PayRow and 8B Launch Partnership for GITEX in Almaty: Kazakhstani Cards from Day One, Full Regional Checkout by 2027

At the inaugural GITEX AI Central Asia & Caucasus in Almaty on 4–5 May 2026, tickets, services and bookings will be payable with cards issued by leading Kazakhstani banks. By the next edition in 2027, the same single checkout will add e-wallets and the national QR systems of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Singapore – April 2026

PayRow, the UAE-based payment platform, and 8B, the Central Asian payments infrastructure company that recently entered Kazakhstan by connecting the region's national rails to the world, today announced a strategic partnership to build a unified payment interface for GITEX AI Central Asia & Caucasus Kazakhstan – the exhibition taking place in Almaty on 4–5 May 2026 – and to expand it, edition by edition, into a full regional checkout by 2027.

For two days in May, Almaty becomes the meeting point for over 600 global exhibitors, 60+ participating countries and more than 10,000 professionals shaping the future of AI, fintech, cybersecurity, sovereign cloud and digital government. It is also the headline event of Kazakhstan's officially declared Year of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence.

Here lies a paradox the industry rarely talks about: at most global tech summits, the easiest thing to do on stage is to talk about frictionless cross-border commerce, and the hardest thing to do at the registration desk is actually pay for a ticket from a local Kazakh, Uzbek or Kyrgyz bank account. PayRow and 8B have decided to close that gap – not in a single press release, but as a phased project with a clear roadmap.

What goes live on 4 May – and what arrives by 2027

At the debut GITEX 2026, ticket purchases and every related payment – exhibitor packages, on-site services, partner bookings – will run through a single checkout accepting cards issued by leading Kazakhstani banks. In Kazakhstan, payments are supported through Zesta LLP, a licensed local payment organisation (License No. 02-23-179), ensuring full regulatory compliance for every transaction.

By the 2027 edition, PayRow and 8B plan to expand the menu and bring Uzum, HUMO and Uzcard – along with the national QR systems of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan's ELQR – into the same checkout. The goal is to turn a strong debut into a fully QR-native regional acceptance experience.

8B brings the Central Asian rails – its growing network of local card schemes and instant-payment connections, accessible through a single API. PayRow brings the UAE-anchored merchant infrastructure, settlement and acquiring. Together, these components form the foundation on which, by 2027, the region will be able to pay at a flagship summit the way it actually pays at home.

Spokesperson statements

Ghanim Eid Bin Wogayeh, Acting CEO & Board Member, PayRow, said: "GITEX in Almaty is the right stage to demonstrate what a modern, regionally aware payment platform should look like. Too often, international events held in emerging tech hubs default to a payments setup designed for somewhere else, and the friction lands on the local visitor. We are flipping that – step by step, and honestly. From day one of GITEX 2026, the unified checkout accepts cards issued by leading Kazakhstani banks. And we are not stopping there: by next year's edition, we plan to add Uzum, HUMO and Uzcard, along with the national QR systems of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan's ELQR. The UAE has built one of the world's most advanced cashless ecosystems; Kazakhstan and its neighbours are building theirs at remarkable speed. PayRow's role is to make sure those ecosystems meet at the merchant page, not just on a panel."

Bogdan Zadorozhny, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, 8B, added: "GITEX 2026 is the first step – we are showing that the infrastructure works and scales. By 2027, visitors from across Central Asia will be able to pay with the local cards, wallets and QR services they already use at home, while merchants receive settlement through familiar local infrastructure. The bigger opportunity ahead is to make this kind of regional acceptance seamless across national QR ecosystems."

Why this matters beyond one event

GITEX AI Central Asia & Caucasus Kazakhstan is hosted by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in partnership with Astana Hub and the Akimat of Almaty, and organised by inD, the global organisers of GITEX. Almaty is now home to over 1,500 startups and roughly half of Kazakhstan's venture capital funds – a city that has earned its place at the centre of the regional digital map.

The PayRow–8B partnership shows what happens when private payment infrastructure moves at the same speed as government ambition. Rather than treating cross-border payment acceptance as a "next phase" project, the two companies are using GITEX as a live, working build with a clear roadmap: Kazakhstani cards in 2026, then regional wallets and QR systems in 2027. The same national rails, properly bridged, can serve any merchant – from a two-day exhibition in Almaty to a year-round e-commerce platform in Tashkent or Tbilisi.

Discussions are already underway to apply the same acceptance stack to other flagship Central Asian events throughout 2026.

About PayRow PayRow (payrow.ae) is a UAE-based payment platform providing modern multi-method payment acceptance and merchant infrastructure for businesses operating across the Gulf and beyond. PayRow connects merchants to regional acquirers and fast-growing alternative payment methods, turning fragmented payment ecosystems into a single, frictionless checkout.

About 8B 8B is a provider of cross-border QR payments for fintech, e-commerce and travel platforms. Coverage regions: Central Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The company focuses on local payment rails operated by central banks and leading private fintech companies.

About GITEX AI Central Asia & Caucasus Kazakhstan Taking place in Almaty on 4–5 May 2026, GITEX AI Central Asia & Caucasus Kazakhstan is the inaugural Central Asian edition of the world's largest technology and startup event network. Organised by inD and hosted by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in partnership with Astana Hub and the Akimat of Almaty, the event is a key milestone in Kazakhstan's Year of Digitalisation and AI. More information at gitexcac.com.

Media contacts 8B – Daria Kashurina, CMO dk@8b.world www.8b.world