Google Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Emerging Markets Doron Avni has linked the launch of Google Pay in Uzbekistan to recent changes in the country’s data protection framework.
In a LinkedIn post, Avni said Uzbekistan had modernised its data privacy rules earlier this year, replacing rigid data localisation requirements with a more flexible and balanced data classification system.
“The result? Immediate, tangible innovation on the ground. When governments create predictable, globally interoperable rules, global technology follows quickly,” he wrote.
According to Avni, the launch of Google Pay goes beyond introducing convenient and secure digital payments, demonstrating how forward-looking policies can encourage technological development in emerging markets.
Avni said the launch was announced during US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Uzbekistan for the C5+1 Ministerial Summit in Samarkand. He noted that the visit underscored the shared commitment of Uzbekistan and the United States to accelerating digital modernisation, including strengthening national cybersecurity, advancing cloud adoption and expanding digital education.
“The momentum in Central Asia is real,” Avni added.
He also thanked the Uzbek government and US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick for their partnership. Avni said Uzbekistan was demonstrating that pragmatic policies could open doors.
US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick also welcomed the launch in a comment under Avni’s post.
“We couldn’t be happier! This is a win-win for everyone. We are eager to continue partnering with Google/Alphabet to expand services here in Uzbekistan. Hopefully YouTube monetisation is just around the corner!” Henick wrote.
The English version of this material was generated with the assistance of AI translation tools and may differ slightly from the original text.
