Doron Avni, Google's Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy in Emerging Markets, commented on the introduction of the Google Pay service to the Uzbek market, emphasizing the connection between this event and changes in personal data regulation.
According to Avni, Uzbekistan updated its personal data legislation this year, abandoning the requirement to store all data exclusively within the country's territory. Instead, a more flexible model based on data classification and balanced regulation was adopted.
In his LinkedIn post, the Google executive noted: 'When governments establish clear rules that align with international standards, global technologies enter the market faster.'
Doron Avni added that the launch of Google Pay provides millions of Uzbek residents access to digital payments and serves as an example of how regulatory policy influences the adoption of international technological services.
The announcement of the service launch took place during the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Uzbekistan to participate in the C5+1 Foreign Ministers meeting in Samarkand. Avni stated that this visit confirmed the mutual interest of the two countries in accelerating digital modernization.
He also pointed to cybersecurity, cloud technologies, and digital education as other promising areas for cooperation. Avni expressed gratitude to the government of Uzbekistan and US Ambassador Jonathan Henik for their assistance, as well as the Google team involved in implementing the project.
Emphasizing the importance of practical law application, he stated: 'Modern policy should not remain only on paper—it directly affects people's wallets,' noting that the example of Uzbekistan demonstrates how a pragmatic approach to regulation can open up new opportunities for technology adoption.
