The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic reported that its Chairman, Melis Turgunbaev, spoke at the 7th OIC-COMCEC Central Banks Forum in Istanbul on the development of payment services and cross-border payments, highlighting Kyrgyzstan’s approach to QR-based interoperability and outlining the role of a central bank digital currency. The presentation described a unified architecture for payment solutions that enables users of any bank’s mobile application to make interbank and inter-system payments and transfers via QR code. The National Bank noted that Kyrgyzstan is the only Central Asian country providing inter-system integration across different payment systems using QR codes based on a national standard. A separate section focused on the digital som, positioned as supporting domestic payment-system development and financial inclusion while creating preconditions for fuller participation in a next-generation global financial ecosystem where central banks are modernising cross-border payments. On the sidelines, Turgunbaev met Central Bank of Turkey Governor Fatih Karahan to discuss bilateral cooperation and potential integration of national payment systems, including cross-border QR-code payments and transfers.
National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic 2025-09-29
National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic showcases unified QR-code payments and the digital som agenda at the OIC-COMCEC Central Banks Forum
The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic's Chairman, Melis Turgunbaev, addressed the 7th OIC-COMCEC Central Banks Forum in Istanbul, discussing Kyrgyzstan's QR-based payment interoperability and central bank digital currency (CBDC) initiatives. Kyrgyzstan is the only Central Asian country with inter-system QR code integration based on a national standard. Turgunbaev also met with the Central Bank of Turkey's Governor to explore bilateral cooperation and potential integration of national payment systems.