Describes how widely e-Commerce is used, the primary sectors that sell through e-commerce, and how much product/service in each sector is sold through e-commerce versus brick-and-mortar retail. Includes what a company needs to know to take advantage of e-commerce in the local market and , reputable, prominent B2B websites.
Last Published: 2/15/2019
Tajikistan has a population of 9 million with 2.6 million Internet users who could be potential buyers of on-line products and services. Access to email and the Internet is much less prevalent in Tajikistan than in many areas of the world.  Many local companies have just one email address, typically registered on the free Russian based .ru domain, and their email is checked by a secretary or other designated person only on an intermittent basis.  Undeveloped infrastructure, imperfect and insecure systems of on-line payments and lack of systems for delivery of goods and services in combination with low level of consumer confidence and computer literacy in e-shopping are the main obstacles for fast e-commerce development in Tajikistan.  On-line trade in Tajikistan is conducted through the national payment system Korti Milli. Tajiks hold 1.4 million Korti Milli national payment cards.  There are 2200 POS terminals in Tajikistan.  Since 2013 KazComTajikistan launched Visa and Master Card payment cards.  As of 2017 there were only 166,000 Visa, MasterCard and American Express Cards in Tajikistan.  Local microfinance organization Alif Sarmoya launched its electronic purse alif.mobi. Other electronic purses operate in Tajikistan: QIWI Wallet and Yandex.Money.  The most popular e-commerce internet portal in Tajikistan is Somon (www.somon.tj) with over 600 thousand visitors a month.  Ten first-tier companies provide Internet services in Tajikistan.  As of June 2018, these companies are :

Babilon-T (http://www.babilon-t.tj) 
Tojnet (http://www.tojnet.tj/)
Intercom  (http://www.intercom.tj)
Eastera (http://www.eastera.tj)
TARENA (http://www.tarena.tj)
Saturn Online (http://www.saturn.tj)
Tcell (http://www.tcell.tj/en/)
Megafon (www.megafon.tj)
Beeline (www.beeline.tj)
TajikTransitTelecom (www.ttt.tj)
 
The Tajik government estimated 2.6 million Tajik citizens used the Internet in 2017.  An estimated 46 percent of Tajiks have regular access to the Internet either at home, work, school, Internet cafes, or by other means – including through mobile devices.  Businessmen and officials are gradually getting more comfortable with using email.  E-commerce may be the next niche where U.S. companies can apply their expertise to develop the market in Tajikistan.
 

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.