Apple Pay launches in Uzbekistan: eight banks, Visa and Mastercard

The international payment service Apple Pay officially launched in Uzbekistan on October 27. This was reported by the press service of the Central Bank of the republic.

At launch, the service is connected to Visa and Mastercard cards from eight banks: the National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU), Ipak Yuli Bank, Orient Finans Bank, Kapitalbank, TBC Bank Uzbekistan, Octobank, Hamkorbank, and Uzum Bank. The first five banks are connected to both payment systems, Octobank to both payment systems, and Hamkorbank and Uzum Bank to Visa only. Cardholders can add their cards to Apple Wallet and make payments through iPhone, Apple Watch, and other compatible devices.

Parallel to Apple Pay, Google Pay was announced on October 27 in the country. Journalists confirmed successful card linking to both services on the launch day.

The Central Bank reported that it is working on integrating the national payment systems Uzcard and Humo — their support is expected to appear in the near future. The regulator emphasized that Apple Pay uses specialized card data protection technologies and transaction security. The service expansion will proceed in stages as banks complete their technical preparation.