Uzbek Central Bank and Visa Discuss Apple Pay Integration

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan hosted a working meeting with the management of the international payment technology company Visa. The negotiations were organized within the business program of the Fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum.

The discussion was attended by the Head of the Department of Financial Technologies, Digitalization, and Artificial Intelligence of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Bobur Khodjayev, the Chairman of the Central Bank Timur Ishmetov, the Director for Financial Inclusion of the Central Bank Dilbar Abduganieva, and official representatives of the Visa corporation.

The key topic of the dialogue was the strategic development of the digital financial services industry, the modernization of the republic's payment infrastructure, and the systemic strengthening of cybersecurity. The parties reviewed in detail the current results of their interaction and outlined promising vectors for expanding the mutually beneficial technological partnership.

During the meeting, the Visa delegation presented a package of innovative payment solutions to the Uzbek side. A demonstration of "Tap to Phone" technology, which allows standard smartphones to be transformed into full-fledged terminals for accepting contactless and cashless payments, drew special interest, as it can significantly simplify business operations for small and medium-sized enterprises.

In addition, the meeting participants discussed in detail the integration and development of modern digital payment services, including the popular international system Apple Pay.

The second critical block of negotiations focused on transaction protection. Visa representatives shared advanced international experience and presented current software tools for cybersecurity. The presented solutions are aimed at the rapid detection and prevention of fraudulent operations (fraud), as well as building effective predictive risk management models in the digital payments ecosystem.

Following the exchange of views, the leadership of the Central Bank, the Presidential Administration, and Visa confirmed their readiness to maintain a regular expert dialogue. The parties agreed to form a working agenda for specific areas of cooperation for the subsequent practical implementation of joint digital and financial initiatives.