29% of those who borrow from banks have more than one loan — Central Bank

**According to the Central Bank, 29% of bank borrowers in Uzbekistan have multiple loans**

Almost a third of bank borrowers in Uzbekistan, or 29%, have multiple loans at the same time. This was noted in the Central Bank's first report on financial accessibility for 2025. According to the report, one borrower has an average of 1.7 loans.

**The trend of obtaining multiple loans is increasing**

Analysis shows that 20% of the adult population in the republic has active loan accounts in banks. Another 7% of the population uses loans in regulated microfinance organizations.

"29 percent of bank borrowers have more than one loan, with an average of 1.7 loans per borrower. This result indicates that the practice of using multiple loans by one borrower is widespread, and the level and coverage of credit utilization are increasing," the report says.

**Women have a higher share of the loan portfolio**

According to the study, the share of women with bank credit accounts is 19 percent, which is 1 percentage point lower than the overall indicator for the adult population (20 percent). In 2025, women accounted for 35 percent of the volume of new retail loans issued and 38 percent of the retail loan portfolio balance.

"Women are participating in basic banking products at a level almost equal to the national average. 86 percent of adult women and 86 percent of the adult population have a bank account," the regulator's analysis says.

**There are sufficient reserves for problem loans**

The share of problem loans in the total loans of the population is 3 percent. Banks have formed sufficient reserves to cover problem loans. The regulator stressed the importance of paying attention to the transparency and clarity of the cost and terms of the loan. It also noted that the focus should be on the correspondence of the amount and payment schedule to the financial capabilities of the borrower.

"Because quality lending is determined not by the number of loans issued, but by how well financing meets the needs of the client and is repaid on time without creating an excessive debt burden on the borrower," the report says.

**Small and medium-sized business lending indicators**

About 24 percent of small and medium-sized businesses have an active loan account with a bank or microfinance institution. The share of entities registered with the credit bureau (KATM) is about 68 percent.

5 percent of microloans allocated to this category of businesses are issued entirely through online channels. "This indicates that the digitization of the lending process for businesses is still at an early stage," the regulator concluded.

Loans allocated to small and medium-sized businesses account for 36 percent of the total loan portfolio of banks. The report notes a high concentration index in the SME lending market, which indicates that there are several active participants in the market and lending is somewhat concentrated.

It was previously reported that about 27 percent of the population receiving loans from banks, or 1.4 million people, have two or more loans. In the new analysis, this figure increased by 2%.

At the beginning of July this year, the total amount of problem loans of banks approached 23 trillion soums. More than 70 percent of the loans that have become problematic for repayment were allocated by state-owned banks.