Apple Pay and Google Pay May Launch in Uzbekistan Soon

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Apple Pay and Google Pay could begin operating in Uzbekistan in the coming months, Jamshid Usmanov, Head of the Payment Systems Development Department at the Central Bank, said in an interview with Spot.

According to Usmanov, following amendments to the country's personal data legislation, the Central Bank, together with commercial banks and the national payment systems Humo and Uzcard, has begun negotiations with Apple and Google and launched technical integration of the services.

He said commercial banks are already actively working on integration, including resolving technical issues related to the tokenization of bank cards.

The project covers not only cards issued by the international payment systems Visa and Mastercard. According to the Central Bank official, work is also underway to enable users to add Humo and Uzcard cards to Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Usmanov said the Central Bank expects positive results from the project within the next couple of months. He added that one or more commercial banks could become the first to launch the services, although a rollout by one of the national payment operators is also possible.

The Central Bank official also confirmed that meetings with representatives of Apple and Google have already taken place. The talks were held in April and May this year.

On 26 March, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed amendments to the Law on Personal Data. Under the changes, the requirement to store all personal data on servers located within Uzbekistan has been abolished.

The requirement remains in force only for biometric and genetic data, as well as information relating to subscribers of telecommunications operators.

All other personal data may be processed outside Uzbekistan, provided the conditions established by law are met.