Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Central Bank of Uzbekistan has drafted new regulations aimed at strengthening cybersecurity requirements and preventing fraud in remote financial services, proposing additional safeguards for banking transactions and greater control for customers over their funds.
The draft decision introduces several measures designed to improve the security of digital banking operations and reduce the risk of financial fraud.
One of the key proposals is to supplement existing SMS verification codes with biometric identification and transaction authentication methods linked to customers' devices.
The proposed rules would also allow customers to independently freeze and unfreeze any portion of the funds held in their bank accounts, giving them greater control over access to their money.
In addition, the Central Bank plans to introduce a mechanism for temporarily suspending suspicious transactions to prevent potential fraud.
Separate provisions address the risks posed by malicious software on customers' devices.
Under the draft regulations, banks would be required to notify customers within one hour of detecting malware on their devices. Certain important banking operations conducted through compromised devices would also be subject to restrictions.
The proposal includes alternative identity verification methods for individuals who are unable to complete biometric authentication.
Banks would also be required to report cybersecurity incidents to the Central Bank within 24 hours.
Additional requirements would govern the security of information exchanges between banks and their partner organizations.
The draft regulations have been published on Uzbekistan's public consultation portal for regulatory legal acts, where individuals and organizations can review the proposed changes and submit comments and recommendations.
The Central Bank also reminded citizens to observe basic financial security precautions, including never sharing SMS verification codes, bank card details or passwords with third parties.
The regulator emphasized that bank employees do not request such confidential information over the telephone.
