Google Pay launches in Uzbekistan during major US-Central Asia talks
Google Pay has officially launched in Uzbekistan, as per the announcement made during the C5+1 business programme in Samarkand on October 19, bringing the country’s digital payment sector closer to Google’s international ecosystem.
The announcement was made by Marcin Krasuski, Google Cloud‘s head of government affairs and public policy, during a panel discussion on digital technologies, according to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies.
The ministry has not specified which Uzbek banks will support the service, whether locally issued Uzcard and Humo cards will be compatible or when contactless payments will become available to all users.
Google Pay allows customers to pay for purchases online and in applications, while Google Wallet supports contactless transactions on compatible Android devices where the feature is available.
However, the announcement does not establish whether NFC payments using locally issued bank cards are already operational in Uzbekistan.
More than 400 companies join C5+1 business programme
The Google Pay announcement came during a broader business programme organised alongside the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The programme opened with a Welcome & Orientation session organised with the participation of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade and the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce.
Investment Minister Laziz Kudratov outlined priorities for technological and investment cooperation, reaffirming the government’s willingness to support joint projects.
According to the Ministry of Digital Technologies, the programme brings together representatives of more than 400 companies, including over 100 American businesses, 100 companies from other Central Asian countries and 200 Uzbek firms.
US Assistant Secretary of Commerce David Fogel delivered opening remarks, while executives from Wabtec, Franklin Templeton, Traxys and Aquatech presented potential areas of cooperation.
The programme covers six areas: digital technologies, education and healthcare, mineral resources, energy and transport, agriculture and textiles, and finance and investment.
Direct business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) negotiations are also planned.
The event forms part of broader US-Central Asia economic discussions taking place during Rubio’s first official visit to the region.
