The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan has approved new caps on interchange fees applied between payment system participants and aligned interchange tariffs for payments made via the Instant Payments System (AÖS) with the upper limits set for payment cards. Compared with the currently applicable tariffs, the upper limits for payment card interchange have been reduced by 0.25 percentage points across the relevant merchant activity sectors. The changes are intended to reduce acquirers’ costs and create conditions for lower fees charged to merchants for accepting cashless payments, including through QR code-based payments processed via AÖS, while expanding the use of account-based payments. Changes to the AÖS fee tariffs take effect from 1 May 2026, while the approved interchange caps for payment cards take effect from 1 June 2026.
Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan 2026-04-15
Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan lowers payment card interchange caps by 0.25 percentage points and aligns instant payments interchange with card limits
The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan has approved lower caps on interchange fees between payment system participants and aligned interchange tariffs for payments via the Instant Payments System (AÖS), reducing upper limits for payment card interchange by 0.25 percentage points across relevant merchant sectors. The measures aim to cut acquirers’ costs, support lower merchant fees for cashless and QR code-based payments via AÖS, and promote wider use of account-based payments.