TBC Uzbekistan launches digital car loans in pilot mode

TBC Uzbekistan has launched digital car loans in Uzbekistan, with the product live in pilot mode for selected customers.

The move takes the digital banking group into secured lending, expanding a product range that already includes debit cards, credit cards, and services for small and medium-sized businesses.

Under the new process, customers apply through the mobile app and receive a preliminary response within one minute. They then visit an official car dealership, where a representative helps complete the paperwork and finalise the purchase.

The product is designed to let customers complete a vehicle purchase and drive away within 24 hours. The launch is the first step in building TBC Avto, a dedicated vertical for motorists.

TBC Avto will combine services related to financing, buying, and owning vehicles in Uzbekistan. The lending product is part of a broader effort to deepen the group's consumer offering beyond day-to-day banking and payments.

Nika Kurdiani, Chief Executive Officer of TBC Uzbekistan, described the new product as an extension of the group's approach in the country.

"Since our entry into Uzbekistan six years ago, we've transformed how financial services work in the country, making people's lives easier through quick, accessible digital products. With the launch of our new car lending product, we are continuing in the same manner, bringing our unique approach to the secured lending segment. The auto lending market remains largely untapped, and we see strong potential for growth as we scale our lending product and bring new products to market that enable us to build out a comprehensive offering for motorists," Kurdiani said.

New segment

Car finance gives TBC Uzbekistan exposure to a part of the lending market that is typically backed by collateral and can offer a different risk and income profile from unsecured consumer credit. For digital lenders, it also creates closer links with merchants and dealerships at the point of sale.

TBC Uzbekistan operates in one of Central Asia's largest consumer markets and has focused on mobile-led financial services for a young and increasingly digital population. The new product is also expected to support stronger engagement across its wider ecosystem.

That ecosystem combines consumer banking and payments with business services. Alongside its TBC UZ banking app, the group runs the Payme payments app and offers business banking, lending, and retail management tools through TBC Business and BILLZ.

TBC Uzbekistan has nearly 6 million monthly active users. TBC UZ and Payme also have strong brand recognition in Tashkent and across the country.

Broader push

The launch comes as the company continues to add digital services across its platform. In recent months, it introduced AI Assistant Lola, a tool designed to guide users across services in the TBC Uzbekistan ecosystem.

It is also developing TBC Plus, a subscription service intended to bundle services across the TBC UZ digital banking app and Payme. Together, these additions suggest the group is seeking to increase usage per customer as competition in digital finance broadens.

TBC Uzbekistan is part of TBC Bank Group, which is listed in London and also operates a leading financial services business in Georgia. According to the company, the Uzbekistan operation reached profitability two years after launch and has since grown into one of the group's main expansion markets.

The introduction of car loans also highlights a broader shift among digital financial groups as they move from basic payments and unsecured lending into more complex categories that require closer links with physical sales channels. In this case, the dealership remains part of the process even though the initial application begins on a mobile phone.

Dealership networks, paperwork-heavy transactions, and limited digital integration in financing have long shaped Uzbekistan's car market. A model that combines app-based approval with in-person completion may help lenders reach customers seeking faster access to credit while still navigating formal purchase procedures.

For TBC Uzbekistan, the significance lies not only in adding another loan product, but also in testing whether customers will use a digital-first process for larger-ticket purchases tied to real-world assets.