Money Transfers from Russia to Uzbekistan in 2026: Methods, Fees, Volumes
According to the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, $9.3 billion in remittances came into Uzbekistan in the first half of 2026 (+13% on the first half of 2025), and Russia's share in Q1 was 72.4%. Fees at VTB, T-Bank and Zolotaya Korona, the ruble-to-soum rate and EU sanctions against RNCO 'Payment Center' — as of 27 September 2026.
In brief: money transfers from Russia to Uzbekistan in 2026 go through three channels: to Humo and Uzcard cards by card or phone number (P2P), through money transfer systems such as Zolotaya Korona (Korona Pay), and by bank transfer using account details. According to the Central Bank of Uzbekistan's review for January–June 2026, $9.3 billion in remittances came into the country (+13% on January–June 2025), of which 51.7% were P2P transfers to cards. Russia's share in Q1 2026 was 72.4%, against 77.6% a year earlier (the Central Bank's labor market review). As of 27 September 2026, a VTB transfer by phone number costs 0% and a transfer to a Humo/Uzcard card 1%, minimum RUB 50 (vtb.ru; the bank does not publish its conversion rate on the page); the Zolotaya Korona calculator shows a fee of RUB 0 at a rate of 133.70 soums per ruble, while the Central Bank of Uzbekistan rate is 140.34 (koronapay.com, cbu.uz).
How much money is sent to Uzbekistan in 2026: Central Bank data
Data from the Central Bank of Uzbekistan's reviews (in Uzbek):
| Period | Inflows to Uzbekistan | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $18.9 billion | +28% (+$4.1 billion) on 2024 | review of migration and foreign exchange operations, cbu.uz, 17 March 2026 |
| Q1 2026 | $3.8 billion | +13% y/y | labor market review for Q1, cbu.uz, 1 July 2026 |
| H1 2026 | $9.3 billion | +13% (+$1.1 billion) y/y | review of individuals' foreign exchange operations for H1, cbu.uz, 12 August 2026 |
As of 27 September 2026 there are no newer remittance data in the reviews section of cbu.uz: the latest labor market review covers Q1, and the latest review of individuals' foreign exchange operations covers the first half.
Russia's share of remittances: 72.4% in Q1 2026
According to the Central Bank of Uzbekistan's labor market review for Q1 2026, Russia's share fell from 77.6% (Q1 2025) to 72.4%. Shares of other source countries in the same quarter: Kazakhstan — 4.1%, South Korea — 4.1%, European countries — 3.3%, others — 16.2%.
In this review the Central Bank attributes the decline in Russia's share mainly to higher payments for work patents since the start of the year, the relative weakening of the ruble in March and the widening of labor migration destinations (our translation from Uzbek).
How money is sent to Uzbekistan: cards, transfer systems, SWIFT
By channel (the Central Bank of Uzbekistan's review for H1 2026):
- P2P to bank cards — $4.8 billion, 51.7% (+32% y/y);
- traditional money transfer systems — $4.3 billion, 46.7% (+0.3%);
- bank transfer (SWIFT) — $142 million, 1.6% (−43%).
For 2025, according to the review of 17 March 2026, the split was different: transfer systems — $9.9 billion (52%), P2P — $8.6 billion (46%), bank transfers — $397 million (2%). In the reviews of 17 March 2026 and 12 August 2026 the Central Bank attributes the growth of P2P's share to the popularity of digital payment services, their speed and relatively low transaction costs. In the review of 17 March 2026 the Central Bank notes that no separate fee is usually charged on P2P transfers from the main partner countries, and that costs come from the spread between the buying and selling rates of the currency; including intermediary bank fees, they can reach 2–4% (our translation from Uzbek).
Fees for transfers from Russia to Uzbekistan: rates as of 27 September 2026
Fees are taken from the services' official pages, captured on 27 September 2026. Sber's page on transfers to Uzbekistan did not open on 27 September 2026, so we do not give its fee.
