Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 13 May, a memorandum of intent was signed in Tashkent between the National Interbank Processing Center (NIPC) and the international payment system MasterCard. The signed document assumes cooperation in two main directions of development of non-cash payments.

The first is the support for accepting HUMO payment cards for payment in the international Mastercard network — the issue of HUMO International cards. As a result of the signing of the Memorandum, HUMO International payment cards can be accepted in more than 70 million outlets around the world.

The director of the NIPC, Shukhrat Kurbanov, noted that holders of HUMO International payment cards will be able to pay for purchases at all points in the MasterCard network: book hotel rooms, buy tickets via the Internet and carry out other online transactions. The use of HUMO International payment cards will be available not only abroad, but also in Uzbekistan.

The second area of cooperation is the introduction of non-cash fare on public transport. The NIPC and Mastercard agreed to launch a pilot project in cooperation with the Tashkent Metro to receive HUMO payment cards and Mastercard cards when paying for the subway. Implementation of the project will require several months, but a pilot launch is planned for the near future.

“MasterCard took the initiative to participate in a project to introduce a public transport fare system. The pilot project aims to simplify the system of payment for travel on the subway. In addition to the technology of contactless payments, another advantage of the system is automation and the ability to receive full information on payments and travel. This, in turn, will allow effective management and create additional opportunities for metro users,” Kurbanov said.

“We at MasterCard see a deep potential in cooperation with the National Interbank Processing Center, and we are making every effort to bring advanced payment solutions in Uzbekistan. We plan to continue to pay close attention to cooperation with the HUMO payment system, and above all - initiatives to launch transport solutions. This confirms our joint pilot project with the Tashkent metro. The ability to pay for travel in public transport quickly, simply and safely is necessary for residents of modern megacities, and we hope that our project in Tashkent will inspire residents and guests of the city to use non-cash payments more often,” Igor Stepanov, General Director of Mastercard in Georgia and Central Asia, added.

An important aspect of cooperation will be enhancing the security of all participants in the payment market by providing new high-tech products and solutions to protect against fraud.