Uzpaynet, the company behind the payment service Paynet, has undergone a change in ownership, as reported by Bankers.uz. According to the Unified State Register of Enterprises and Organizations (USR), 100% of the shares from the Agency for Management of State Assets (AMSA) have been transferred to the company New Industrial Technologies. The sale of the shares by the State Asset was not officially announced, although information about the change in ownership surfaced in November. "Gazeta.uz" has sent a request to the agency for clarification.
New Industrial Technologies LLC was registered in April 2019 and has a charter capital of 273.56 billion Uzbek soums. The company's founder is listed as a foreign citizen, Alex Lee, owning 60% of the company (he was the sole founder in June), while 40% belongs to Mustafa Abdurakhmanov, who also owns 77.6% of Asia Alliance Group - the majority shareholder in Asia Alliance Bank.
As reported by Spot, the Paynet service was created by Botir Arifdjanov in 2005. The businessman later sold the company to the state represented by the People's Bank and stepped down from its management.
Through the platform, payments are accepted from over 390 service providers, including utilities, internet, and mobile communication. In 2022, Paynet was used by over 1.3 million people daily.
In August 2022, AMSA put up for sale a 100% stake in Uzpaynet. Over the following month, seven applications were received from potential buyers, but the acceptance of offers was postponed under the pretext of "further clarification."
"Gazeta.uz" previously reported on the unannounced privatization of the gas stations network of "Uzbekneftegaz," the Chinaz oil refinery. The state share of the mobile operator Perfectum also transferred to a private owner without a public announcement.
