Hossain Mohammad Salim: Islamic Thinker, Author and Leader of Hezbut Tawheed

Hossain Mohammad Salim is a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar, author, social thinker, speaker, and the Imam and current leader of Hezbut Tawheed. His writings, speeches, and public work focus on Tawheed, Islam, religious understanding, governance, education, culture, social reform, justice, human dignity, and the challenges of contemporary society. He holds a postgraduate degree in Political Science and has authored numerous works on religion, society, governance, culture, and reform. Through his intellectual, educational, and social initiatives, he advocates a justice-oriented vision of society based on Tawheed, moral responsibility, social harmony, and collective welfare.

He was born on 28 November 1972 in Porkora village, Sonaimuri Upazila, Noakhali. He completed his bachelor’s degree from Nawab Faizunnessa Government College under the National University and later obtained a master’s degree in Political Science from Jagannath University. It is also mentioned that he secured first place in the first class in his bachelor’s examination.

In 1999, he joined Hezbut Tawheed after coming into contact with the organization’s founder, Mr. Mohammad Bayazid Khan Panni. After the founder’s death in 2012, he assumed leadership of the organization. He is currently serving as the Emam of Hezbut Tawheed.

 Writing and Notable Books

As an author, numerous books and publications are associated with Hossain Mohammad Salim. His writings discuss topics such as Tawheed, the true concept of Islam, the Islamic way of life, a modern state system based on Tawheed, cultural practices, preventing the misuse of religion, and social reform.

He has written numerous books. Among his notable books, the following have achieved particular recognition:

1. A Modern State System Based on Tawheed

2. Caught in the Trap of Religious Business

3. Tawheed Is the Key to Paradise

4. Why Is Islam Losing Its Appeal?

5. Hezbut Tawheed in Brief

6. The Horizon of Cultural Practice in a Modern Society Based on Tawheed

7. DIVIDE & RULE – A Tool of Exploitation

8. The Purpose of Sawm

These books present various aspects of religious thought, social problems, justice, education, culture, and the state system. Some of his books have also been published in English and are available on Google Play Books and digital publishing platforms.

 Islamic Speeches and Religious Harmony

Hossain Mohammad Salim delivers speeches on Islamic thought, the true teachings of Islam, and social issues at various meetings, conferences, and public gatherings. His speeches emphasize the correct understanding of Tawheed, opposition to militancy and extremism, prevention of the misuse of religion, and raising public awareness of religious matters.

He also highlights the importance of mutual respect, coexistence, and interfaith harmony among people of different religions. Instead of religious division and communal hatred, peaceful coexistence, social unity, and the establishment of human values are among the key topics discussed in his speeches.

 Social Work and Other Initiatives

His areas of work include writing, delivering speeches on religious and social issues, public awareness campaigns, and youth development. In addition, he is involved in various social initiatives related to education, agriculture, healthcare, industry, and employment.

Through these activities, efforts to increase religious awareness, discuss social problems, promote human welfare, and highlight positive changes in society or the state are reflected in his work.
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Some News article

হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম সম্পর্কিত সংবাদ ও প্রতিবেদন

১. নৈতিকতার চরম অবক্ষয় চলছে, রাষ্ট্রের আদর্শ পরিবর্তন জরুরি: হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://www.kalbela.com/religion/312154

২. আমরা দেশ রক্ষার প্রস্তাব নিয়ে ময়দানে আছি — হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://desherpotro.com/%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B6-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B7%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A7%9F%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%9F%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%9B%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%A6-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AE

৩. দ্বীন প্রতিষ্ঠায় জাতীয় ঐক্যের ডাক, অনৈক্যের কারণেই মুসলমানরা নির্যাতিত হচ্ছে — হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://dailyinqilab.com/bangladesh/news/939961

৪. মানবাধিকার নিশ্চিতে ইসলামই একমাত্র সমাধান: হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://dailyinqilab.com/politics/news/887672

৫. শুধু সিস্টেমের সংস্কার নয়, এর আমূল পরিবর্তন করতে হবে: হেযবুত তওহীদের এমাম সেলিম
https://www.channelionline.com/not-just-reforming-system-but-changing-it-radically-hezbut-tawheed/

৬. হেযবুত তওহীদের সংস্কার প্রস্তাবই জাতির মুক্তির সনদ: হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://dhakareader.com/hezbut-tawheeds-reform-proposal-is-the-charter-of-the-nations-liberation-hossain-mohammad-salim/

৭. রাজধানীতে আমির সম্মেলন: রাষ্ট্র সংস্কারে হেযবুত তওহীদের প্রস্তাবনা পেশ  
https://desherpotro.com/hezbut-tawheed-presents-proposals-for-state-reform

৮. চলমান সিস্টেম পাল্টে আল্লাহর সিস্টেমে প্রত্যাবর্তন করতে হবে: কুষ্টিয়ায় হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://hezbuttawheed.org/articles/%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%AE-%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A6%B8-%E0%A6%B8-%E0%A6%9F-%E0%A6%AE-%E0%A6%AA-%E0%A6%B2-%E0%A6%9F-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%B2-%E0%A6%B2-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%B8-%E0%A6%B8-%E0%A6%9F-%E0%A6%AE-%E0%A6%AA-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%AF-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%AC

