A local businessman told Radio Ozodlik that the episode shows how poor some Uzbek banks are, as well as the benefits of carrying any other currency than the som: "A gang attacks one bank, breaks its window and safes. But their fortune is just 2,500 dollars. It's a joke - I have the same amount of money in my pocket." The CA-News website says that due to the absence of cash in the country, companies in Uzbekistan complain that they cannot get money from banks to pay their employees. Pensions have also been delayed, and citizens experience difficulties accessing bank remittances sent to them by relatives abroad.