News

Central Asia fintech news

Market updates on regulation, banking products, payments, deals and digital services across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

Page 2

Kazakhstan's foreign cashless payments grow 10-fold in six years

The share of cashless payments abroad reached 93%. Online purchases and smartphone transfers drove the growth, while POS terminal transactions began to decline.

Kazakhstan's Unified QR Exposes Bank Tariff Battle for Business

The universal payment system was supposed to free entrepreneurs from keeping multiple terminals at the checkout. In practice, the interbank service proved noticeably more expensive than the banks’ own QR solutions.

Apple Pay officially launches in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

Local banks have opened access to contactless smartphone payments for customers. Uzbekistan is still preparing its legal framework for the launch.

Paynet launches cashback program for identified users

The Uzbek payment service offers 5% cashback for in-app identity verification.

IT Park Uzbekistan prepares residents to enter the Tajikistan market

The technopark will hold a practical seminar on IT service exports and regulatory barriers in the neighboring country

Click Launches Personal Financial Profiles: Uzbek Fintech Introduces Product for Customer Segmentation

Click expands its service with a typology of financial profiles to personalize offers.

A piggy bank instead of an order book: how Uzbekistanis come to investments in superapps

Hidden demand for brokers and the barriers of religious banking.

Charts nobody believes: how Uzbekistanis track finances in banking apps

Primitive banking analytics versus the habit of calculating expenses “in one’s head” and in Excel.

Kaspi.kz completes acquisition of Rabobank in Turkey: the bank will become the financial base for Hepsiburada

The Kazakhstani fintech holding has officially closed the deal to acquire the Turkish bank. The company needs the license to launch financial services around the Hepsiburada marketplace.

Why Kazakhstani Beginners Abandon Investing After the First Dip

Opening a brokerage account takes just a few clicks, but beginners close them after the first dip—scared off by terminal jargon and a portfolio in the red.

From Retail to B2B: How TBC Bank Assesses the Transformation of Uzbekistan's Financial Market

The local market bypassed the era of traditional branches and moved straight to mobile finance. How this shift looks in the strategy of players building digital ecosystems.

KMF Bank Raises $10 Million from Turkic Investment Fund for Business Lending

This is the fund’s first deal in the region. The money will go to support small and medium-sized businesses trading with the organization’s member countries.