Blog 8B

Ethiopia Flips the Switch

In Feb 2026 Ethiopia launched EthioPay‑IPS, a full-scale instant payments system for 120 million people with 32 banks, one QR standard, real‑time transfers, aliases and bulk disbursemnts, deployed as a government-backed National Digital Payment Strategy, signalling nationwide infrastructure build-out rather than a pilot.

Necessity Digitized: How Egypt’s Currency Crisis Built a Cashless Future

A severe currency crisis forced rapid digital-payment adoption in Egypt, raising financial inclusion from 27% (2016) to 74.8% by 2024, showing necessity and not marketing drove scale.

QR Payments In Europe

Europe has world-class payment rails but lacked an interoperable QR standard, leaving cross-border QR payments fragmented until the EPC’s MSCT QR (EPC024-22), Wero, PSD3 and a CEN standardisation push began harmonising things in 2026. Still, Europe is 5–10 years behind Asia and risks losing users or cross-border flows if standardisation moves too slowly.

Europe’s Answer to Visa & Mastercard: Wero Hits Real Scale

QR Goes Global Through Your Home Bank

Kazakhstan Launches Unified National QR System. 8B.world to Enable First Cross-Border Payments Through Local Banks

Kazakhstan has officially launched its unified national QR payment system — an essential upgrade to the country’s real-time payments infrastructure and a milestone that positions it among the world’s most forward-looking digital economies. Presented at the Finance Congress in Almaty by the National Bank of Kazakhstan and the National Payment Corporation, the system introduces a single national QR standard that simplifies payment acceptance for merchants and improves interoperability across all banks. 8B, a PSP rooted in Central Asia and now scaling globally, confirms that it will deliver the first cross-border transactions on Kazakhstan’s new QR rail in close partnership with leading local banks.

Visa and Mastercard in Uzbekistan: Why Uzcard and HUMO Dominate the Payment Landscape

While Visa and Mastercard are present in Uzbekistan, their domestic acceptance is limited. Instead, local payment systems Uzcard and HUMO power the majority of retail, salary, and pension transactions. With growing co-badging initiatives, Uzbek banks are bridging local networks with global payment systems, allowing users to transact seamlessly both at home and abroad.

Uzbekistan fintech market ecosystem

The Uzbekistan fintech market has become one of the most dynamic and strategically structured ecosystems in Central Asia. It is a unique example of how Eastern planning can align with Western-style venture capital accessibility. With the government’s “Digital Uzbekistan 2030” strategy providing a clear direction and more than 40% of venture investment flowing into startups, the country is fueling a powerful transformation of its financial landscape. In July 2025, the country’s Fast Payment System processed more than $10.2 billion in transactions — a milestone that reflects the scale and velocity of digital finance adoption.

Kazakhstan launches pilot project using stablecoins to pay for licenses

Kazakhstan just kicked off a bold pilot letting firms pay license and supervisory fees in USD‑pegged stablecoins, a move announced by AFSA at Astana Finance Days 2025 with a Memorandum signed with Bybit.