The key facts

  • Digital payments have become firmly established among Uzbekistan's MSBs, but only 37% of companies use integrated platforms
  • 55% of companies find an all-in-one solution combining payments and business operations attractive
  • Among the barriers: 'business is too small' (15%), unawareness of such tools (15%), satisfactory manual processes (8%)

Digital Payments Have Become the Norm, but Integration Lags Behind

Small and medium businesses in Uzbekistan have generally completed the first stage of digital payment adoption, according to a Visa survey conducted for the Pay and Get Paid 2026 report with support from Ipak Yuli Bank. The vast majority of surveyed MSB companies actively accept and make digital payments. At the same time, only 37% of companies use an integrated solution that combines payments with business management: many still handle financial and operational tasks separately.

Main Challenges for MSBs

According to the report, financial administration and fragmented tools complicate business operations. Surveyed companies cite compliance with tax and regulatory requirements (23%), labor-intensive administrative work (17%), and financial accounting (16%). These problems reflect the gap between payments and subsequent operational tasks: some companies have to use several systems at once.

Demand for Comprehensive Solutions and Barriers

55% of MSB companies find an all-in-one solution that combines payments and key business operations in a single service attractive. However, practice lags behind demand. Among the perception barriers for companies not using integrated tools are the belief that the business is too small (15%), unawareness that such tools exist (15%), and satisfactory manual processes (8%). According to the report's authors, the spread of solutions depends on how well businesses understand their usefulness, accessibility, and scalability.

Experience of Integrated Platform Users

The satisfaction level among Uzbekistani companies using an integrated tool or platform is 70%, and 55% report increased efficiency, including reduced time and effort on business management. In addition, more complete data on payments and management helps financial organizations understand the structure of cash flows, assess risks, and over time offer more relevant credit solutions.

Market Participants' Opinions

Behzod Abdurakhmanov, Senior Director at Visa in Uzbekistan, noted that as digital transactions become part of everyday commerce, the value for MSBs is determined by what payments give the business after the transaction. According to him, integrated platforms help issuers form a complete picture of MSB needs and offer personalized support, and, where appropriate, working capital financing solutions. Natalia Zatvornyuk, Head of the Transactional Products and Processes Department at Ipak Yuli Bank, stated that the gap between entrepreneurs' interest in comprehensive solutions and their actual use shows that the question is no longer just about the availability of digital services, but about how much they help in daily work.

About the Study

The Visa Pay and Get Paid 2026 study is dedicated to how MSBs manage payments and daily operations, and the demand for integrated solutions. It was conducted through personal interviews with business owners and financial decision-makers from March to April 2026 across 11 markets, including Uzbekistan, where 249 MSB companies were surveyed.