Tashkent, 27 October. On 27 October it became possible in Uzbekistan to link local bank cards to Apple Pay and Google Pay: a list of eight banks and fintech services appeared in Apple Wallet, and nine were connected to Google Wallet, Gazeta.uz reported after testing the services on phones.
The launch was announced by Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, who wrote that she was glad to share the good news that Apple Pay and Google Pay had finally started working in Uzbekistan. Google announced its launch on 19 October, but users were able to link cards only on the 27th as well.
At the first stage only Visa and Mastercard cards are supported. Apple Pay includes Uzum, Orient Finans Bank, the National Bank of Uzbekistan, Kapitalbank, Hamkorbank, Ipak Yuli Bank, TBC Bank and Octobank; Google Pay covers almost the same banks plus AVO Bank and Aloqabank. Cards of the national payment systems Uzcard and Humo, which most residents use, are not yet supported. According to the outlet, the Central Bank said work on connecting Uzcard and Humo cards to Apple Pay is under way and the option will be provided soon; the regulator gave no date. At the time of publication Uzbekistan was not yet on the list of Apple Pay countries on Apple's website.
Apple Pay and Google Pay let users pay by holding a phone or watch to a terminal: the real card number is not passed to the shop, a one-time digital code (a token) is used instead. For Uzbekistan this is also a legal matter: as Kun.uz reported, a law that had kept the services off the market was already under review in January 2026.
What it means: Contactless payment by smartphone through Apple and Google services is only beginning in Uzbekistan. For now it is available only to holders of international cards, while most of the country's payment cards are waiting to be connected.
Who benefits: iPhone and Android users with Visa and Mastercard cards, who no longer need plastic at the till. Banks in the first wave, which gain an edge over competitors. The payment systems Uzcard and Humo, not yet connected, risk losing part of their turnover to international cards.
Background: Uzcard and Humo are Uzbekistan's two national payment systems, which handle most card payments inside the country. In Kazakhstan local bank cards have been linked to Apple Pay and Google Pay for many years.
We have also reported that Uzbek fintech company Alif became the first from Uzbekistan to list on the AIX exchange.
