The first national electronic purse (ePurse) – Tezpardokht – has appeared in Tajikistan.
This programmed product was launched by Tajikistan’s savings bank, Amonatbonk, in June this year.
This ePurse reportedly can be used to pay for mobile communications services, public utility services, Internet and many other things without paying commission at any time and in any place.
An electronic purse is the store of value on a card, which can be used in a manner similar to cash to pay for travel or for other small-scale transactions. The electronic “purse” is secure information stored in a dedicated area or file in the smart-card.
Two different main objectives are identified for electronic purse: replace cash in the public transport payment system, either to move from a primarily cash-based system or as an alternative for the residual cash payments in a system that is largely pre-paid; and retain the single tariff as the fundamental fare product; this may be an alternative or replacement for time-based tickets.
