The last week of August in the Central Asian fintech market was marked by discussions of a unified payment infrastructure and targeted product releases.
The main event of the week was the first Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum in Tashkent, which gathered delegations from over 70 countries. Central Bank of Uzbekistan Governor Timur Ishmetov stated the need to create an interoperable regional payment infrastructure. Venture capital investments in Central Asia for 2025 totaled around $320 million—a figure Ishmetov cited as his own estimate, inbusiness.kz reports.
Product activity focused on expanding transfers and simplifying routine processes. In Uzbekistan, the Click service released two updates for its SuperApp. Users can now top up Visa and Mastercard cards directly from local Uzcard and HUMO accounts. Finteqstan previously wrote that the service integrated education payments; the focus has now shifted to cross-border capabilities.
Azerbaijan’s Birbank also presented two new app versions. Developers automated the addition of receipts from the bank’s and PAŞA Bank’s POS terminals, saving users from scanning them manually. The VAT refund dashboard now supports the SİMA İmza digital signature. This continues a series of product improvements by the bank started mid-month.
In the corporate segment, Kazakhstan’s Bereke Business won five awards at the TOP 20 SME Banks Central Asia 2026. According to the SME Banking Agency, the bank took first place in the digital banking and business financing categories. This confirms the app’s position, which was previously noted in market reviews.
Judging by the week’s events, cross-border corridors and interoperable infrastructure are becoming a noticeable trend, though in practice this is currently realized through targeted initiatives by individual players.
