BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 8. Dayhanbank SCBT
accounted for 62.4% of non-cash bank card payments made through POS
terminals in Turkmenistan in January–August 2026.
The figure was calculated by Trend based on data published by the Central
Bank of Turkmenistan.
According to Trend’s
calculations, Dayhanbank’s share declined by 8.6 percentage points
compared with the same period in 2025.
Turkmenistan State Commercial Bank (SCBT) ranked second,
accounting for 27.9% of total POS card payment volume.
Senagat JSCB and the Central Bank of Turkmenistan accounted for
3% and 2.9%, respectively.
Meanwhile, Halkbank, Rysgal JSCB, Turkmen-Turkish JSCB and
Turkmenbashi JSCB jointly accounted for about 4% of the total,
according to Trend’s
calculations.
For reference, the Central Bank of Turkmenistan launched
cashless payments in 2001 with the introduction of the domestic
Altyn Asyr card scheme. While the initial infrastructure was
developed in the 2000s, broader adoption gained momentum in the
mid-2010s as part of government efforts to digitalize the
economy.
In August 2020, the government announced the launch of the
Halkbank Terminal mobile application, developed by JSCB Halkbank to
allow merchants to accept cashless payments directly through
NFC-enabled smartphones, replacing traditional POS terminals. The
initiative was presented as a step toward expanding cashless
payments and introducing contactless payment technologies across
the country.
Alongside payment terminals, Turkmen banks have expanded digital
banking services, including Internet Banking, Mobile Banking,
e-commerce payment platforms and specialized applications such as
Senagat Töleg, while continuing to develop the national Altyn Asyr
bank card payment system. These services enable customers to pay
for utilities, telecommunications, transport, taxes and other
public services electronically.
