Instruction No. 190 on the Procedure for Providing Services via Bank Payment Cards

"Registered" by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan on June 30, 2011, No. 616 "Approved" by the Resolution of the Board of the National Bank of Tajikistan on May 20, 2011, No. 100 "Registered" by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan on June 06, 2019, No. 6161 "Approved" by the Resolution of the Board of the National Bank of Tajikistan on April 29, 2019, No. 39 Amendments and additions registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan on March 12, 2026, No. 6162 Amendments and additions approved by the Resolution of the Board of the National Bank of Tajikistan on January 30, 2026, No. 6

«ON THE PROCEDURE FOR PROVIDING SERVICES VIA BANK PAYMENT CARDS» The Instruction "On the Procedure for Providing Services via Bank Payment Cards" (hereinafter - the Instruction) is developed in accordance with Article 32 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan "On the National Bank of Tajikistan", Article 3 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan "On Banking Activity", Article 23 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan "On Microfinance Organizations" and Article 4 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan "On Islamic Banking Activity", establishes general requirements for credit financial organizations carrying out the issuance and acquiring of bank payment cards, and defines the rules for conducting operations using them (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39; Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 30.01.2026, No. 6).

CHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. The terms used in this Instruction mean the following:
   − bank payment card - a payment instrument through which the cardholder, using their personal identification number (PIN) and/or any other codes allowing identification of the bank payment card holder, has remote access to a bank account for conducting operations provided by the issuer (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39); − personal identification number (PIN) - a personal code assigned by the issuer to the cardholder for their identification when conducting operations using a bank payment card; − cardholder - an individual, including an authorized legal entity as the account owner, who has the right to conduct operations using a card based on a card issuance agreement; − authorization - a procedure confirming by the issuer the authority of the cardholder to conduct an operation using a bank payment card; − ATM (automated teller machine) - an electronic software-technical device designed for receiving and dispensing cash funds and providing other services of a credit financial organization using a bank payment card (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 30.01.2026, No. 6);

• terminal (short name POS-terminal according to international practice) - an electronic software-technical device that allows reading information from a card or another software-technical device possessing card details, forming, sending and receiving messages about operations with the card in (from) the corresponding payment system (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 30.01.2026, No. 6);
• cash-in/cash-out point - a cashier of a credit financial organization, its branch and banking service center, cash service point and mobile unit, as well as a bank payment agent for conducting operations on the issuance and/or receipt of cash funds and making settlements using a bank payment card (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39);
• automated self-service terminal - an electronic software-technical device designed for receiving and dispensing cash funds, as well as making payments in cash and non-cash form (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 30.01.2026, No. 6);
• terminal network - terminals, ATMs, communication devices and other devices forming the technical infrastructure for receiving and servicing bank payment cards;
• card account - a bank account by which all financial operations performed via the card are recorded;
• consolidated card account - a bank account by which all funds of the issuer for issued prepaid cards are recorded;
• overdraft - a short-term loan that allows the client to make payments exceeding the amount available in the client's account, within the limits and on conditions defined by the card issuance agreement;
• card issuance agreement - an agreement concluded by the issuer with an individual or legal entity, on the basis of which these persons are issued a debit or credit card;
• client - an individual or legal entity that has concluded a Card Issuance Agreement with the issuer and is the owner of a bank account;
• receipt (check) - a paper or electronic document confirming the completion of an operation using a bank payment card (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39);
• personalization - the procedure of applying to the card and recording in the memory of the microprocessor and/or magnetic stripe identification information provided by the rules and procedures of the corresponding payment system (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 30.01.2026, No. 6);
• processing - activities related to the collection, processing and transmission of information formed during payments and other operations using cards, technical maintenance of issuance and/or acquiring carried out by members of the payment system, as well as performing other functions provided for by relevant agreements between participants of the payment system;
• processing center - a credit financial organization or other legal entity providing processing services based on an agreement with payment system participants and the rules of the payment system (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39);
• stop-list - a list of cards prohibited by the issuer for accepting payment for goods or services and dispensing cash funds;
• issuer - a credit financial organization carrying out the issuance of bank payment cards in accordance with the technology and rules of payment systems (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39);
• card issuance - the activity of a credit financial organization in issuing bank payment cards (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39);
  − acquiring - the activity of a credit financial organization in providing services to holders of bank payment cards and establishing contractual relations with retail and service enterprises for accepting bank payment cards when conducting non-cash settlements (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39; Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 30.01.2026, No. 6);
• acquirer - a credit financial organization carrying out acquiring (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39);
• retail and service enterprise (merchant) - a legal entity or individual entrepreneur that, in accordance with an agreement concluded with the acquirer, accepts bank payment cards for paying for goods or services by preparing documents confirming the completion of operations;
• Internet acquiring - the activity of a credit financial organization that, based on contractual relations with retail and service enterprises within the rules of the payment system, allows conducting non-cash settlements over the Internet (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39).

