Digital Payments - The Times Of Central Asia

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Payments

Apple Pay and Google Pay Begin Rollout in Uzbekistan

Apple Pay and Google Pay began rolling out in Uzbekistan on October 27, allowing customers of local banks to add eligible Visa and Mastercard cards to their digital wallets to make contactless payments. The launch marks another step in Uzbekistan's efforts to integrate its banking system with international payment services, following changes to the country's data protection laws and months of negotiations with Apple and Google. Which Banks and Cards Are Supported? Apple Wallet initially supports cards from eight banks and financial institutions: Uzum Bank, Orient Finans Bank, the National Bank of Uzbekistan, Kapitalbank, Hamkorbank, Ipak Yuli Bank, TBC Bank, and Octobank. Uzum Bank and Hamkorbank currently support Visa cards only, while the other six institutions are listed as supporting both Visa and Mastercard. Google Wallet, meanwhile, lists nine participating banks, including seven of those supporting Apple Pay, alongside AVO Bank and Aloqabank. Customers can add eligible cards through Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, with payments authorized using their phone's security features. Once activated, the services allow customers to pay at compatible contactless terminals without using a physical bank card. However, the rollout is still in its early stages. Some banks are continuing to test Apple Pay, and not all eligible cards can yet be added successfully. As of October 27, Uzbekistan was also absent from Apple's published list of countries where Apple Pay is supported. Google Pay's launch was announced on October 19 by Marcin Krasuski, Google Cloud's director of government affairs and public policy for Central and Eastern Europe, during an event in Samarkand. Support for locally issued bank cards became available on October 27. Changes to Data Protection Laws The rollout follows changes to Uzbekistan's personal data legislation in March 2026, which relaxed restrictions on storing certain types of personal data outside the country. The previous rules had been an obstacle to the introduction of international digital payment services. As The Times of Central Asia reported in July, the Central Bank subsequently began negotiations with Apple and Google, while commercial banks and the national payment systems Humo and Uzcard worked on the technical requirements. For now, support is limited to eligible Visa and Mastercard cards. The Central Bank is also working to make cards issued through Humo and Uzcard compatible with the international digital wallets. Click Adds Apple Pay to Online Payments Local payment companies are also adapting to the new services. On October 27, Uzbek payment provider Click announced that it had added Apple Pay to its online payment processing system, allowing retailers using Click's payment page to accept Apple Pay without a separate technical integration. "We wanted to make enabling Apple Pay as simple as possible for both users and businesses. Our partners don't need to turn the launch of a new payment method into a separate technical project – Click takes care of that part," said Ulugbek Rustamov, CEO and co-founder of Click. Merchants can request activation of the service from Click, which will handle payment processing, settlements, reporting, and refunds. Click describes itself...

Uzbekistan Tests HUMO Stablecoin for Everyday Payments

Uzbekistan has begun its first experiment using a privately issued stablecoin called HUMO to pay for everyday goods and services. A stablecoin is a digital token designed to keep a fixed value, rather than rise and fall sharply like Bitcoin. One HUMO will be pegged to one Uzbek soum, with the tokens backed by government securities. The name may cause some confusion because HUMO is also the name of an Uzbek payment system. The token is not a bank card or a central bank digital currency and is separate from that payment system. HUMO Digital, a private company, is listed by the National Agency for Perspective Projects (NAPP) as the stablecoin’s issuer. The project is being conducted under the joint supervision of the Central Bank and NAPP. Until now, crypto assets could not legally be used to pay directly for goods and services in Uzbekistan. The Central Bank and NAPP have decided to test an exception under a special regulatory regime. On September 2, HUMO Digital was registered to take part in the experiment. The project will test the issuance, circulation, and redemption of HUMO, as well as its use to pay for goods and services. More than 20 companies are prepared to accept the tokens during the pilot. Asterium, which is licensed as a crypto exchange, crypto depository, and crypto shop, is also participating in the project. Each HUMO issued is to be backed by Uzbek government securities. In practice, that means HUMO Digital will hold government debt as collateral behind the tokens it issues. The Central Bank will monitor whether there are enough assets backing the tokens and whether those assets are safely held. It will also assess whether payments and consumers are adequately protected, along with any effects that wider use of HUMO could have on inflation, monetary policy, and financial stability. The experiment is initially planned for 12 months. It can be extended, although the project cannot last more than three years in total. The results will help regulators decide how such digital financial instruments should be regulated in the future. The choice of the soum sets the Uzbek project apart from most of the global stablecoin market. Neighboring Kazakhstan is also exploring a potential stablecoin, although its proposed structure has not been disclosed. Nearly all major stablecoins are pegged to the U.S. dollar. According to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), approximately 98% of stablecoin value is denominated in dollars. The best-known examples are Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC). In effect, they allow users to hold and transfer something closely tied to the value of the dollar at any time and across borders. For countries with their own currencies, that convenience can create a problem. If people increasingly save or pay in dollar-backed tokens instead of the local currency, the local currency can lose ground. The BIS warns that widespread stablecoin adoption in emerging economies could accelerate what it calls digital dollarization and make it harder for central banks to manage their economies. Tashkent...

