BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 27. Apple Pay and
Google Pay have become available in Uzbekistan, allowing users to
make contactless payments with compatible smartphones and
smartwatches, Saida Mirziyoyeva said on her Telegram channel on
October 27.
“I’m happy to share good news: Apple Pay and Google Pay finally
started working in Uzbekistan today,” Mirziyoyeva said.
The launch follows the introduction of Google Pay, announced by
Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies on October 19 during a digital technology event in
Samarkand held as part of the C5+1 program involving Central Asian
countries and the United States. Apple Pay became available in the
country on October 27.
The services allow iPhone users to add eligible bank cards to
Apple Wallet and Android users to link supported cards through
Google Wallet, enabling payments at terminals that accept
contactless transactions.
Users can add their cards through their banks’ mobile
applications, where supported, or directly through the respective
digital wallet. Depending on the bank, card verification may be
completed through a text message or a banking application.
Once a card is linked, customers can pay by holding a compatible
device near a contactless point-of-sale (POS) terminal. Android
devices require near-field communication (NFC) support for
contactless payments.
Availability depends on the issuing bank, payment network and
card type, and support may expand as banks complete technical
integration.
