Google Pay launches in Uzbekistan after data law changes

Google has launched Google Pay in Uzbekistan, adding the country to the list of markets where the service is available. Marcin Krasuski, Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager at Google Cloud, announced the launch. The announcement came during C5+1 events, which bring together the five Central Asian countries and the United States. Government agency representatives and international companies took part.

Legal changes clear the way for international wallets

The launch follows amendments to Uzbekistan’s personal data legislation. In March 2026, the country removed the requirement to store all personal data on servers located in Uzbekistan. Stricter rules remain in place for certain categories, including biometric and genetic data.

The former data-localisation requirement had been a significant barrier for international payment platforms. After the changes, the Central Bank of Uzbekistan began talks with Google and Apple, as well as commercial banks and domestic payment systems Humo and Uzcard. In July 2026, the regulator said technical integration work was under way and that banks were preparing card tokenisation.

The aim is to let users add cards issued under Humo and Uzcard to digital wallets, alongside Visa and Mastercard cards.

Card support and payments infrastructure

Google did not specify which banks or cards will be supported at launch. Users add a supported card to Google Wallet and can then pay at contactless terminals with a smartphone or smartwatch instead of a physical card.

The Google Pay launch is part of a broader upgrade of Uzbekistan’s payments infrastructure. The country is developing a National Payment Switch, scheduled to launch in 2027 under a presidential decree. Some transactions made with international cards are currently processed at centres outside Uzbekistan.

The Central Bank of Uzbekistan has also held talks with Apple about launching Apple Pay and with PayPal about entering the market. Both discussions followed the changes to personal data legislation.