৯. Only Islam Can Ensure Rights and Justice, Says Hezbut Tawheed Leader Hossain Mohammad Salim
https://www.unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/only-islam-can-ensure-rights-and-justice-says-hezbut-tawheed-leader/184507

১০. বিশেষ সাক্ষাৎকার: ধ্বংস হওয়া থেকে বাঁচতে আমাদের প্রস্তাব গ্রহণের বিকল্প নেই — তওহীদভিত্তিক আধুনিক রাষ্ট্রব্যবস্থা
https://bajroshakti.com/exclusive-interview-we-have-no-choice-but-to-accept-the-offer-to-avoid-destruction/

১১. মানবাধিকার নিশ্চিতে ইসলামই একমাত্র সমাধান: হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://www.channelionline.com/islam-is-the-only-solution-to-ensure-human-rights-imam-hossain-mohammad-selim/

১২. মানবাধিকার নিশ্চিতে ইসলামই একমাত্র সমাধান: হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://sarabangla.net/capital/post-1152812/

১৩. রাষ্ট্রের আদর্শ পরিবর্তন জরুরি: ইমাম হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://nkbarta24.com/post/22329

১৪. প্রকৃত ইসলাম প্রতিষ্ঠাই শান্তির একমাত্র গ্যারান্টি — হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://sahihislam.net/the-establishment-of-true-islam-is-the-only-guarantee-of-peace/

১৫. সাভারে হেযবুত তওহীদের কর্মীসভা অনুষ্ঠিত, প্রধান অতিথি হোসাইন মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
https://muktangannews24.com/2026/10/25/%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%93%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%B0/

১৬. ‘Sobar Jonno Bangladesh’ Launched to Fight Back Extremism — Hossain Mohammad Salim
https://www.newagebd.net/post/time-out/312555/sobar-jonno-bangladesh-launched-to-fight-back-extremism

Lustus: The Janus-Faced Modern Epic and the Moral Architecture of Our Age

Dr. Bhagyashree Varma 

[Dr. Bhagyashree Varma is Professor of English at University of Mumbai. Previously, she has edited ‘Philosophia de Anand’, a work of philosophy by Dr. Jernail Singh Anand, who has authored 210 books and 20 epic works. ‘Lustus: the Prince of Darkness’ is considered an immortal work after John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’.]

INTRODUCTION 

While mapping the terrain of Dr. Jernail Singh Anand’s Lustus: The Prince of Darkness, eminent scholars Dr Maja Herman Sekulic, Mauro Montachhiesi, Dr. Basudeb Chakraborti, Dr. P.G. Rama Rao, Dr. Laksmisree Banerjee, Dr. Kulbushan Razdan, Dr. Lalit Mohan Sharma, Dr. Molly Joseph and  Dr. Maqsood Jafri, establish  the work’s epic ambition, its mock-heroic scaffolding, and its direct dialogue with Milton. With the critical interventions of Mauro Montacchiesi and Dr. Basudeb Chakraborti and  Dr Maja Herman Sekulic,  the portrait sharpens. Can we think of Lustus as a Janus-faced work, looking back to archetype and forward to civilizational crisis, whose aesthetic eminence equals Paradise Lost in modern times? The chorus of scholars says: yes, and for reasons that go deeper into ethics, aesthetics, prophecy, and the future of collective life itself.

1.The Janus Gaze, Expanded: Montacchiesi’s Allegorical World

Dr. Molly Joseph identifies Lustus as a “dexterous mix of yesterday’s memories, today’s apprehensions, tomorrow’s dreams.” Mauro Montacchiesi gives this Janus function its philosophical frame. For him, the “greatest merit of Anand’s work lies in the construction of a recognizable allegorical world.” This world is not medieval or Renaissance, but ours. It “embraces anxieties linked to contemporary social criticism and technology,” yet “incorporates literary memory and religious mythology.” 

That is Janus in full operation. The past face looks to “literary memory and religious mythology” — the Ramayana, the Bible, Buddha, Christ, Mahavira, the Sikh Gurus that Dr. Lalit Mohan Sharma noted. The forward face stares into “progress devoid of compassion, freedom devoid of responsibility, and knowledge devoid of wisdom.” Montacchiesi’s formulation is the ethical core of your own reading: if Milton represented his age’s tiles — the cosmos of divine order and rebellion — Anand’s Lustus is a critique of modernity’s own tiles, where the gods have been replaced by systems.

This allegorical world is recognizable because it is ours. Lustus is not horned and cloven-hoofed. He is the “Corporate of Evil.” Montacchiesi sees the work as posing a single, terrifying question: “can progress devoid of compassion, freedom devoid of responsibility, and knowledge devoid of wisdom sustain a civilization?” Milton asked whether God could be justified to man. Anand asks whether man, having unmoored progress from compassion, can still be justified at all. That is the Janus threshold: we stand between a mythic past and a technological future, and Lustus forces us to look both ways.

2. The Book of the Millennium: Chakraborti’s Prophecy of Endurance

If Montacchiesi gives us the ethical question, Dr. Basudeb Chakraborti gives us the verdict on literary permanence. His claim is staggering in its scope. He calls Lustus “a landmark work, the greatest creation of Anand’s career.” More than praise, it is prophecy: “Dr Anand will not be around / But Lustus will be read after 150 years.” He writes in 2026; he is speaking of the year 2176, which makes Lustus the book of the Millennium. Dr. Basudeb Chakraborti’s claim that Lustus alone would render Dr. Anand immortal underscores the epic’s stature as a singular, epoch-defining work whose structural innovation and moral urgency transcend the author’s entire oeuvre. It frames Lustus not as one book among many, but as a literary monument whose reckoning with modernity’s “Corporate of Evil” is profound enough to secure Anand’s place in the canon for centuries.

