Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan plan to develop a mechanism for integrating their national QR payment systems by the end of 2026.

The initiative received support at the fourth regional meeting of representatives of the central banks of the five countries, held in Tajikistan, The Caspian Post reports, citing Kazakh media.

Kazakhstan put forward the proposal to integrate the payment systems. The project is expected to allow citizens of the participating countries to pay for goods and services abroad using their existing domestic banking applications, as well as make instant money transfers.

The meeting also addressed the development of national payment platforms, cross-border transfers, interoperability between instant payment systems and digital currencies.

In addition, participants discussed cybersecurity, measures to combat financial fraud, the regulation of digital assets and the use of artificial intelligence in payment system supervision.