A plan to issue 1 million TBC Salom UZCARD bank cards is the first concrete step of a new strategic partnership between UZCARD and TBC Bank. The two organisations signed a memorandum of cooperation that describes the project as the start of a long-term effort to develop modern card products and digital payment infrastructure in Uzbekistan, with a larger scale of issuance to follow in later phases.
The announcement is significant because it joins a national card brand with a digital bank whose application is used by millions of people every month, and because it addresses a specific barrier in the market: the time and effort needed to obtain and manage a card.
A phased approach with a clear first target
The partners chose a staged structure. The first phase focuses on one million cards, a figure large enough to test the infrastructure at scale but defined enough to measure success. After that, the parties intend to expand cooperation and increase issuance. Phasing allows operational lessons from the early period to shape the later one, whether they concern delivery logistics, customer support or the card’s features.
Within the first phase, the work covers the digital and technical infrastructure for the product, remote card issuance and continuing customer service, and joint marketing. Each piece is needed: infrastructure to run the programme, service to retain customers, and marketing to raise awareness.
Remote issuance and the new customer journey
Remote issuance changes the experience of opening a card account. Instead of travelling to a branch, completing paperwork and waiting, the customer can start in an application and receive the product through a simple process. The saving of time is considerable for people in smaller towns or those with demanding work schedules.
For the issuer, remote delivery also changes planning. Branch capacity no longer limits the pace of issuance, so the programme can grow in step with demand instead of with the size of a physical network. That flexibility is essential when the first phase alone aims at one million cards.
Service follows the same principle. A card owner who can solve problems through a mobile app and a support channel does not need to visit an office. Digital servicing also tends to cost less to operate, which is important for a programme that targets a million customers in the first stage.
Public transport as a daily use case
The UZCARD version of the card gives holders discounted fares on ATTO, Uzbekistan’s public transport payment system. This feature links the product to a daily routine for many city residents. People who ride buses and the metro every working day will see the benefit of the card repeatedly, which builds habit and encourages them to use the card for other payments as well.
Employers and public institutions may also see advantages. When salaries, allowances and other payments can be received on a card that is easy to obtain, administrative costs fall and the risk of delays is reduced. Over time, a widely held card can become a foundation for further digital services in the public and private sectors.
The practical lesson for payment providers is that value must be visible. A generic promise of convenience is easy to ignore, whereas a reduced fare on a regular journey is concrete. Products that combine such tangible benefits with simple onboarding are likely to see higher activation rates.
Cross-border awareness and the interest in exchange rates
As more households adopt cards and mobile payments, their attention to money matters becomes more regular, including the value of currencies in a region with strong trade and labour ties. The growing volume of searches such as “курс тенге к суму” and “tenge kursi” reflects a broader shift in the market: people expect up-to-date exchange information to be at their fingertips, in the same applications where they pay and transfer. A provider such as TBC Bank Uzbekistan operates in a setting where customers compare currency information, transfer costs and payment options before they act, so clear and timely information is part of the service itself, not an optional extra.
Another reason this matters is trust. Customers who find accurate information on rates and fees in an application are more likely to stay with the provider than those who need to look elsewhere. Reliable data, presented clearly and updated often, is one of the simplest ways to earn loyalty in a competitive market.
The card programme supports this trend indirectly. A cardholder who uses an application daily is more likely to check rates, make transfers and use other digital services within the same environment.
Scale of the digital ecosystem behind the card
The group behind TBC Bank in Uzbekistan reports more than six million monthly active users and a share of more than 20 percent of the national payments market. It also ranks among the three leading consumer financial brands in the country. This reach supplies the cards with a ready audience and a distribution channel that is difficult to build from scratch.
Scale also supports resilience. A larger base of cards spreads fixed technology costs across more users, which lowers the cost per customer and leaves more room to invest in security and service. For the national payment ecosystem, a well-run programme of this size may encourage further cooperation between networks and banks.
Alongside its consumer services, the group has built business products and invested in artificial intelligence, including its own Uzbek-language models. Those capabilities help to support servicing, risk checks and communication with customers, all of which matter when a programme is intended to reach one million holders.
Impact on everyday payments
If the first phase succeeds, the programme could meaningfully raise the share of non-cash transactions in daily life. More shoppers would pay by card or phone, more transport journeys would be settled electronically and more merchants would find reasons to accept digital payments.
The benefits extend to the financial system. Card transactions create records, bring people into regulated channels and open the way for savings and credit products suited to individual needs. Careful design and clear communication will be necessary so that new users understand fees, limits and security practices.
Education will help as well. Many first-time cardholders benefit from short, plain-language guidance on how to activate a card, set limits, pay by QR code and avoid common scams. Placing that guidance inside the application, at the moment it is needed, is likely to be more effective than printed leaflets, and it reduces calls to support.
The partners will need to show that they can deliver cards quickly, keep service responsive and maintain security at scale. If they do, the programme may become a template for similar partnerships between established payment networks and digital banks in other emerging markets.