Fintech & payments regulation in Tajikistan (2026)
Fintech and digital payments in Tajikistan: licensing regime.
Tajikistan has a dedicated, in-force payments law (2017) under which the National Bank of Tajikistan licenses and supervises payment system operators, participants and e-money issuance, sets settlement rules, and operates national payment infrastructure (RTGS/ACH, instant payments and a unified QR scheme). The regime covers core payments and electronic money and is expanding (national payment gateway, remote e-wallet identification), but it does not yet include dedicated open-banking or BNPL frameworks, and crypto-assets remain largely unregulated.
Legal framework
Law of the Republic of Tajikistan 'On Payment Services and the Payment System' (adopted 2017), administered by the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) alongside the Laws 'On the National Bank of Tajikistan' and 'On Banking Activities'.
Key points: digital payments & fintech in Tajikistan
Dedicated payments law in force
The Law 'On Payment Services and the Payment System' (2017) is the foundational framework defining security/licensing requirements for payment systems, operational risk management, and the rights and obligations of all participants; the NBT is the designated regulator.
Regulator and legal basis
The NBT establishes rules, forms, terms and standards for cashless and cash settlements under the combined Laws 'On the National Bank of Tajikistan', 'On Banking Activities' and 'On Payment Services and Payment System'.
Instant-payment and settlement rails
E-money and e-wallets regulated
Electronic money is supervised under the payments framework; e-wallets have reached roughly 16 million accounts, and the NBT's Financial Monitoring Department (with IFC support) introduced remote identification procedures for low-risk e-money products.
Active expansion of the regime
The NBT announced (Dushanbe-Invest-2025 forum) plans for a national payment gateway for government services, building on a 2023 presidential decree mandating non-cash payment for state services, which drove cards to ~9.4 million.
Taxation/monitoring of e-wallet transactions
From 1 September 2026, commercial transactions through electronic wallets are to be taxed (rate for individual entrepreneurs cut from 6% to 3%); a related Agency for Innovations and Digital Technologies order was signed 1 April 2026 and registered with the Ministry of Justice on 16 April 2026.
Gaps: open banking, BNPL, crypto
There is no dedicated open-banking or buy-now-pay-later regulatory framework, and the NBT has acknowledged a lack of proper crypto-asset rules, leaving those areas outside the current licensing regime.
Sources
- nbt.tj/en/payment_system/
- nbt.tj/en/payment_system/rushdi-infrasokhtori-nizomi-pardokhtii-bmt.php
- cbpn.currencyresearch.com/blog/2020/11/27/national-bank-of-tajikistan-takes-payment-system-to-n
- cma.se/news/national-bank-of-tajikistan-launches-automated-transfer-system
- en.avesta.tj/2025/10/20/tajikistan-to-create-payment-gateway-for-government-servic
- eurasiangroup.org/en/respublika-tadzhikistan-vnedryaet-procedury-udalennoy-identifikaci
- asiaplus.news/en/2026/05/20/a-tax-on-transactions-between-electronic-wallets-in-taj
- asiaplus.news/en/2026/05/14/tracking-of-transfers-to-electronic-wallets-will-begin-
- cis-legislation.com/document.fwx?rgn=46032
- trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/tajikistan-trade-financing
- cryptopolitan.com/tajikistan-central-bank-lack-crypto-rules/
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Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 25 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026