Following over 100 meetings at Sibos Miami, an appearance on Times Square, and involvement in the IAMTN Annual Summit in London, Octobank continues to strengthen international connections and fresh avenues for cross-border payments
Octobank continues to broaden its international footprint and cultivate ties with global banks, payment firms, and fintech providers. The latest phase of the bank’s international program was the IAMTN Annual Summit 2026, held on 7–8 October in London.
During the summit, the Octobank team formed contacts with representatives of 34 organizations from 22 countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The bank also reviewed the further advancement of collaboration with existing partners PayPal, Dubai Islamic Bank, and Worldpay.
Talks with international payment companies Thunes, UniTeller, and Belmoney concluded with preliminary arrangements on continued cooperation. The subsequent phase will involve elaborating new remittance corridors and widening the payment solutions accessible to Octobank clients.
London served as a continuation of the bank’s international program, which over several weeks successively moved through Miami, New York, and London.
Each of these phases fulfilled a distinct objective: Sibos in Miami acted as a venue for negotiations with international financial institutions, Times Square in New York as an instrument for international recognition, and IAMTN in London as a forum for professional dialogue on the future of cross-border payments.
From International Meetings to Fresh Payment Opportunities
For Octobank, involvement in IAMTN is chiefly connected with the advancement of practical payment infrastructure. Today the international remittance market is evolving rapidly. Traditional models are being supplemented by digital platforms, API integrations, embedded financial services, and novel technological solutions that enable cross-border operations to be carried out more swiftly and conveniently.
For banks in Uzbekistan, this process is gaining special importance amid the growth of international trade, e-commerce, and the overseas business activity of local companies. In this regard, Octobank’s collaboration with international payment providers forms part of a wider goal — to increase the number of available remittance destinations and more deeply incorporate Uzbekistan’s financial infrastructure into international payment networks.
The scope of potential partners mirrors the international character of this strategy.
Thunes, established in Singapore, develops a worldwide cross-border payments network spanning more than 140 countries. The American firm UniTeller maintains an international remittance network with over 200,000 payout locations in more than 120 countries.
The Belgian company Belmoney builds remittance infrastructure on a Remittance-as-a-Service model and reports coverage of more than 150 countries. For Octobank, engagement with such firms creates the opportunity to expand geography, technological channels, and the suite of services for clients performing international transfers.
“Agreements reached within the framework of the IAMTN 2026 Annual Summit contribute to strengthening ties between national and international financial institutions. Participation in such summits allows us to expand cooperation with partners not only in Uzbekistan, but also in the countries of Asia, Europe, and the Americas, to integrate into the international payment network, and to develop more convenient and faster solutions for money transfers for our clients,” noted Sardor Shavkiev, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Octobank.
Stronger Presence in the International Payments Community
The bank’s involvement in the London summit was not confined to business meetings. Octobank joined the International Association of Money Transfer Networks — IAMTN — as a Platinum Member and served as a Gold Sponsor at the association’s annual summit.
For the bank, this signifies a shift from occasional participation in international events to more sustained engagement within the professional community of cross-border payments. Membership in IAMTN offers the chance to join industry discussions, track shifts in the global remittance market, share practical experience with international companies, and build direct contacts with participants in the payments industry. At the same time, Octobank aims not merely to appear at such platforms, but also to contribute to the professional debate on the industry’s future.
Uzbekistan in the Conversation on the Future of Cross-Border Payments
Igor Shishkov, Deputy Managing Director of Octobank for Cross-Border Money Transfers and E-Commerce, addressed the business program of the IAMTN Annual Summit. He outlined the bank’s approaches to advancing international payments, employing modern technological solutions, and enhancing the efficiency of cross-border operations. Special focus was placed on the potential of Uzbekistan and Central Asia in developing international payment infrastructure.
This subject is growing ever more relevant. As companies in the region increase their activity in foreign markets and e-commerce blurs geographical borders, financial infrastructure must evolve alongside trade flows. Today the issue is no longer solely whether a payment can be sent from one country to another. For businesses, the speed of settlements, the cost of operations, the number of intermediaries, available currencies, transaction transparency, and the capacity to technologically integrate payment tools directly into business processes carry increasing weight. That is why forging direct relationships with international payment companies is becoming a strategic priority for banks in Central Asia.
Miami: Over 100 International Meetings
The London phase of Octobank’s international program followed almost immediately after the bank’s participation in Sibos 2026 in Miami. Across the four days of the forum, the Octobank team conducted more than 100 meetings with international banks, payment organizations, and technology companies. The discussions centered on correspondent banking relationships, international settlements, foreign exchange and interbank operations, trade finance, and payment solutions.
For the bank, Sibos became a platform where the international strategy was examined directly with participants in the global financial system.
At the same time, the practical significance of such negotiations resides not in the sheer number of meetings. Their outcome should be reflected in new opportunities for clients — a broader geography of settlements, the advancement of correspondent relationships, access to new payment channels, and integration with international financial infrastructure.
New York: Extending Beyond the Professional Community
The following phase was New York. After the close of Sibos, the Octobank brand appeared on the screens of Times Square — one of the most recognizable public venues in the world.
While in Miami the bank engaged mainly with the professional financial community, New York enabled the story of Octobank and contemporary Uzbekistan to be carried beyond negotiation rooms and industry conferences.
In this sequence, Times Square performed a different role.
It was not a venue for banking negotiations, but an instrument for international public visibility.
Thus, the narrative unfolded sequentially:
Miami — business relationships.
New York — international visibility.
London — professional expertise and new directions of cooperation in cross-border payments.
From the Silk Road to New Financial Corridors
All three phases are linked by a broader narrative of the development of Uzbekistan’s financial sector. Historically, Central Asia stood at the crossroads of trade routes between East and West. Today, geographical trade corridors are being supplemented by digital and financial ones. Modern international trade requires not only transport and logistics infrastructure. It needs infrastructure that permits funds to move just as freely between countries: banking relationships, payment networks, currency settlements, digital services, and technological integrations. That is why the modern Silk Road is increasingly becoming not only a trade route, but also a financial one.
For Uzbekistan, further integration into such a system entails the necessity of closer interaction between local banks and international financial institutions and payment companies. Octobank seeks to become one of the participants in this process.
From International Visibility to International Infrastructure
The sequence of events in Miami, New York, and London illustrates a shift in the very character of the bank’s international presence. It is no longer solely about presenting the Octobank brand outside Uzbekistan.
At Sibos the bank expanded institutional ties.
In New York it reinforced international visibility.
In London it developed relationships directly with participants in the global cross-border payments market and reached the first preliminary agreements on further cooperation.
This approach transfers the bank’s international activity from the domain of communications into the domain of infrastructure. And it is here that the genuine result of the strategy will be decided. The primary indicator will not be the number of conferences, stands, or international publications, but the degree to which the relationships formed in Miami and London convert into operational payment routes, technological integrations, and new services for the bank’s clients. For Octobank, the next phase begins after the conclusion of the international events. The task now is to translate the established contacts and preliminary agreements into concrete projects. And for Uzbekistan, such projects signify the further expansion of ties with the global financial system.
Octobank is a commercial bank headquartered in Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan.
The bank was founded in 2001 and has operated under the Octobank brand since 2023. Its principal areas of activity include digital banking, payment services, corporate banking, international settlements, and cross-border financial solutions.
Octobank’s international strategy envisages the development of correspondent banking relationships, cross-border payments, payment infrastructure, foreign exchange operations, as well as cooperation with foreign banks, fintech companies, and international payment providers.