This matters when we weigh Lustus against Paradise Lost. Eminence cannot be declared by contemporaries alone. It must be ratified by time. Milton’s epic was not universally loved in 1667. It became “Paradise Lost” through centuries of reading, arguing, imitating, and resisting. Chakraborti is positioning Lustus on that same long arc. He asserts it will be “whispered, debated, and devoured 150 years from now.” Why? Because of “great imaginative power, technical innovation, and neo-mythological power struggle between angels and demons.”

Chakraborti also reinforces that Lustus “situates Dr Anand in close affinity to great satirist Daniel Defoe, brutally critiques an entire civilization for its moral complacency.” The mock-heroic is not a lowering of the epic. It is the only mode left when the civilization itself has become mock-heroic — heroic in technology, mock in wisdom. Milton could still write a straight epic because his culture still believed in Heaven and Hell as vertical facts. We believe in metrics. Anand therefore must use satire as his epic weapon. “Satan is half the pest that Lustus is”, as the book cover states, because Satan wanted to rule but Lustus wants to monetize.

3. The Assertion of Godly Powers Against the Corporate of Evil

The scholars view Lustus is “an assertion of godly powers against stiff resistance by Lustus, the Corporate of Evil” —Dr. Maqsood Jafri already placed the work beside Paradise Regained, saying it “takes us out from the dark and dreary dungeons of evil and shows us the bright Ways of God to Man.” Chakraborti extends this when he says,  the epic’s “seminal creation” launches a “neo-mythological power struggle between angels and demons.” 

But what are “godly powers” in a post-religious, corporate age? Montacchiesi answers: they are compassion, responsibility, and wisdom. These are the ethical preconditions for “collective coexistence, human dignity, and ethics” — the very dialogue he says Lustus contributes to internationally. The resistance is “stiff” because Lustus does not appear as evil. He appears as efficiency, as growth, as desire fulfilled. Dr. Rama Rao noted that in Lustonia, humans are “motivated only by desire.” Montacchiesi’s triad — progress without compassion, freedom without responsibility, knowledge without wisdom — is the operating system of Lustonia. It is the Corporate of Evil as code.

The “godly” assertion, then, is humanistic and prophetic. Dr. Molly Joseph called the book a “counterblast” that seeks to “justify the ways of man to God.” That is, humanity must re-earn its place in a moral universe violated by automation. The epic form is necessary because only an epic can stage a battle this large: not man versus God, but man versus the system man built to replace God.

4. Aesthetic Value: Syncretism as the New Sublime

Can a work that critiques modernity through satire have aesthetic value equal to Paradise Lost? Montacchiesi and Chakraborti both say yes, and they locate that value in syncretism and structure. 

Montacchiesi praises the “unique syncretism of European and Indian traditions” that makes Lustus a “significant contribution to the international dialogue.” This is what Dr. Lalit Mohan Sharma called the intersection of Judeo-Christian and Hindu mythologies. It is also what Dr. Laksmisree Banerjee termed the “meeting-point of the ethos and civilizational processes of the Orient and Occident.” The aesthetic achievement is architectural: Anand has built a cathedral where the Bible, the Ramayana, Milton, and the Upanishads have chapels under one dome, and the dome is wired with fiber-optic cable.

Chakraborti locates the value in craft: “from the point of view of structure, language and content.” He calls it a work of “technical innovation.” While some critics have noted fabulation, metafiction, syntagms, postmodern discursiveness, but not chaos. It is composition. The sublime in Milton was vertical — the vast spaces of Heaven, Hell, Chaos. The sublime in Anand is horizontal — the vast web of cultures, technologies, and desires that now defines the human. To render that web as allegory, to make it “recognizable” as Montacchiesi says, is an aesthetic act of the highest order.

5. Eminence: From “Modern Epic” to “An Immortal Work”

Paradise Lost is eminent because it became unavoidable. You could not write about evil, freedom, or poetry in English after 1667 without positioning yourself toward Milton. The claim now being made for Lustus is that it is becoming unavoidable for the 21st century. 

Consider the escalation in language across these scholars: “modern epic,” “mega epic,” “masterpiece,” “landmark work,” “seminal creation,” “book of the millennium,” “the Prince who made his author immortal.” Chakraborti states: “Since Paradise Lost, only one Prince matters — Lustus.” That is not comparison. That is succession. 

Montacchiesi does not use such heated language, but his judgment is colder and perhaps more damning: Lustus poses the question on which civilization depends. A work that formulates the defining question of an era has the eminence of Paradise Lost, which formulated the question of obedience, freedom, and suffering for the early modern world.

Conclusion: The Immortal Was Born, and We Are Its Witnesses

Read Lustus now, or let history record that you were alive when the immortal was born — and you looked away — is the final piece. Paradise Lost was born into a world of plague, fire, and political upheaval. It was not recognized at once. Lustus is born into a world of climate collapse, algorithmic governance, and spiritual anomie. 

