BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 2. The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) has presented its projects on cross-border payment integration at a roundtable held as part of the Tbilisi Financial Summit 2026, the bank announced in a statement.
The roundtable, titled "Cross-Border Financial Innovation: Defining What the Region Can Test Together", brought together participants to discuss opportunities for regional cooperation in financial innovation.
According to the statement, Sadiq Akhundov, the central bank's chief executive director, took part in the roundtable.
Akhundov briefed participants on projects being implemented by the CBA to integrate instant payment systems across borders, upgrade payment infrastructure and expand financial innovation. He also outlined opportunities for introducing a special regulatory regime across participating countries and exchanged views with other speakers on existing approaches.
Speaking about the importance of regional cooperation, Akhundov said that expanding the exchange of expertise and joint initiatives in financial innovation, the interoperability of payment systems and the adoption of new technological solutions would help create a more agile and accessible financial ecosystem across the region.
CBA Governor Taleh Kazimov also identified the integration of payment systems as one of the key areas of cooperation between central banks at a news conference on October 29.
He said the goal was to make cross-border settlements faster and less expensive.
"Our main expectation is that we will integrate our payment systems within a short period of time and thereby encourage cheaper payments between these countries," Kazimov said.
The CBA governor added that cooperation also covered the development of instant payment infrastructure and the mutual recognition of QR code standards.