2. The issuance and acquiring of bank payment cards within the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan may be carried out by credit financial organizations holding a license from the National Bank of Tajikistan for banking activity, providing the right to issue and acquire payment instruments (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39).
3. Islamic credit organizations carry out the procedure for working with bank payment cards in accordance with this Instruction based on the principles of Islamic finance and other regulatory legal acts of the National Bank of Tajikistan on Islamic banking (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39; Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 30.01.2026, No. 6).
4. A credit financial organization independently determines the type of issued bank payment cards, the list of services using these cards and the conditions for providing services to clients based on the regulation and procedures of the corresponding payment system (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39).
5. The issuance and acquiring of bank payment cards are carried out by a credit financial organization based on internal bank rules, which must be developed by the credit financial organization in accordance with the rules of corresponding payment systems, current legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan and this Instruction (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39).
6. The issuer and acquirer are obliged to comply with requirements for countering the legalization (money laundering) of income obtained through criminal activities, financing of terrorism and financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39).
7. For conducting activities in the payment system via bank payment cards, a credit financial organization is obliged, no later than one month before the start of activities, to provide written notification to the National Bank of Tajikistan in accordance with Appendix No. 1 of this Instruction, a copy of the agreement between the credit financial organization and the payment system, the rules for using bank payment cards established by the credit financial organization, and a document confirming the cooperation of the credit financial organization with the processing center for the issuance and acquiring of bank payment cards (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39).
8. To cease activities in the payment system, a credit financial organization is obliged to provide written notification to the National Bank of Tajikistan in accordance with Appendix No. 1 of this Instruction one month before the cessation of activities (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39).
9. The following types of bank payment cards are distinguished:
   a) depending on the origin of funds in the account:

• debit card, through which the cardholder can dispose of funds deposited in a credit financial organization or within the overdraft limit established by the card issuance agreement;
• credit card, through which the holder can dispose of funds provided by a credit financial organization in the form of a credit line;
• prepaid card, through which the holder has the right to perform operations within the amount of previously deposited funds and which are recorded in the consolidated card account of a credit financial organization;
  b) depending on affiliation to a payment system:
• local (internal) cards, which are serviced only within the terminal network of a credit financial organization;
• national cards, which are serviced within the terminal network of participants of the National Payment System "Korti Milli";
• international cards, which are serviced within the terminal network of credit financial organizations that are members of an international payment system, within the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan and beyond its borders;
• cobranding card (cobrand card) - a bank payment card issued by the issuer within the interaction of two payment systems (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39);

9. Depending on the purpose of application, debit and/or credit cards are divided into the following types: (Resolution of the Board of NBT dated 29.04.2019, No. 39)

• personal card is issued to a card account opened in the name of an individual;
• corporate card is issued to a card account opened in the name of a legal entity or individual entrepreneur;
• cobranding card (cobrand card) - a bank payment card jointly issued by the issuer and a legal entity that is not a