The mobile payment services Apple Pay and Google Pay could launch in Uzbekistan within the coming months, Jamshid Usmonov, chief of the Payment Systems Development Department at the Central Bank, said.
According to Usmonov, following recent amendments to domestic personal data protection legislation, the Central Bank—alongside commercial banks and the national payment systems Humo and Uzcard—initiated negotiations and technical integration talks with both Apple and Google.
"Currently, commercial banks are actively pushing forward with the integration process. There are specific technical nuances involved, particularly regarding card tokenization," Usmonov noted.
He emphasized that the scope of the project extends beyond supporting international payment networks like Visa and Mastercard. The Central Bank is concurrently working to integrate cards from the domestic Humo and Uzcard payment systems into Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Usmonov indicated that positive breakthroughs regarding the rollout are expected within the next few months.
The official added that one or several commercial banks might lead the market by launching the services first. The Central Bank representative also confirmed that the regulator held direct talks with emissaries from Apple and Google earlier this year, with meetings taking place in April and May.
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