| Service, method | Fee | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| VTB, by phone number | 0% | up to RUB 1 million per day (via SBP) | vtb.ru, captured 27 September 2026 |
| VTB, by HUMO, Uzcard card number | 1%, min. RUB 50 | up to RUB 350,000 per day | vtb.ru, captured 27 September 2026 |
| VTB, cash pickup | 0% on the method's card; 1.5%, min. RUB 100 in the FAQ on the same page | up to RUB 350,000 per day | vtb.ru, captured 27 September 2026 |
| T-Bank, by phone or card number (except Mir) | free up to RUB 20,000 per month (Pro — 50,000, Premium — 100,000), above that 1% of the excess | up to RUB 1 million per transfer, RUB 5 million per month | tbank.ru, captured 27 September 2026 |
| T-Bank, to a Mir card | 1.5%, min. RUB 30 (free up to RUB 100,000 per month with Premium) | up to RUB 1 million per transfer | tbank.ru, captured 27 September 2026 |
| Zolotaya Korona, to Uzcard, HUMO cards in soums | RUB 0 | up to 59,154,319 soums | koronapay.com, calculator, 27 September 2026 |
| Zolotaya Korona, cash in dollars | RUB 0 | up to $5,000 | koronapay.com, calculator, 27 September 2026 |
The Zolotaya Korona fee in the koronapay.com calculator on 27 September 2026 is RUB 0 for amounts of 5,000, 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000 rubles. VTB and T-Bank do not publish their conversion rate on their fee pages (vtb.ru, tbank.ru, 27 September 2026; at T-Bank, the currency and rate are determined by the recipient's bank), so the final cost cannot be compared with Korona on the basis of these data.
The ruble-to-soum rate: the Central Bank of Uzbekistan and the conversion rate
The latest official rate of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan as of 27 September 2026 is 140.34 soums per ruble (the rate set for 26 September 2026, cbu.uz API). On 30 December 2025 the ruble was worth 155.25 soums and on 26 September 2025 146.09 soums: −9.6% year to date and −3.9% over 12 months (our editorial calculation based on the Central Bank of Uzbekistan rates for those dates).
A service's conversion rate may differ from the Central Bank rate. An example from Zolotaya Korona (koronapay.com calculator, 27 September 2026): RUB 10,000 to an Uzcard or HUMO card — 1,337,050 soums, i.e. 133.70 soums per ruble. At the Central Bank of Uzbekistan rate for 26 September 2026 (140.34), the same amount is 1,403,400 soums; the difference is 66,350 soums, or 4.7% (our editorial calculation). The dollar-to-soum rate and its dynamics are covered in "Dollar Rate in Uzbekistan: Why It Is Holding Near 11,800 Soums".
Zolotaya Korona and EU sanctions: what is known as of 27 September 2026
- 23 July 2026 By Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1843 (in force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, 23 July 2026), the Council of the EU added LLC RNCO "Payment Center" (entry No. 886) to Annex I to Regulation No 269/2014 of 17 March 2014. The entry describes it as "the operator and settlement centre for several payment systems" (official English text). Gazeta.uz on 24 July 2026 calls it the operator of the Zolotaya Korona system.
- Regulation (EU) 2026/1848 of 23 July 2026 (in force since 24 July 2026, the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union), through its Annex III, supplements Annex XIV to Regulation No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014 — the list of entities subject to a transaction ban (recital 25). From 13 August 2026 they include Cifra Bank, through which, according to Gazeta.uz (24 July 2026), some international transfers were processed.
- 24 July 2026 Gazeta.uz reported that Asakabank had suspended transfers through the system; the bank's message: "Due to technical work on the Zolotaya Korona international money transfer system, services for sending and receiving money transfers through this system are temporarily unavailable" (translated from Russian). According to Gazeta.uz, the bank did not directly link this to the sanctions.
- 29 July 2026 Otabek Tojiddinov, director of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan's Department of Currency Regulation and Supervision, said at a press conference that $2.4 billion of the $9.3 billion received in the first half came through Zolotaya Korona (Gazeta.uz, 29 July 2026). Quote as reported by Spot (29 July 2026): "Uzbekistan does not intend to fall under the secondary effect of these sanctions. Therefore, our banks, in agreement with the management of Zolotaya Korona, are now negotiating a switch to another operator that is not under sanctions" (translated from Russian). As reported by Gazeta.uz (29 July 2026): "Work is expected to start through the new operator from next week" (translated from Russian). According to Tojiddinov (Spot, 29 July 2026), the sanctions were imposed not on Zolotaya Korona itself but on the correspondent bank (operator); the system "has a collateral deposit placed in local banks, thanks to which citizens' money transfers are being paid out as normal" (translated from Russian).
As of 27 September 2026 there are no reports of the operator switch being completed on the "zolotaya korona" tag pages of Spot and Gazeta.uz: the latest publication there is dated 29 July 2026.
Limits and currency control: Russian and Uzbek rules
Russia. On 5 December 2025 the Bank of Russia (the central bank) announced that from 8 December 2025 it was lifting the limits on transfers of foreign currency abroad for Russian citizens and for individuals who are non-residents from friendly countries. On 1 June 2026 the regulator extended the restrictions for non-residents from unfriendly countries until 7 December 2026.
Uzbekistan. The Law "On Currency Regulation" No. ZRU-573 of 22 October 2019 (in force since 23 October 2019, version on lex.uz dated 25 July 2026):
- Article 10: resident individuals may "carry out international monetary transfers of non-trade nature" (unofficial English translation on lex.uz);
- Article 15: non-trade transfers include, among others, "transfers between physical persons in the amount of up to the equivalent of one hundred million soums" (unofficial English translation on lex.uz).
