Bank cards in Uzbekistan: 298 types and record growth of contactless payments

The bank card market in Uzbekistan continues to grow actively. According to the Central Bank, as of October 1, 2024, 298 types of cards are issued in the country, provided by 35 commercial banks. The main part consists of debit cards - 287 types, credit products are represented by 11 options.

In terms of currency structure, cards in the national currency (103 types) are in the lead, foreign currency covers 145 types, and multi-currency solutions are represented by 39 products. Among payment systems, the largest number of cards are issued by national Uzcard (49 types) and Humo (36), among international ones - Visa (85), Mastercard (42) and UnionPay (6). Tashkent retains the lead in the number of cards - 28 million units, in the regions the figures are significantly lower.

Particular attention is drawn to the growth of contactless payments: the number of transactions increased from 23.7 to 48.8 million, and the turnover through NFC reached 3.85 trillion soums - 62.4% more than a year earlier. Installment cards and credit cards are offered by a limited number of banks, while the maximum credit limit reaches 100 million soums, and the grace period is 40-55 days.