The National Bank has given the go-ahead for the launch of Apple Pay for ‘Elkart’ cards

The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan is considering the possibility of connecting the national payment system ‘Elkart’ to the Apple Pay service. This was announced by Sanjar Abdygaziev, a member of the National Bank’s Board.

According to him, no decision has yet been made, but the matter is on the regulator’s agenda.

“We will look into this; we will discuss it. At the moment, I cannot say for certain whether it will happen or not, but we will be working on it,” said Abdygaziev.

He pointed out that ‘Elkart’ cards are already integrated with the Chinese payment system Alipay. Furthermore, work is underway to expand cooperation with other international payment services.

“Elkart is already integrated and available via Alipay. They also have very good plans involving other international payment systems. This is our national payment system, so, of course, we will endeavour to ensure that it is possible to link these cards,” noted the member of the NBKR’s Board.

As a reminder, the international payment service Apple Pay officially launched in Kyrgyzstan on 28 July 2026. Bank card holders can now pay for purchases using their iPhone and Apple Watch.

According to Sanjar Abdygaziev, the launch of Apple Pay was the result of extensive preparation and collaboration between the National Bank and participants in the payments market. Prior to this, Apple device users in Kyrgyzstan were unable to officially use the Apple Pay service.