The Maldives National Bank, Bank of Maldives (BML), mistakenly deposited over $77.3 billion into the account of an employee at Lily Beach Resort as part of a salary payment on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the incident.
Several other employees from the same resort also reportedly received billions of dollars. Due to these significant transactions, BML’s online banking services were shut down until the errors could be corrected. People familiar with the matter stated that the recipients had access to the erroneous amounts for over 10 minutes.
BML attributed the transactions to a human error during a recent change in payroll processing. The bank reassured customers that their systems are safe and secure and apologised for the interruption to online and mobile banking services.
The error and subsequent service disruption sparked a wave of dissatisfaction among customers, who took to social media to express their frustration. Many highlighted the frequent issues with BML’s internet banking services. Critics also questioned how the bank’s systems allowed such large sums to be processed, far exceeding the bank’s actual holdings.