Apple Pay and Google Pay may become available in Uzbekistan in the coming months
Apple Pay and Google Pay could become available in Uzbekistan within the next few months, according to Jamshid Usmanov, head of the Central Bank's Payment Systems Development Department.
Apple Pay and Google Pay are expected to launch in Uzbekistan within the next few months.
Usmanov informed Spot that the Central Bank initiated discussions with Apple and Google, and commenced technical integration efforts with commercial banks and the national payment systems Humo and Uzcard, following the implementation of changes to the nation's personal data laws.
He noted that commercial banks are actively engaged in integrating these services, which includes the card tokenization process.
Usmanov stated that this initiative aims to support not only Visa and Mastercard but also cards issued by Uzbekistan's domestic payment systems, Humo and Uzcard.
He anticipates "positive news" regarding the project within the next two months. While one or more commercial banks might be the first to offer these services, it's also possible that one of the national payment system operators could introduce them initially.
The Central Bank official also verified that the regulator had already met with Apple and Google representatives. According to Usmanov, these meetings occurred in April and May of this year.