Residents of two Central Asian countries now have access to contactless payments via Apple devices. In Uzbekistan, the service launch is still in the infrastructure and legal framework preparation stage.
What happened
The Apple Pay payment service has officially become available to cardholders in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The National Bank of the republic announced the launch on the Kyrgyz market, noting that the technology works both domestically and abroad. Transaction security is ensured by tokenization: card details are replaced with a unique digital code, and confirmation is done via Face ID or Touch ID.
In Tajikistan, fintech company Alif and micro-depository organization Humo were the first to announce support for the service. Clients of these financial institutions can already link their cards to the Wallet app to pay for purchases using an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac. Concurrently, Tajikistan’s Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies held a meeting with Apple representatives to discuss further steps in digitalization and the implementation of innovative solutions.
Launch status in Uzbekistan
Compared to its neighbors, the Uzbekistan market remains in waiting mode. Finteqstan previously reported that the Central Bank confirmed the start of technical work to introduce Apple Pay and Google Pay. According to sources from the Spot publication, negotiations with service operators are scheduled for September, but a quick launch in the fall is not expected.
The main barrier right now lies in the legal realm. In the spring, the country relaxed its “On Personal Data” law, abolishing the mandatory storage of financial information on servers inside Uzbekistan. This created the legal basis for the arrival of international systems. However, a full launch requires the adoption of additional bylaws. Meanwhile, the technical foundation for accepting NFC payments in Uzbekistan’s retail sector is already in place.
Why it matters
The arrival of global payment services acts as a maturity marker for local infrastructure, pushing banks across the region to upgrade their acquiring networks faster.
For users, this means a shift to a more secure payment standard without physical plastic. For banks, it means competing for whose card becomes the primary one in the client’s digital wallet (top-of-wallet).
What’s next
The market will watch two processes. First, how quickly the remaining commercial banks in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan complete their integration with Apple Pay. Second, what specific market entry timelines will be announced following the fall negotiations between Uzbekistan regulators and big tech representatives.