Are transfers from Russia taxed in Uzbekistan
Article 378 "Income not subject to taxation" of the Tax Code of Uzbekistan contains no separate item on international money transfers (Tax Code of 30 December 2019, Law No. ZRU-599, in force since 1 January 2020; the current version on lex.uz is dated 6 August 2026, checked on 27 September 2026). The list does include item 11 (as of 27 September 2026 lex.uz shows no note that the item has been amended): exempt are "income in cash and in kind received from individuals by way of inheritance, gift or free of charge" (translated from Russian), except for remuneration paid to heirs (successors) of authors of works of science, literature and art, performers, discoveries, inventions and industrial designs, as well as real estate, motor vehicles, securities and shares in charter funds between persons who are not close relatives.
FAQ
How much money is sent to Uzbekistan from Russia in 2026? In the reviews published on cbu.uz by 27 September 2026, the Central Bank of Uzbekistan does not give a separate total for transfers from Russia in 2026. The share is known: in Q1 2026 it was 72.4% of the $3.8 billion in total inflows (the Central Bank's labor market review).
What is the cheapest way to send money from Russia to Uzbekistan? Of the three services whose fees were checked on 27 September 2026, VTB transfers by phone number without a fee (via SBP, up to RUB 1 million per day), as does T-Bank up to RUB 20,000 per month without a subscription, and Zolotaya Korona (RUB 0). The final cost also depends on the conversion rate: Korona's on 27 September 2026 was 133.70 soums per ruble against the Central Bank of Uzbekistan rate of 140.34, while VTB and T-Bank do not publish their rate on their fee pages (vtb.ru, tbank.ru, 27 September 2026).
What is the fee for a transfer to a Humo or Uzcard card from Russia? At VTB — 1%, minimum RUB 50, up to RUB 350,000 per day (vtb.ru, 27 September 2026). At T-Bank — free up to RUB 20,000 per month, above that 1% of the excess (tbank.ru, 27 September 2026).
Does Zolotaya Korona work in Uzbekistan after the EU sanctions? On 27 September 2026 the koronapay.com calculator quotes transfers from Russia to Uzbekistan to Uzcard and HUMO cards and in cash in dollars. According to Otabek Tojiddinov (Central Bank of Uzbekistan; Spot, 29 July 2026), the sanctions were imposed on the operator bank, not on Korona itself, and thanks to a collateral deposit in local banks transfers "are being paid out as normal" (translated from Russian). On 29 July 2026 the Central Bank of Uzbekistan reported talks on switching to another operator; as of 27 September 2026 there are no reports of the switch being completed on the "zolotaya korona" tag pages of Spot and Gazeta.uz.
What is the ruble-to-soum rate today? The latest official rate of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan as of 27 September 2026 is 140.34 soums per ruble (set for 26 September 2026). From 155.25 soums on 30 December 2025, the ruble has fallen against the soum by 9.6% (our editorial calculation based on the Central Bank of Uzbekistan rates).
Are transfers from Russia taxed in Uzbekistan? Article 378 of the Tax Code of Uzbekistan contains no separate item on international transfers (checked against lex.uz on 27 September 2026). Item 11 of the same article exempts income received from individuals by way of inheritance, gift or free of charge, with exceptions, including for real estate, motor vehicles, securities and shares between persons who are not close relatives.
Sources
- Central Bank of Uzbekistan (in Uzbek): review of individuals' foreign exchange operations for H1 2026, 12 August 2026 and PDF; labor market review for Q1 2026, 1 July 2026 and PDF; review of migration and individuals' foreign exchange operations, 17 March 2026 and PDF; list of reviews (checked on 27 September 2026); exchange rate archive API (downloaded on 27 September 2026)
- Fees, captured on 27 September 2026: VTB — transfers to Uzbekistan; T-Bank — transfers to Uzbekistan; Zolotaya Korona — transfer calculator
- Official Journal of the European Union: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1843 of 23 July 2026; Regulation (EU) 2026/1848 of 23 July 2026
- Gazeta.uz: 24 July 2026 — Zolotaya Korona and Asakabank; 29 July 2026 — the Central Bank on the operator; "zolotaya korona" tag (checked on 27 September 2026)
- Spot: 29 July 2026 — O. Tojiddinov on Zolotaya Korona; "zolotaya korona" tag (checked on 27 September 2026)
- Bank of Russia: 5 December 2025 — lifting of limits; 1 June 2026 — restrictions for non-residents
- lex.uz: Law "On Currency Regulation" ZRU-573, version of 25 July 2026; Tax Code of Uzbekistan; Law ZRU-599 of 30 December 2019