The scholars assembled here are telling us that this work looks back like Janus to every myth that ever tried to explain desire, and forward to the systems that now manufacture it. Its aesthetic value lies in making that double vision coherent, terrible, and beautiful. Its eminence will lie in whether it forces the next 150 years to answer its question: can a civilization survive progress without compassion?

If Milton gave us the epic of the Fall, Anand has given us the epic of the Corporation. If Satan was the first rebel, Lustus is the first CEO of Hell. And if “godly powers” are to assert themselves, it will be through the kind of self-scrutiny, interrogation, and remoulding that Lustus demands. 

Based on these critical reviews, Lustus can be considered as a Janus-faced work of great aesthetic value, carrying an eminence that equals Paradise Lost in modern times — not as imitation, but as its necessary successor. The immortal, as Chakraborti says, has been born. The only question is whether we will read it.

Works Cited:

Anand, Jernail Singh, Lustus: The Prince of Darkness, The Poetry Society of India, Gurugram, 2022. 

Social media: Critical Comments Dr. Basudeb Chakraborti, Mauro Montachhiesi, Dr. Maja Herman Sekulic, Dr. Lakshmisree Banerjee, Dr. Molly Joseph, Dr. Pedapudi Rama Rao, Dr. Lalit Mohan Sharma, Dr. Kulbushan Razdan, Dr. Maqsood Jafri, accessed from the facebook account of Dr. Anand. [https://www.facebook.com/share/19cp4Bn2kL/]

[Note: This article is a part of the upcoming critical work by Dr. Bhagyashree Varma entitled: Aesthetics of Innovation and Creative Universe of Dr. Jernail Singh Anand]. 

BIO OF DR BHAGYASHAREE S VARMA

Dr. Bhagyashree S. Varma, as a polyglot, writes, and translates in seven languages. As professor of English with prolific publications in literature, her research is published on Amrita Pritam, Kamala Das, Mahashweta Devi, Jean Rhys, Harivanshrai Bachchan, Emily Dickinson, Deepti Naval, and Jeff Goldberg. Dr. Varma is honored by International Academy of Ethics (2024) for Service to Literature. Siesta, Amrita Pritam Life as Literature, Woman and Self, Fragrance (Darwal) and Breaking Silences (Tutati Khamoshiya) are her publications. Siesta (2025), with Emily Dickinson Award is noted for depth and simplicity. Dr. Varma has supervised researchers for M.Phil. and Ph.D. on gender-dynamics, comparative theories and cultural studies.

Casino Boy 

There is nothing in the boy’s eyes but sleep; He stays awake all night, pouring liquor into glasses— 

Yet, he has never touched the essence of the drink itself. 

Everyone calls him the “Casino Boy.” 

It is said that his father is a fugitive, 

While his mother lives in a colonial-style neighborhood—

A place where, every single night, she practices democracy.

A prostitute gives him shelter— 

Back then, he hadn’t yet learned to speak, Save for the language of the eyes. 

Now, he turns words into songs, 

His voice rich with intricate melodies. 

He has yet to turn twelve, 

Yet his eyes hold a layer of frost.

At this age, his school is a casino club—

The gamblers are all his teachers! 

What a strange democracy! 

His eyelids sink into the night, 

Blinded by the glare of the stars; 

The footsteps of guards rouse him—

In the mirror of a filthy urinal, 

He searches for the reflection of his own future. 

All around, the exhaustion of 

A wounded night lies in wait; 

A crack appears in the mirror, 

And down the walls of silence, 

The barbarism of civilization comes tumbling.

A tainted veil of night 

Blankets the gentle oxygen. 

In the youth’s stifled cry, 

The mercury in the barometer rises in warmth; in a damp, hushed voice, 

The world dances on the fringes of sin— 

A quiet coexistence of wine and bread, 

the sound of the wind, the touch of the wind; and then… 

Deep within the boy’s eyes, 

A slumber of death spreads— 

A thwarted youth, 

The very face of death. 

Nothing else remains. 

A single blade of bare grass drifts in a circle.

Mesfakus Salahin, Bangladesh

PROSPECTS FOR LAUNCHING APPLE PAY IN UZBEKISTAN: PAYMENT INFRASTRUCTURE, IMPLEMENTATION BARRIERS, AND ECONOMIC EFFECTS

Shodmanova Ruxshona Jaxongir qizi Turan International University student, shodmanova1410@icloud.com
Sultanov Shoxjaxon Rahmon o‘g‘li Turan International University teacher, shohjahonsultanov02@gmail.com

Abstract

The article examines the prospects for the official launch of Apple Pay in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The relevance of the topic stems from the active digitalisation of the country’s payment infrastructure and the integration of the national financial system into the global cashless payment ecosystem. The study aims to identify the technological, regulatory, commercial, and institutional factors that determine the feasibility and timing of the service’s implementation, as well as to assess potential economic effects on the payments market. The methodology combines systems analysis, comparative analysis of international experience, and qualitative assessment of available statistical data.

The study establishes that Apple Pay was officially launched in Uzbekistan in late October 2026, supporting Visa and Mastercard cards from eight banks [1, 2], while cards of the national payment systems HUMO and UZCARD remain outside the initial contour [2, 8]. Key barriers are identified, including data localisation requirements, the need for technical certification by Apple, and the phased onboarding of issuers. The conclusion is drawn that the launch can strengthen competition among banks, improve the convenience of cross-border payments, and accelerate the reduction of cash usage; however, the sustained effect depends on the integration of national payment systems and the expansion of participating banks.