Apple Pay and Google Pay Mobile Wallets Could Launch in Uzbekistan Within Months

Apple Pay and Google Pay could become available in Uzbekistan within the next few months, Jamshid Usmanov, head of the Central Bank’s Payment Systems Development Department, told Spot. Usmanov said the Central Bank began negotiations with Apple and Google after amendments to Uzbekistan’s personal data legislation came into force. The regulator has since been working with commercial banks and the national payment systems Humo and Uzcard to complete the technical integration required to launch the services. “Commercial banks are actively carrying out integration work. There are also issues related to card tokenization that are being addressed,” Usmanov said. The project extends beyond support for international payment cards such as Visa and Mastercard. The Central Bank is also working to make Humo and Uzcard cards compatible with Apple Pay and Google Pay, enabling customers to use Uzbekistan’s domestic payment systems through the digital wallets. Usmanov said one or more commercial banks could be the first to introduce the services. He confirmed that Central Bank representatives met with Apple and Google in April and May and added that positive news could be expected in the coming months. Alongside the mobile payments initiative, Uzbekistan is continuing work on a National Payment Switch, which is scheduled to be launched in 2027 under a presidential decree. The new platform would provide unified infrastructure for processing domestic payment transactions. At present, some transactions made with international bank cards are processed through centers outside Uzbekistan. The National Payment Switch will allow those transactions to be processed domestically. Usmanov added that many countries are gradually adopting national payment switches because they reduce dependence on foreign payment infrastructure providers and allow payment data to remain within national jurisdictions. The Central Bank expects the new system to improve the resilience of Uzbekistan’s payment infrastructure and provide better data protection. Regulatory documents are currently being prepared, while technical implementation will proceed during the next phase of the project. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Uzbekistan was also moving toward integrating PayPal, with negotiations between the Central Bank and the company underway following changes to the country’s personal data legislation.

Digital Tenge

Digital Tenge Receives Official Legal Status in Kazakhstan

Beginning July 18, the digital tenge will officially become a recognized digital form of Kazakhstan’s national currency. Amendments to the country’s legislation grant the National Bank of Kazakhstan the exclusive authority to issue and circulate the digital currency, establishing a comprehensive legal framework for its wider use across the financial system. Unlike many central bank digital currency (CBDC) projects around the world, which remain at the pilot or experimental stage, Kazakhstan has already moved beyond testing into practical implementation. Rather than replacing cash or bank cards, the digital tenge has been designed primarily to improve transparency in public spending, government procurement, and the monitoring of budget expenditures. By the beginning of 2026, approximately 336.6 billion tenge, or about $640 million, worth of digital tenge had been issued, and the technology had been deployed in more than 100 pilot projects. These include public procurement, the management of National Fund resources, tax administration, government subsidies, and infrastructure financing. Programmable payment technology enables authorities to track the movement of public funds almost in real time while restricting spending according to predefined conditions. The practical use of the digital tenge continues to expand. According to the National Payment Corporation of Kazakhstan, the platform was used throughout 2025 in projects involving infrastructure financing, public procurement, business support programs, and other government initiatives. The experience gained from these projects has laid the foundation for the next stage of the digital tenge’s development. Kazakhstan remains the regional leader in the development of a central bank digital currency. Elsewhere in Central Asia, governments have concentrated on digital payments and the regulation of digital assets. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is promoting the gold-backed USDKG stablecoin for cross-border transactions, while other countries in the region have yet to move toward the practical implementation of national CBDCs. The International Monetary Fund believes the next phase of the project will depend less on further technological development than on strengthening regulation, enhancing cybersecurity, and integrating the digital tenge into Kazakhstan’s existing financial architecture. According to the IMF, these factors will determine whether the project can be successfully scaled nationwide.

