Work is underway to connect cards issued by the country’s two domestic payment systems to Apple Pay, the regulator said. The services currently support Visa and Mastercard cards issued by selected local banks, with coverage set to expand as banks and payment systems complete the necessary technical preparations.
The Central Bank’s initial list includes eight banks whose eligible cards can be added to Apple Pay: the National Bank of Uzbekistan, Ipak Yuli Bank, Orient Finans Bank, Kapitalbank, TBC Bank Uzbekistan and Octobank support both Visa and Mastercard, while Hamkorbank and Uzum Bank support Visa.
Google Wallet, which enables Google Pay transactions, supports eligible Visa and Mastercard cards from nine banks: AVO Bank, Octobank, Uzum Bank, TBC Bank, Aloqabank, Kapitalbank, Ipak Yuli Bank, the National Bank of Uzbekistan and Orient Finans Bank.
The Central Bank said Apple Pay uses specialized technologies to protect card information and secure transactions. Availability will expand gradually as participating banks and payment systems complete the required technical work.