Keywords: Apple Pay, Uzbekistan, cashless payments, payment infrastructure, HUMO, UZCARD, digital economy, NFC, bank competition.

Introduction

The transition to cashless payments is a sustained trend in the development of financial systems in emerging market countries. In recent years, Uzbekistan has demonstrated consistent expansion of its payment infrastructure, growth in bank card issuance, and an increase in transactions conducted using electronic payment instruments. In this context, the emergence of global payment services such as Apple Pay is viewed not merely as a technological improvement but as a factor of institutional integration of the national market into the international payment ecosystem. Apple Pay is a mobile contactless payment service that uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and tokenisation of bank card data. When a card is added to the Wallet application, its details are replaced by a unique token stored on the device and used to conduct transactions. The actual card number is not transmitted to the merchant and is not stored on Apple’s servers, which provides a higher level of security compared with the traditional use of plastic cards [12]. Implementation in a country requires support from card issuers, certification of integration with Apple, compliance with payment system requirements (Visa, Mastercard), and the availability of compatible terminal infrastructure [12].

Until recently, Uzbekistan remained one of the few countries in the region where Apple Pay was not officially available. The situation changed in late October 2026 when the service was launched [1, 14]. However, full integration, including cards of the national payment systems HUMO and UZCARD, remains incomplete [2, 8]. This determines the relevance of the study: the need to understand which factors shaped the launch trajectory, which barriers persist, and which economic effects can be expected as the service’s coverage expands. The purpose of this article is a comprehensive analysis of the prospects for launching Apple Pay in Uzbekistan, focusing on the state of payment infrastructure, identifying implementation barriers, and assessing potential economic effects.

The information base of the study comprises official communications and documents published by state bodies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, materials from the Central Bank, data from the national payment systems HUMO and UZCARD, press releases from international payment systems, and publications in reputable business media [1, 2, 8, 14]. The preparation of the article took into account limitations related to the fact that some statistical data on the development of cashless payments are published with a time lag, and detailed information on the commercial terms of agreements between Apple and issuing banks is not publicly disclosed.

The methodological basis of the work is a systems approach to the analysis of payment infrastructure, comparative analysis of Apple Pay launch experiences in countries with comparable market characteristics, and qualitative assessment of available quantitative indicators. Given that official data on the reasons why HUMO and UZCARD cards were not connected at the first stage are not presented in detail in open sources, the corresponding conclusions are formulated as assumptions based on indirect evidence and are not presented as established facts.

The functioning of Apple Pay is based on the combination of three elements: an Apple device with an NFC module, the Wallet application, and the card issuer’s infrastructure. The issuing bank must undergo Apple certification, ensuring compliance with functional requirements, including the ability to add a card to the application, card lifecycle management, and correct authentication of the cardholder [12]. For banks using third-party mobile applications, Apple’s requirements create additional complexities: responsibility for compliance with specifications rests with the issuer, even if the technical implementation is carried out by a vendor [12]. This circumstance may explain the phased onboarding of banks in Uzbekistan [1, 8].

From the perspective of payment systems, Apple Pay operates over the existing authorisation channels of Visa and Mastercard. National payment systems such as HUMO and UZCARD require separate integration because their processing architecture differs from international schemes. This is precisely why, at the first stage of the launch in Uzbekistan, support was provided for Visa and Mastercard cards, while HUMO and UZCARD cards remained outside the initial contour [2, 8].

Uzbekistan’s cashless payments market is characterised by high growth rates driven by state policy promoting digital financial services, the expansion of the POS terminal network, and the active adoption of mobile banking. According to the Central Bank’s statistical bulletin, between 1 October 2024 and 1 October 2025, the number of bank plastic cards in circulation increased by 21%, reaching 65 million units, while the fleet of ATMs and payment kiosks grew by 40% to 39,800 units; the volume of payments through payment terminals increased by 52%, amounting to UZS 359.9 trillion [10].

A key feature of Uzbekistan is that a significant portion of cards is issued within the national payment systems HUMO and UZCARD, which support domestic settlements and social payments. International payment systems Visa and Mastercard are more widely represented in the segment of cross-border transactions and cards oriented towards foreign travel and online purchases. The launch of Apple Pay exclusively for Visa and Mastercard cards at the first stage means that the service covers only a portion of cardholders, albeit the most solvent segment in terms of cross-border transactions [2, 8].

According to Central Bank data, in 2025 the share of terminal operations, including mobile applications, increased from 40% to 43%, and in trade and services from 44% to 48%; the share of cash in the money supply at the beginning of 2026 decreased to 18.1% [9]. These indicators point to a gradual transition to cashless payments, although cash retains a significant role in the economy.

Status of Apple Pay in Uzbekistan as of the Date of Writing

According to official announcements, on 27 October 2026, the ability to connect bank cards to Apple Pay and Google Pay became available in Uzbekistan [1, 7]. The first participants included the National Bank of Uzbekistan, Ipak Yuli Bank, Orient Finans Bank, Kapitalbank, TBC Bank Uzbekistan, Octobank, Hamkorbank (Visa only), and Uzum Bank (Visa only) [1, 8]. Mastercard separately confirmed the launch of the service in cooperation with six issuing banks.

The Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan characterised the launch as a step towards integrating the country’s payment infrastructure with international digital payment technologies and indicated that the connection of new banks and payment systems would proceed in stages according to their technical readiness [2, 8]. Thus, as of the date of writing, Apple Pay officially operates in Uzbekistan, albeit within a limited contour: without support for HUMO and UZCARD cards and with incomplete coverage of issuing banks [2, 8].

The regulatory factor played a significant role in enabling the launch. One of the obstacles was the requirement to store personal data within the country. In March 2026, Law No. ZRU–1125 amended the Law “On Personal Data”, under which personal data not classified as biometric, genetic, or data of telecommunications users may be stored and processed outside Uzbekistan subject to one of the established conditions, including recognition of the foreign state as providing equivalent data protection [4]. This removed one of the key restrictions for international payment services and indicates that Uzbekistan’s institutional environment is adapting to the requirements of global technology companies.

The commercial factor relates to the distribution of commission costs. Apple charges issuers a fee for transactions made through Apple Pay [12]. For banks, this creates a need to balance the attractiveness of the service for customers against additional costs. At the first stage, the service was joined primarily by banks focused on the retail segment and digital channels, for which the availability of Apple Pay is a customer retention factor [1, 8]. Banks with a less pronounced digital strategy or a significant share of HUMO/UZCARD cards may postpone integration.

The technological factor for HUMO and UZCARD consists in the need to adapt processing and undergo Apple certification. Given that these systems serve a significant portion of domestic transactions, their connection is critical for achieving mass coverage. However, the timing of such connection is not publicly defined [2, 8], which creates uncertainty in assessing long-term effects.

Prior to the launch of Apple Pay, mobile banking applications and payment services using QR codes and NFC technologies within proprietary applications were already functioning in Uzbekistan. Apple Pay differs primarily in its level of integration with the device: payment is made without opening an application, using Face ID or Touch ID, and card data is tokenised at the hardware level [12]. This provides higher transaction speed and reduces the risk of credential compromise.

At the same time, the key difference between Apple Pay and local solutions is its global interoperability. A user outside Uzbekistan can use an added card at any point accepting contactless payments. For local mobile applications, such interoperability is limited. On the other hand, local solutions can be more flexible in terms of integration with national payment systems and social functions, which makes them indispensable for domestic settlements. Furthermore, local mobile applications support HUMO and UZCARD cards, whereas Apple Pay at the current stage does not [2, 8].

The launch of Apple Pay can have a positive impact on competition among banks. The availability of the service becomes a differentiating feature: banks offering Apple Pay gain an advantage in attracting customers oriented towards digital technologies and cross-border travel. This may incentivise other issuers to accelerate integration, ultimately expanding the service’s coverage. However, at the first stage, the effect is limited by the narrow circle of participating banks and the lack of support for national payment systems [1, 8].

From the perspective of payment convenience, Apple Pay reduces time transaction costs: payment is made faster than when using a physical card or opening a mobile application. For e-commerce, Apple Pay provides an additional payment channel in applications and on websites, which may contribute to higher conversion [12]. However, the scale of this effect depends on merchants’ readiness to accept Apple Pay, which requires appropriate terminal infrastructure and, in the case of online payments, integration on the merchants’ side.

The reduction of cash usage is one of the expected effects, but it is not an automatic consequence of launching Apple Pay. Cash remains in demand in segments where digital payments are constrained infrastructurally or institutionally. Central Bank data show that in 2025 the cash turnover through the banking system increased, and although the share of cash in the money supply decreased to 18.1%, it remains significant [9]. Apple Pay rather reinforces the habit of cashless payment among categories of users who already have bank cards and smartphones but may be less inclined to use physical cards for everyday transactions.

Risks and limitations include: commission costs for banks [12], which may be passed on to card servicing fees; dependence on Apple’s decisions regarding functionality and terms; potential strengthening of payment market fragmentation if national systems remain outside the Apple Pay contour for an extended period [2, 8]; and data protection issues, notwithstanding tokenisation, since the processing of part of personal data may occur outside the country [4]. Among the necessary conditions for successful implementation are certification of issuers by Apple, technical integration of HUMO and UZCARD, expansion of participating banks, availability of NFC infrastructure, and user awareness of service security [2, 8, 12].

The experience of Kazakhstan, where Apple Pay was launched in November 2018, shows that initial connection of a limited number of banks is followed by gradual expansion of coverage. Halyk Bank and Qazkom were among the first Kazakhstan`s banks to offer their clients the ability to use Apple Pay [6]. The preparatory period took considerable time: negotiations and testing with Apple required coordination among banks, processing companies, and Apple itself [6, 13]. For Uzbekistan, this experience is relevant in terms of expectations regarding the pace of expansion: the connection of national payment systems and new banks is likely to take months rather than weeks and will depend on the technical readiness of each organisation [2, 8].

Another important lesson is that the launch of Apple Pay per se does not guarantee an immediate increase in the share of cashless payments. In Kazakhstan, the effect was achieved in combination with the development of the terminal network and active policies by banks to promote card usage [13]. For Uzbekistan, this means that Apple Pay should be viewed as an element of a broader strategy for digitalising payments rather than as a standalone solution.

Conclusion

The analysis allows the following conclusions to be drawn. First, Apple Pay was officially launched in Uzbekistan in late October 2026, marking a qualitative shift in the country’s integration into the global payment ecosystem [1, 2]. However, the launch is limited in scope: the service supports Visa and Mastercard cards from a limited number of banks, while the national payment systems HUMO and UZCARD remain outside the contour [2, 8].

