DUSHANBE, May 15, Asia-Plus -- Open joint-stock company OryonBonk, Tajikistan’s largest commercial bank, has started to issue chip payment cards, Asia-Plus has learned from Ilhom Mirzoyev, the head of the OryonBonk banking card services department.

According to him, the bank has issued Electron, Classic and Gold type cards since late April.  “These payment cards are embedded with a special chip that allows our customers making payments both in online and offline regimes,” Mirzoyev said, adding that the chip payment card enables the bank and its cardholders to protect themselves more effectively against credit card fraud.   

The OryonBonk official noted that among their customers there are more than 400 holders of the chip payment cards, including the following companies: the cellular operator Tacom; Tajik natural-gas distributor Tojikgaz, Red Crescent Society (RCS); Tajik Railways, etc.  

“Equipment for operating the chip payment cards has been installed at all POS-terminals of the bank,” said Mirzoyev, “In the near future, we will also install the equipment at the Wincor Nixdorf automated teller machines as well.”  

According to him, such chip payment cards have to date been introduced into operation only in Russia and Kazakhstan.