Telegram's built-in crypto wallet launches licensed service in Uzbekistan

The Wallet in Telegram service has officially launched in Uzbekistan, following authorization from the country’s main regulator in the space.

The integrated platform allows residents of the Central Asian nation to legally purchase and trade a great number of cryptocurrencies, using locally issued bank cards.

Telegram opens Wallet for people in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistani citizens can now buy, sell and transfer digital coins without restrictions, directly in Telegram, and using domestic payment systems, local media revealed, following the launch.

Users will have free access to Wallet in Telegram features within the messaging app’s interface, gaining exposure to Bitcoin (BTC), Toncoin (TON) and Tether (USDT), among more than 200 cryptocurrencies.

Registration takes seconds, and managing the token holdings is as easy as sending a message, UZ Daily noted in a report, also highlighting:

The privacy-oriented platform, founded and managed by Russian-born tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov, is the most popular application of this kind in Uzbekistan, where it has at least 27 million users, and arguably in the rest of the region as well.

The service connects to global financial markets and modern investment tools, the news outlet detailed, lowering entry barriers to facilitate participation in the digital economy for a wider audience.

By offering an intuitive and secure way to manage assets, build a portfolio and join financial flows based on distributed ledgers, the Wallet helps “democratize finance,” the article further emphasized.

Its functioning in Uzbekistan is underpinned by Asterium, the country’s largest crypto ecosystem and provider of regulated exchange services.

The latter ensures secure trading, storage, transfer, and spending of cryptocurrencies without intermediaries, using Mastercard, Visa and Humo payment cards, the Spot.uz website noticed.

Wallet wins Uzbekistan’s regulatory approval

Wallet in Telegram announced its launch after obtaining a license for its service from Uzbekistan’s National Agency of Perspective Projects (NAPP).

The body, subordinated directly to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s administration, oversees the country’s capital markets and is responsible for regulating the crypto sector.

Uzbek media and officials claim the authorization guarantees proper user identification, protection of sensitive data and prevention of financial violations. It should also ensure secure and transparent transactions for users, in line with the nation’s financial transformation goals.

Uzbekistan has been eager to achieve the status of a regional hub for new financial technologies, in competition with neighbors like Kazakhstan, which recently lifted some restrictions on the industry and is investing in crypto reserves, or Turkmenistan, which legalized crypto mining and trading last month.

Commenting on that, the CEO of The Open Platform (TOP) Andrey Rogozov was quoted as stating:

“The combination of Telegram’s scale, regulatory clarity, and high mobile internet penetration makes Uzbekistan an example of how emerging markets can quickly transition to convenient and technologically advanced finance,” added the chief executive of the company that developed the wallet.

Wallet in Telegram is a mini-app designed to manage digital assets, which operates within Telegram and is based on The Open Network (TON). Users can send and receive cryptocurrencies and stablecoins with options for custodial and self-custody storage.

At the end of November, Uzbekistan announced it’s going to legalize stablecoin payments in 2026, as reported by Cryptopolitan, initially under a special legal regime, described by the country’s justice ministry as a regulatory sandbox.

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