Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — International payment service Apple Pay has officially launched in Uzbekistan, initially allowing users to add Visa and Mastercard cards issued by eight local banks and make payments using compatible Apple devices, the press service of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan reported.
The service supports Visa and Mastercard cards issued by the National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU), Ipak Yuli Bank, Orient Finans Bank, Kapitalbank, TBC Bank Uzbekistan and Octobank. Visa cards issued by Hamkorbank and Uzum Bank can also be linked to Apple Pay.
Users can add their bank cards to Apple Wallet and make payments using an iPhone, Apple Watch and other compatible devices.
The Central Bank said work was ongoing to connect cards from Uzbekistan’s national payment systems, Uzcard and Humo. Support for both systems is expected to become available in the near future.
The regulator also noted that Apple Pay uses specialised technologies to protect card data and secure transactions. The service will be expanded in stages as banks and payment systems complete the necessary technical preparations.
The launch of Apple Pay and Google Pay in Uzbekistan was announced on the morning of 27 October. Users began adding cards issued by local banks to the digital wallets later that day. Spot journalists also reported that they had successfully linked bank cards to the new services.
