Apple Pay and Google Pay officially launched in Uzbekistan

The services went live on October 27

The Apple Pay and Google Pay payment services have been officially launched in Uzbekistan. The launch was announced by the Head of the Presidential Administration, Saida Mirziyoyeva, on her Telegram channel: “I am glad to share good news: today Apple Pay and Google Pay have finally gone live in Uzbekistan” (the message is quoted by UzNews.uz). Now, to pay at the checkout, it is enough to hold a smartphone or smart watch up to the terminal — carrying a plastic card is no longer necessary. According to the outlets’ descriptions, the systems do not pass the real card number to the seller, and each transaction is confirmed via Face ID, Touch ID, or a fingerprint with a one-time code.

What had to be changed for the launch

The road to the launch took several years. In October 2024, the government instructed the Tourism Committee, the Central Bank, and the Ministry of Digital Technologies to hold negotiations on connecting Alipay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and UniPay, as well as to submit proposals for revising national legislation. In January 2026, the Legislative Chamber adopted amendments to the law “On Personal Data,” which, as noted at the session, were expected to help attract international payment systems and expand the digital services market.

The main barrier — data localization

UzNews.uz provides details absent from other publications: one of the key obstacles earlier was the requirements for local storage of personal data. In March 2026, changes were made to the legislation allowing, under certain conditions, some of such data to be processed outside the country. After that, the Central Bank, together with commercial banks and the Humo and Uzcard payment systems, began the technical integration of the services; according to the Central Bank, negotiations with Apple and Google representatives took place in April and May 2026. The issue was also raised in November 2025 during President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to the United States.

Negotiations with Google and context

Zamon.uz links the launch to negotiations by Saida Mirziyoyeva, including with Google Vice President Karan Bhatia, at which the legal and technological conditions for using international payment systems were discussed. UzNews.uz dates this meeting to September 23 and specifies that the launch of Google Pay was discussed, with the service planned to be made available for Visa and Mastercard cards. Daryo.uz also recalls earlier context: in 2023, Mirziyoyeva discussed cooperation with Google (YouTube) with the US Ambassador, and in September of this year, at the meeting with Bhatia, she raised the issue of YouTube monetization — this topic is connected with the same partnership but is a separate direction. The outlets agree in their assessment of the consequences: the launch will simplify everyday payments, reduce the need for cash, and create additional conveniences for tourists.