TBC Bank Uzbekistan (TBC UZ), the country’s largest digital bank, announces that it has issued over 500,000 Salom Cards, its flagship debit card and daily banking product, in the first six months since its rollout.
Following the late-2024 soft launch and gradual rollout of Salom Card, TBC UZ has seen strong demand for the product, which serves as the primary entry point into TBC Uzbekistan’s wider digital banking ecosystem – Central Asia’s largest with 19.7 million users. Alongside TBC UZ, the ecosystem includes Payme, a digital payments app for individuals and small businesses, and Payme Nasiya (Payme Instalments), a fast-growing instalment credit business.
Driven almost entirely by organic buzz and word of mouth, Salom card has quickly become a clear favourite among customers in Uzbekistan, who are drawn to an unparalleled range of benefits unavailable elsewhere on the market. These include 12% interest on balances, free cash top-ups, free ATM withdrawals, and 5% cashback with partner merchants.
Available free of charge to customers over 18, the card enables customers to seamlessly manage their finances through an easy-to-use, fully digital interface in the TBC UZ mobile app. Today, Salom card ranks among the fastest-growing banking products in Uzbekistan, fueling the expansion of TBC Uzbekistan’s digital banking ecosystem by attracting new customer segments and enabling cross-sell opportunities with the ecosystem’s other offerings, which include lending, payments, BNPL, and more.
Nika Kurdiani, CEO of TBC Uzbekistan, commented: “As the core entry point into our digital banking ecosystem, Salom Card is playing a key role in growing our customer base and introducing customers to the wider range of products we offer. With its unique range of benefits, we have seen rapid growth in demand for this product as it has emerged as a firm favourite among Uzbekistan’s consumers. We’re delighted to offer a product that truly resonates with our customers and remain committed to raising the bar for financial services in the country.”
About TBC Uzbekistan
TBC Uzbekistan is the leading digital banking ecosystem in Central Asia and part of London-listed TBC Bank Group.
TBC Uzbekistan’s success is driven by its purpose-built tech stack, experienced international team and a consumer lending-led product strategy, supported by its first-mover advantage in Central Asia’s largest nation by population. The company continues to expand its innovative, best-in-class product mix, leveraging low retail banking penetration and a rising appetite for modern financial services among the country’s young, growing, and digitally savvy population.
TBC Uzbekistan comprises three high-growth fintech businesses operating in Uzbekistan: TBC UZ, the country’s largest digital bank; Payme, a digital payments app for individuals and small businesses; and Payme Nasiya (Payme Instalments), a fast-growing instalment credit business.
TBC Uzbekistan reached profitability 2 years after launch - a record time-to-profit among global digital banks, and has since scaled its user base to 19.7 million unique registered users. In 1Q25, the company recorded operating income of USD 57 million, with its loan and deposit books up 116% and 81% YoY respectively.
