(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 18. Mastercard keeps
focusing on the development of contactless payments in all sectors
of Uzbekistan's economy, General Director of Mastercard in
Uzbekistan Denis Filippov told Trend in an exclusive interview.
“Mastercard pays great attention to convenience and speed of
payments, cybersecurity, and the introduction of innovative
solutions. We also conduct active informational work. Often, the
residents of Uzbekistan perceive our cards exclusively as cards for
traveling. We strive to make people aware that Mastercard cards are
convenient to use in the country too,” he said.
Denis Filippov noted that the company launched the Travel with
Mastercard campaign in January this year, which covered the nine
largest cities in Uzbekistan. Its essence is that when paying with
a Mastercard card, the cost of a trip on buses and subways is
reduced to 1000 soums ($0.079). In three months, the number of
payments with Mastercard cards on public transportation has
increased more than 10 times.
“The environmental aspect of the campaign is also important for
Mastercard. It is known that road transportation is one of the main
sources of air pollution in large cities. Travel with a Mastercard
encourages the population to use buses and subways more often
instead of private cars. This, in turn, leads to a reduction in
emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere and, as a
result, improves air quality,” the general director of Mastercard
in Uzbekistan emphasized.
He also noted that in July, together with MayaSoft fintech
startup, Accion non-profit organization, and Caribou Digital, a
global research company, Mastercard launched a project to support
the digitalization of self-employed and small business processes.
As part of this initiative, 12,000 small businesses in Uzbekistan
will get free access to software for accepting payments via
smartphone.
“Turning a smartphone into a PoS terminal is especially relevant
for remote rural areas with poor internet connections. Also, this
software accelerates capital turnover because the funds received as
a result of a transaction become available to the entrepreneur and
the self-employed immediately, without waiting for bank clearing,”
Denis Filippov said.
According to him, Mastercard's initiatives to stimulate
e-commerce are aimed at working with both businesses and the
population in Uzbekistan. One notable activity for entrepreneurs is
the upcoming launch of Mastercard business cards. These cards offer
a convenient solution for small and medium businesses to streamline
and expedite internal processes. The range of uses for the cards is
extensive, including payment for goods and services, state duties
and visa fees, corporate cabs, business travel expenses, and
more.
Denis Filippov pointed out that Mastercard business cards are
like jacks of all trades, allowing you to use them for both
domestic and international transactions, making payments in both
local and foreign currencies.
"This is especially convenient if the company works in foreign
markets and regularly sends employees on foreign trips. With
business cards, it is possible not to open a separate sum card and
a separate currency card, as all accounting is done on one,"
Mastercard's general director said.
He also mentioned that Mastercard is working hand in glove with
the population to enhance financial literacy. In recent years,
fraudsters who shake people's faith in non-cash payments have been
upping their game.
"Even the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, drew
attention to the problem. In particular, he noted that from January
through November last year, 5,500 cybercrimes were committed in the
country, of which 70 percent were frauds and thefts related to bank
cards. It is understandable that after losing a large sum of money,
people lose confidence in their cards and try to make fewer online
transactions. However, the better people understand financial
issues, the less often they will become victims of fraudsters,"
Filippov said.
According to him, Mastercard pays great attention to the issue
of improving financial literacy. Thus, the company joins forces
with Uzbek Uzum Media.
"Our experts help reporters create educational materials. Within
the framework of the same partnership, we launched the 'Mastercard
Mastering Course', which consists of eight informative modules," he
added.
The representative of the company emphasized that Mastercard
seeks to create a convenient and secure payment environment in
Uzbekistan, which will make the country even more attractive for
tourists.
“We motivate small and medium businesses in Uzbekistan,
especially those working in the hospitality sector, to develop
cashless payments to increase their sales. This is a point-by-point
and long-term project. On the other hand, holders of our cards
issued in Uzbekistan can just as quickly and easily pay for their
purchases with Mastercard when traveling abroad. The card
acceptance network has more than 100 million locations; we operate
in 210 countries and territories, so customers can use their
resources with Mastercard all over the world,” Denis Filippov
said.
Meanwhile, as per data from Uzbekistan's Open Data Portal, the
number of MasterCard Worldwide payment cards issued in Uzbekistan
reached 225,942 in 2023. This figure represents an increase of
123,784 payment cards (121.1 percent) compared to the previous year
(102,158 payment cards in 2022).
MENAFN18072024000187011040ID1108453373
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.