Publication Details
Abstract
This article examines how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital innovation and financial technology adoption in Uzbekistan. Using an explanatory mixed-methods design combining quantitative trend analysis (2017–2022) with qualitative process-tracing, the study analyzes data from the World Bank, UNCTAD, the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, and Mastercard. The findings demonstrate that the pandemic functioned as a structural accelerant, compressing a decade of anticipated digital transformation into two to three years: digital payment users quadrupled from 10 million to 38 million, market value grew sixteenfold to $85 billion, and internet penetration reached 90%. The article situates Uzbekistan's trajectory within the global literature on pandemic-induced digitalization, tests Schumpeterian creative destruction and network externality theories, and offers evidence-based policy recommendations for securing inclusive and sustainable post-pandemic digital gains.