Second, the key factors that determined the feasibility of the launch were changes in the regulatory sphere—liberalisation of data localisation requirements by Law No. ZRU–1125 [4]—and the technical readiness of a number of issuing banks. Remaining barriers are related to the need to integrate national payment systems, commercial terms of interaction with Apple, and the phased nature of certification [2, 8, 12].

Third, potential economic effects include increased competition in the retail banking segment, improved convenience of payments, especially cross-border ones, and the creation of an additional channel for e-commerce. At the same time, the scale of these effects will be determined by the expansion of the service’s coverage and the connection of HUMO and UZCARD [2, 8].

Practical measures conducive to full integration include: accelerating the technical integration of national payment systems with Apple Pay; expanding the circle of participating banks by reducing certification barriers; developing NFC infrastructure; conducting information campaigns on the security and advantages of the service; and monitoring the impact on competition and the accessibility of payment services.

References

1. Apple Pay and Google Pay begin rolling out in Uzbekistan. Gazeta.uz, 27 October 2026. Available at: https://www.gazeta.uz/en/2026/10/27/google-apple-pay-uzbekistan/ 
2. Apple Pay to soon support Uzcard and Humo cards. Kapital.uz, 28 October 2026. Available at: https://kapital.uz/apple-pay-i-naczionalnye-platezhnye-sistemy/ 
3. Annual report 2025. Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Available at: https://cbu.uz/upload/medialibrary/b0d/4h8ufsm1pbs5e7dl336ygil61lalyws1/Annual-report-2025.pdf 
5. Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. ZRU–1125 of 26.03.2026 on amendments and additions to the Law “On Personal Data”. Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Available at: https://advice.adliya.uz/ru/document/4613 
6. Domestic scheme treatment. Thales Payments Docs, 2026. Available at: https://docs.payments.thalescloud.io/classic-tokenization/use-cases/card-enrolment/generic-enrollment-flow/step-1-capture-card-details/domestic-scheme-treatment 
8. Apple Pay mobile payment system now available to Halyk Bank and Qazkom cardholders. Halyk Bank, 28 November 2018. Available at: https://halykbank.kz/about/press_center/pressrelease/168 
9. Apple Pay and Google Pay begin to be connected in Uzbekistan. AZERTAC, 27 October 2026. Available at: https://azertag.az/ru/xeber/v_uzbekistane_nachali_podklyuchat_apple_pay_i_google_pay-4481673 
11. Uzcard and Humo cards to support Apple Pay soon, Central Bank says. Kun.uz, 28 October 2026. Available at: https://kun.uz/en/news/2026/10/28/uzcard-and-humo-cards-to-support-apple-pay-soon-central-bank-says-58319 
12. Cash turnover in Uzbekistan increased by 25% in 2025. Yangi O’zbekiston, 13 February 2026. Available at: https://yuz.uz/index.php/ru/news/oborot-nalichnx-deneg-v-uzbekistane-v-2025-godu-vros-na-25 
14. Information on bank plastic cards, terminals, ATMs and payment kiosks: statistical bulletin of the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Association of Banks of Uzbekistan. Available at: https://aab.uz/upload/medialibrary/ce3/3mmf4oehuz0kbum12t0cstvhwutricq6.pdf 
15. Issuer Wallet and Apple Pay / Google Pay – Differences. Verestro. Available at: https://developer.verestro.com/books/token-requestor-issuer-wallet/chapter/article/export/pdf 
17. Apple Pay launch in Kazakhstan a step towards cashless economy. Qazinform, 30 November 2018. Available at: https://qazinform.com/news/apple-pay-launch-in-kazakhstan-a-step-towards-cashless-economy_a3470633 
18. Apple Pay and Google Pay begin operating in Uzbekistan. Kapital.uz, 27 October 2026. Available at: https://kapital.uz/apple-pay-i-google-pay-v-uzbekistane/ 
19. Uzbekistan to add Uzcard and Humo cards to Apple Pay soon. Daryo.uz, 28 October 2026. Available at: https://daryo.uz/en/2026/10/28/uzbekistan-to-add-uzcard-and-humo-cards-to-apple-pay-soon/ 

For Alissa White-Gluz

Queen of metal songs,
A delicate voice, a woman of iron.

But iron is in the 26th place in the periodic table,
While you are in the first place among the stars of the world.

It is said in religion that iron was sent down from the sky.
You too are an angel sent down from the sky,
And what you sing is like a holy verse.

Your hair is blue, like the skies,
Your voice is the sound of thunder, the sound of lightning.

Greetings to you, 
O woman of iron,
Descended from the heavens.

Four guitars in the band,
Each one looks like a big key.
In the four corners of the world,
The doors are closed to us.

Open the doors of truth!
We are drowning in a sea of lies.
Let us swallow a spoonful of truth,
Truth like medicine.
Let the spoons be made of iron.

Bahtiyar Hidayet, Azerbaijan

The Last Escalator

After the department store closed, they left one escalator running. It carried nobody to the second floor, where the mannequins stood in their underwear among coils of electrical cable. The security guard said stopping it would cost more than letting it run. I accepted this explanation. It resembled many explanations I had accepted during my working life.

I had come to collect a display cabinet. My sister had bought it at the liquidation sale for the bakery she intended to open. She was waiting outside with a hired van and a man who charged by the hour. I told her the loading entrance was locked. This was true, though I had not tried the handle.

