Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan Payment Systems Launch Mutual Acquiring

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Interbank Processing Center CJSC, the operator of Kyrgyzstan’s national payment system Elkart, and Uzbekistan’s national payment system HUMO have announced the launch of a joint project on mutual acquiring.

As part of the integration, HUMO cardholders will be able to make cashless payments and withdraw cash in Kyrgyzstan within the Elkart acceptance network, while Elkart cardholders will gain the same capabilities when traveling in Uzbekistan.

The project is aimed at simplifying cashless transactions for citizens of both countries, enhancing travel convenience, and promoting cross-border financial cooperation.

For travelers and labor migrants, this means the ability to carry out transactions without exchanging currency or using international cards, while businesses will be able to accept payments from cards issued in the neighboring country without incurring additional costs associated with connecting to international payment systems.

In addition, transactions are processed directly through the national Elkart and HUMO systems, which reduces costs and speeds up transaction processing.

At the current stage, Elkart cards are accepted by cardholders of Aiyl Bank OJSC, while HUMO cards are serviced at the same bank’s devices. Interbank Processing Center CJSC is working to connect additional banks in order to expand the acceptance network for HUMO cards in Kyrgyzstan and Elkart cards in Uzbekistan.

The signed memorandum lays the foundation for a unified intersystem infrastructure between the two national payment systems and provides for the introduction of modern digital technologies, ensuring convenient and secure transactions and contributing to the enhancement of financial literacy among citizens.

Elkart is the national payment system of Kyrgyzstan, bringing together the country’s banks and financial institutions for more than 20 years, while HUMO is Uzbekistan’s national payment system, ensuring integration with foreign payment systems and enabling interbank transfers.