Uzbek Banks Implement Minimum Balance Rule for Automatic Card Withdrawals

Starting April 15, Uzbek banks have introduced new regulations restricting automatic withdrawals from clients' bank cards, ensuring a minimum balance is retained. This move affects the automatic deduction of funds for loan repayments, deferred payments, and microloans.

Minimum Balance to Be Maintained in Automatic Transactions

According to the new guidelines communicated by the Uzcard payment system, banks can no longer withdraw funds from cards for debt servicing if the account balance falls below three times the base calculation amount, currently set at 1,236,000 Uzbek soms. Consequently, when banks automatically deduct payments to settle credit obligations, a minimum residual balance must remain on the card.

"Banks will only be able to withdraw the amount exceeding the minimum balance of 1.236 million UZS, preventing accounts from being fully depleted during automatic transactions."

This change pertains specifically to akseptsiz transactions—automatic withdrawals that do not require individual transaction approval from the cardholder. Previously, such withdrawals could fully deplete card balances, potentially leaving clients without funds.

However, manual transactions where the client confirms each payment, such as those secured via one-time codes, remain unaffected. In such cases, the full card balance can still be withdrawn if authorized by the cardholder.

Uzbek payment systems have implemented these technical updates at the system level, with several banks already informing their customers about the new policy changes.

This regulatory adjustment aims to protect customers from complete depletion of their bank card balances while ensuring timely repayment of financial obligations.