Uzbekistan to Host Inaugural Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum in August

Uzbekistan is set to host the inaugural Silk Road Finance and Technology Forum in August, a new international event aimed at advancing the country’s role as a regional hub for financial technology and innovation. According to a joint announcement by the Central Bank of Uzbekistan and the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), the forum will take place in Tashkent from August 24 to 26, 2026. The event will be held at Central Asian Expo Uzbekistan and the Islamic Civilization Centre. It is expected to bring together policymakers, regulators, investors, entrepreneurs, and technology leaders from Central Asia and beyond. The organizers describe the forum as Uzbekistan’s flagship platform for discussions on finance, innovation, and public policy. It is being launched as the country pursues an ambitious strategy to become a leading fintech center in the region. Uzbekistan’s financial technology sector has expanded rapidly in recent years, driven by growing digital adoption and a young population of more than 37 million people. According to the organizers, nearly 70% of the population now uses digital services, creating favorable conditions for the development of financial technologies. The forum comes as Uzbekistan implements a presidential strategy for the sector through 2030. The plan includes attracting $1 billion in foreign investment, training more than 5,000 specialists, licensing more than 200 market participants, supporting more than 100 startup graduates from incubation programs, and testing digital currencies and stable tokens. The Central Bank has also announced plans to expand the country’s financial innovation infrastructure. These initiatives include the creation of a globally accessible Regulatory Sandbox 2.0, the Q-FINEX Quantum Finance Testbed, and a dedicated $50 million venture fund for fintech development. Authorities are also working on regulatory frameworks covering open banking, digital payments, buy now, pay later services, and cybersecurity resilience. The three-day forum will be organized around five main themes: open banking, digital assets and stablecoins, cross-border payments, Islamic finance, and innovation and investment. The event’s theme, “Al-Jabr,” references the Arabic concept of “bringing parts together,” which gave rise to algebra, and honors the legacy of the ninth-century scholar Al-Khwarizmi, who was born in Khwarezm, in present-day Uzbekistan. Organizers say the theme points to the forum’s goal of linking finance with technology policy. The forum is being co-hosted with Ant International and joins GFTN’s global network of events, which includes the Singapore FinTech Festival, the Point Zero Forum in Zurich, GFTN Forum Japan, and the Black Swan Summits. “Innovation flourishes when trust, talent and capital converge,” said Sopnendu Mohanty, group CEO of GFTN. He said the forum would help connect global expertise with regional ambitions and support Central Asia’s emergence as a center for financial innovation. GFTN is a Singapore-based not-for-profit organization established by the Monetary Authority of Singapore in 2024. It promotes financial innovation and inclusion through partnerships with public- and private-sector institutions.

QR Payments

Kyrgyzstan Connects to International Alipay+ QR Payment Network

Kyrgyzstan has launched international QR payments through Alipay+, allowing users of the national Elkart payment system to pay for purchases abroad through a mobile app without relying on cash or foreign payment apps. The launch of the project was announced by the Interbank Processing Center, operator of the national payment system Elkart, with support from the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan. According to the payment operator, the system is already functioning in Kazakhstan and Malaysia, while another 57 countries are expected to join the network within the next month. China is also scheduled to connect to the platform on June 15, enabling Kyrgyz users to pay through a unified QR infrastructure at millions of retail locations. “For Kyrgyzstan, this is a historic event and another important step in the development of the country’s digital financial ecosystem,” Elkart said in a statement. National Bank Chairman Almaz Baketaev described the launch of international QR payments as part of a national strategy to digitalize the financial market. “The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan places special emphasis on implementing modern digital solutions that simplify the integration of our financial system into the global space,” Baketaev said during a press conference in Bishkek. Authorities and market participants expect the new system to simplify payments for tourists, labor migrants, and businesses amid Kyrgyzstan’s expanding economic ties with China and other Asian countries. Integration of the payment systems began in September last year. Representatives of the processing center said the technical integration was completed in a relatively short period of time. Over the past five years, Kyrgyzstan has actively developed its digital financial infrastructure. According to the National Bank, more than 114,000 QR codes have already been installed at retail and service businesses across the country. In 2025, approximately 525 million transactions worth around $10.3 billion were processed through the national system, roughly ten times higher in transaction volume than the previous year.