The escalator’s handrail was black and glossy, rubbed smooth by years of palms. I put my hand on it and felt it gently remove itself from me. A woman on the floor above was sweeping broken plaster into a dustpan. She wore the white coat of a perfume-counter assistant.

I asked her where the lifts were.

She pointed behind her without looking up. Then she said they had taken out the motors.

The cabinet was taller than I remembered. Its glass shelves had been wrapped separately in yesterday’s newspaper. Through the print, a photograph of a smiling politician looked as if it had been put on ice. I rang my sister. She said to stay where I was; she would bring the man up the stairs.

While I waited, the woman came over. She pressed her palm against the cabinet’s side. There were pale bands where price labels had protected the veneer.

‘Handbags,’ she said.

‘Bread,’ I told her.

She considered this. Then she pointed out a crack at the back, near the bottom. It would admit flour, she said, and flour would attract things. She had a roll of silver tape in her pocket. She knelt, tore a strip with her teeth, and covered the crack from inside.

I offered to pay her. She shook her head and went back to her sweeping. My sister arrived out of breath. She had removed her coat and tied it around her waist. The hired man tested the cabinet’s weight, looked towards the escalator, and laughed.

We carried it down the stairs, stopping at every landing. I took the upper end. Through the empty frame I could see my sister’s face, squeezed with effort, then the small release when we set it down. She had been talking about this bakery for seven years. I had spent most of those years explaining why it would fail.

At the last landing, the man asked which way to turn it. My sister looked at me. For a moment I thought she was asking something else. Then I shifted my grip and said, Left.

We loaded it into the van. There was still time on the hire, so my sister went back for the shelves. I followed her through the store. The woman had finished sweeping. She stood at the foot of the escalator, holding her dustpan against her hip, watching the steps come out of the floor and flatten again at the top.

My sister called my name from the stairs. I went up to help. The shelves were heavier than they looked, and the newspaper left black marks on the fingers that held them.

Plastic Pollution: The Urgent Need for Legal Accountability

By Jasmina Qahramonjonova

Plastic pollution has evolved from a visible environmental nuisance into a systemic global crisis that challenges the effectiveness of environmental governance. Although plastic has revolutionised modern industries through its affordability, durability, and versatility, its widespread use has created consequences that extend far beyond waste management. The central problem is not simply the existence of plastic, but the failure to establish sufficiently effective systems that prevent its accumulation in the natural environment.

One of the most alarming characteristics of plastic pollution is its persistence. Unlike many organic materials, conventional plastics can remain in the environment for decades or even centuries, gradually fragmenting into microplastics. These particles have been detected in water, soil, and various ecosystems, raising concerns about their potential effects on wildlife and human health. Consequently, plastic waste should not be regarded merely as an aesthetic problem; it represents a long-term environmental risk requiring coordinated and evidence-based intervention.

From a legal perspective, addressing plastic pollution demands a shift from voluntary environmental responsibility towards enforceable accountability. Governments must establish clear standards for waste collection, recycling, packaging, and disposal. Where legislation is inadequate or poorly enforced, businesses may continue practices that transfer environmental costs from producers to communities and public institutions. Such arrangements undermine the principle that those responsible for environmental harm should bear an appropriate share of the costs associated with preventing and addressing it.

A particularly important approach is extended producer responsibility, which requires producers to take greater responsibility for the environmental impact of their products throughout their life cycle. Properly designed, this principle can encourage companies to reduce unnecessary packaging, develop reusable alternatives, and invest in recyclable materials. Rather than treating waste management as an obligation belonging exclusively to consumers, governments can distribute responsibility more fairly across the production and consumption chain.

Nevertheless, legislation alone cannot eliminate plastic pollution. Effective implementation requires accessible recycling infrastructure, transparent monitoring, public education, and cooperation between governmental authorities and private enterprises. Environmental regulations must also be proportionate and practical, ensuring that small businesses and disadvantaged communities are not unfairly burdened by poorly designed policies. Furthermore, environmental claims made by companies should be verifiable, preventing misleading sustainability campaigns from replacing meaningful action.

Citizens also have an essential role to play. Reducing single-use plastics, separating household waste, and supporting responsible businesses can collectively influence consumption patterns. However, individual responsibility must complement, rather than substitute for, institutional accountability. It is unreasonable to expect consumers to solve a problem shaped substantially by industrial production systems and inadequate waste infrastructure.

Ultimately, the fight against plastic pollution is a test of whether modern societies can translate environmental awareness into enforceable commitments. Effective legislation, responsible production, and informed public participation must operate together to produce lasting change. The success of environmental policy should not be measured by the number of promises announced, but by the amount of waste prevented, the effectiveness of enforcement, and the health of ecosystems restored.

Plastic pollution is not an inevitable price of progress. Through evidence-based legislation and genuine accountability, societies can redefine progress itself: not as unlimited consumption, but as development that respects the ecological foundations upon which human prosperity depends.

My name is Jasmina Qahramonjonova, and I am a proud citizen of Uzbekistan. I study at the Academic Lyceum under Tashkent State University of Law. I hold an English language certificate and have received numerous certificates for my scientific articles and academic achievements.

My ultimate ambition is to become a distinguished prosecutor, fight crime and corruption, protect human rights, and uphold justice. I aspire to serve my country with integrity and contribute to a fair and lawful society.