Uzum Records Massive Apple Pay Surge in Uzbekistan with 142,000 Card Activations in 24 Hours

Uzum Bank has seen rapid uptake of Apple Pay in Uzbekistan, with over 142,000 customers adding Visa cards to their digital wallets within the first 24 hours of availability. This surge highlights the maturity of the Uzbek digital economy and the readiness of its consumers to transition from traditional payment methods to international mobile wallets.

What was announced

Uzum Bank, the digital banking arm of Uzbekistan’s Uzum ecosystem, has reported significant initial engagement following the launch of Apple Pay in the country. Within the first 24 hours of the service becoming available, more than 142,000 customers integrated their Uzum Bank Visa cards into Apple Wallet. This rapid adoption was accompanied by high transaction volumes, with users completing over 60,000 payments totalling approximately UZS 2.8 billion (US$235,000) in the same period.

The data suggests that the service is being used primarily for high-frequency, low-value daily spending. Nearly half of all transactions—48.3%—were repeat payments, indicating that users are quickly transitioning to the mobile wallet for routine purchases. The most popular spending categories identified by the bank include public transport, grocery stores, and hospitality venues such as restaurants and cafés. As one of the first participating financial institutions in the country to offer the service, Uzum Bank’s rollout supports eligible Visa cards, allowing customers to use their iPhones and Apple Watches for contactless payments at any terminal that supports the technology. This move follows the broader introduction of international mobile payment services to the Uzbek market, marking a shift in the local financial landscape toward global digital standards.

"The introduction of international payment services is another important milestone for Uzbekistan's rapidly developing digital economy. What is particularly striking about the speed of adoption is what it tells us about the country’s progress. This is already a highly connected market, where people are increasingly comfortable using digital financial services in their everyday lives. The infrastructure and consumer demand were already there, and the introduction of Apple Pay has demonstrated just how ready the market was for the next step."

Roman Lavrentyev, co-founder and COO of Uzum, and CEO of Uzum Fintech

The companies involved

Uzum is the dominant digital ecosystem in Uzbekistan, operating a multi-vertical platform that integrates fintech, e-commerce, and logistics. Founded in 2022, the group has rapidly scaled to serve more than 20 million monthly users across the country. Its ecosystem includes a major online marketplace, express delivery services, and digital services tailored for both individuals and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). Uzum Bank serves as the group’s digital banking arm, providing the financial infrastructure that underpins these services, alongside consumer lending and traditional banking products. The company’s growth reflects the broader digital transformation within the Central Asian market, where it has positioned itself as a primary gateway for modern financial services. Apple, the developer of the Apple Pay protocol, is a global technology leader whose entry into the Uzbek market signifies a maturing regulatory and technical environment. By partnering with international card schemes like Visa, Uzum Bank leverages Apple’s global hardware and software footprint to provide secure, contactless payment options to a population that is increasingly mobile-first.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely tracked the arrival of international digital wallets in the region. We recently reported on TBC Bank Uzbekistan Launches Apple Pay as Digital Payments Arrive in Uzbekistan, which marked another significant entry into the market. Additionally, the ecosystem’s expansion into e-commerce was highlighted when Click Becomes First Non-Bank Institution in Uzbekistan to Integrate Apple Pay for E-Commerce, demonstrating that the demand for these services extends beyond traditional banking apps. Beyond Uzbekistan, FF News has also covered the regulatory environment surrounding mobile wallets, including how UK Finance Backs CMA Move to Open Apple NFC for Digital Wallet Competition and the Coalition for App Fairness Urges Affordable NFC Access Following CMA Consultation on Apple. These reports underscore the global pressure on Apple to open its ecosystem, even as it expands into new emerging markets.

What this means

The scale of adoption for Apple Pay in Uzbekistan suggests that the "frontier market" label is no longer applicable to the country’s fintech sector. When 142,000 users onboard a new payment rail in a single day, it signals that the bottleneck was never consumer appetite, but rather technical and regulatory access. This development puts immediate pressure on local payment providers who lack international interoperability. It also raises questions for the wider Central Asian region: if Uzbekistan can successfully integrate global wallets with such high velocity, other markets in the vicinity will likely face increased consumer demand for similar parity. The dominance of repeat transactions in everyday categories indicates that mobile wallets are being treated as a replacement for physical cards and cash, rather than a novelty.