How FinTech is developing in Tajikistan: key takeaways from Alif Conf

Alif is a FinTech ecosystem from Tajikistan that has been creating financial solutions for individual clients and businesses for 12 years.

The company helps pay for services, transfer money to more than 200 countries around the world, buy goods on installment, obtain financing for cars and housing, open deposits, and use international cards. The center of the ecosystem is the Alif super app, where users can solve everyday financial tasks, exchange currencies, and buy goods on the Alif Shop marketplace. Services for purchasing airline tickets and travel packages are also available. For entrepreneurs, Alif Business operates—a platform for managing accounts, international payments, payroll projects, payment acceptance, and business financing. Alif is also developing products beyond Tajikistan. In Uzbekistan, an application operates offering payments, transfers, installments, a bank card, airline tickets, and the Alif Shop marketplace. In Pakistan, Alif Finance offers installment purchases and product financing through a mobile platform and a network of partner stores.

Alif Conf in the capital of Tajikistan

On June 6, Alif Bank held Alif Conf in Dushanbe—a closed conference for entrepreneurs, company executives, investors, representatives of government agencies, influencers, and partners.

At the event, Alif presented the results of its work for 2021–2025, new products for individual clients and businesses, and plans for further development. Key speakers included Gulnator Atobek, Chairwoman of Alif Bank, and Abdullo Kurbanov, co-founder of Alif.

Gulnator Atobek presented the results of Alif Bank over the past five years and new solutions for clients and entrepreneurs. Abdullo Kurbanov spoke about Alif’s proprietary technologies, the development of projects in foreign markets, and the company’s long-term approach to growth.

The scale of changes is also reflected in Alif Bank’s key performance indicators. Over five years, assets grew more than fourfold, reaching 2.6 billion somoni (approximately $279 million) by the end of 2025. The number of clients also increased more than fourfold, exceeding one million people.

In 2025, the volume of financing for entrepreneurs or for their goods and services amounted to 1.7 billion somoni, approximately $182 million. Over five years, the number of issued payment cards grew nearly sixfold, and the total volume of transfers exceeded 27 billion somoni, or approximately $2.9 billion.

New opportunities for individual clients

One of the main announcements was the launch of Plus, Pro, and Premium subscriptions. These are designed for users who need higher limits, additional cashback, and other benefits of the Alif ecosystem.

Also presented was “Family Salom”—a new feature of the Salom installment card. With this feature, cardholders can share part of their available limit with their spouse, children, parents, and close relatives. Soon, the bank plans to launch a credit account. Through it, users will be able to pay for purchases in Tajikistan, abroad, and online—anywhere Visa or Mastercard cards are accepted. The used amount can be repaid within 30 days without commission.

Another announcement was the introduction of card vending machines for self-service issuance of bank cards. They will be available to existing Alif clients who have already completed identification. Using the card vending machine, a client can obtain an additional card or replace a card with an expired validity period. The personalized card will be ready in approximately one minute. Alif is also preparing to launch new-format ATMs. They will not only dispense but also accept cash. The ATMs will be able to use banknotes deposited by one client to dispense cash to another. In a single transaction, the device can accept or dispense up to 200 banknotes.

Investments and digital offices

In its future plans, the bank includes launching investment opportunities within the app. Users will be able to open a brokerage account, buy securities of international companies—such as Apple, Alphabet, Meta, NVIDIA, and Airbnb—as well as invest in stocks and bonds, follow forecasts and analytics, and submit applications directly within the app.

Very soon, Alif also plans to open digital offices where clients will be able to independently obtain cards, deposit and withdraw cash, and perform some everyday banking operations without the physical presence of Alif employees.

Private Banking

Alongside the development of self-service options, Alif launched a new direction for tasks requiring an individual approach—Private Banking.

The service includes a dedicated office, direct contact with a personal manager, and customized service conditions. Clients will also have access to asset management, securities transactions, currency exchange under special conditions, and premium metal cards.

Solutions for entrepreneurs in Alif Business

A separate segment of Alif Conf was dedicated to the updated Alif Business—a platform that consolidates a company’s financial tasks into a single service.

Through the platform, entrepreneurs can currently open accounts in 13 currencies, exchange currencies online, make international payments, and perform more than 3,500 types of payments—including taxes, utility bills, communications, and government services.

Alif Business also offers payroll projects and corporate cards. Companies can manage their employee list, generate payrolls, and transfer salaries to the entire team from a single service. Corporate cards allow for paying for work-related purchases, controlling expenses, and simplifying reporting. For payment acceptance, a unified QR code is available, along with payments via “Korti Milli,” Visa, Mastercard, and UnionPay cards. For websites and apps, internet acquiring is provided. If a business does not have its own website, the entrepreneur can create a PayLink—a payment link—and send it to the client via messenger or social network. The buyer will be redirected to a secure page and can pay for the order online.

“Salom” allows entrepreneurs to sell goods and services on installment—in-store, via QR code, or on their website. Through Alif Shop, entrepreneurs can list products online, while Alif Shop itself will handle delivery.

For business development, financing of up to $5.4 million is available. Funds can be directed toward purchasing goods and equipment, expanding production, and other purposes.

From individual products to a unified ecosystem

All presented solutions share one common approach—to shorten the customer journey. Individual users will be able to solve more tasks within the app, saving time on trips to the office. Entrepreneurs will find it easier to manage payments, sales, salaries, other expenses, and financing within a single service. At Alif Conf, the company demonstrated how this approach is implemented in specific products and a new service format.