Starting July 1, 2026, all legal entities operating in Uzbekistan’s trade and service sectors are required to accept payments through the country’s unified UzQR system. Following the rollout, many business owners questioned whether they must remove QR codes from payment services such as Payme, Click, Uzum, and other providers.
The Central Bank of Uzbekistan has now clarified that there is no requirement to remove existing QR codes. According to the regulator, the introduction of UzQR does not replace existing payment services but creates a unified payment infrastructure that allows customers to pay using their preferred banking or fintech application. The Central Bank also emphasized that forcing merchants to remove other QR codes would be unlawful.
What is UzQR?
UzQR is Uzbekistan’s unified QR payment system developed by the Central Bank. Instead of displaying separate QR codes for different payment providers, merchants can use a single QR code that is compatible with multiple banking and payment applications. The initiative aims to simplify digital payments, reduce operational complexity for businesses, and improve interoperability across the country’s payment ecosystem.
Will Payme, Click, and Uzum Continue to Work?
Yes, the Central Bank stressed that UzQR does not replace existing payment services. Merchants are free to continue using QR codes from Payme, Click, Uzum, Alif, and other payment providers alongside the new UzQR code. In other words, UzQR expands payment options rather than eliminating existing ones.
Who Must Implement UzQR?
As of July 1, all legal entities engaged in retail trade and service activities are required to provide customers with the ability to make payments via UzQR. However, this requirement does not affect other payment methods. Businesses may continue accepting payments through POS terminals, bank cards, cash, and other existing channels.
Does UzQR Support Visa and Mastercard?
At the current stage, UzQR supports payments made with Uzcard and Humo cards. Customers using Visa or Mastercard cards will continue to make payments through POS terminals or other existing payment solutions.
The official merchant fee for payments processed through UzQR is 0.65%, which is paid by the merchant. According to the Central Bank, customers are not charged any additional fee for using the UzQR system itself. Any extra charges that may appear in certain applications are determined by the individual payment service providers rather than the unified QR system.
The introduction of UzQR is intended to make digital payments more convenient and interoperable—not to replace existing payment platforms. As a result, payment services such as Payme, Click, Uzum, and others will continue to operate alongside Uzbekistan’s new unified QR payment infrastructure.
