Why Central Asia, and why Tajikistan first
Trade between Southeast and Central Asia is growing, and cross-border payments are still slow and expensive. Here is why we are starting in Dushanbe.
Metapac is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, and our first market outside Malaysia will be in Central Asia. People often ask why. The short answer: that is where businesses we know feel the most friction when they move money, and where a careful, compliant entrant can be genuinely useful.
The problem we keep hearing about
Importers and exporters trading between the two regions describe the same experience: payments that take days, correspondent fees stacked on top of each other, and very little visibility while funds are in transit. Licensed exchangers face the mirror image of the problem when they need dependable access to US-dollar liquidity.
USD-backed stablecoins can shorten that chain considerably, but only if the fiat legs at either end are handled by licensed banks, and only if every party is properly verified and screened.
Why Tajikistan first
- A clear route in: Metapac is applying for residency at IT Park Dushanbe, which gives technology companies a defined framework to operate within.
- Real demand from trade and remittance corridors that connect Tajikistan with the wider region.
- A market where we can build relationships with regulators, banks and clients from the start, rather than retrofitting them later.
Launch is planned for 2027, subject to IT Park residency and any other approval required. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are planned to follow from 2027, again subject to the approvals each market requires.
What we are doing now
We are preparing our application, designing our compliance programme for the Tajik entity, and starting to hire for roles based in Dushanbe, including a Compliance Officer (MLRO) and a Country Manager. You can see the roles on our careers page.
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