250, www.Nationalwallet.jo) and DINARAK (06-551-9090 / [email protected], individuals: http://reg1.dinarak.com, merchants: http://reg2.dinarak.com).

Those who wish to create a profile on any of the wallets can access the above links and enter their information and upload an image of their civil identification card, according to the statement.

Employers are to choose the nearest agent for the service provider they will be dealing with from the list and transfer the salaries from their wallets to the wallets of their employees, using the employees’ phone numbers.

The employees can use their wallets to conduct purchases and withdraw money from their accounts through the network of adopted agents for chosen service provider, the statement said, noting that within days, an announcement will be made on withdrawing from ATMs of certain banks for users of online wallets, which can also be used to pay bills online.

In case of any issues with any applications not processed properly, the statement urged people to contact the Jordan Payments & Clearing Company (JoPACC) on 06-4011014, the statement said, concluding that clarification videos will be published soon, particularly targeting owners of small enterprises.