Google Pay has officially been launched in Uzbekistan, marking a notable milestone in the country's evolving digital payments landscape. The announcement was made during a panel session at the C5+1 format events in Samarkand, according to the press service of the Ministry of Digital Technologies.

Marcin Krasuski, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Central and Eastern Europe at Google Cloud, announced the rollout at the event. He purportedly stated that Uzbekistan has emerged as one of the regional leaders in progressive digital regulation.

The introduction of the global payment system follows significant legislative adjustments regarding data localization. Back in 2021, local legislation mandated that companies store personal data of Uzbek citizens exclusively on servers physically located within the country, creating substantial hurdles for foreign tech corporations.

Following high-level discussions and subsequent legal reforms, the mandatory requirement to store all personal data domestically was relaxed, retaining strict localization rules only for biometric and telecommunications data. This policy shift ultimately paved the way for international fintech giants to enter the local market.

Source: www.gazeta.uz