xabarchixabarchiABARCHI
Uzbekistan

A Georgian holding company plans to buy one of Uzbekistan's largest banks.

The Georgian holding Lion Finance Group is exploring the possibility of acquiring one of Uzbekistan's leading banks, as part of its strategy to expand its presence in Central Asia. The company aims to acquire a financial institution ranked among the top three to five largest in the market, with the aim of leveraging its experience in developing banking services in new markets.

As the holding's CEO, Archil Gachechiladze, stated in an interview with Bloomberg, in addition to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the company's interests also include the Baltic and Balkan countries.

Gachechiladze emphasized that Lion Finance Group is not considering acquiring smaller banks. "The top three are preferable. We don't target smaller banks," he stated.

The name of the specific Uzbek bank of interest to the potential buyer has not been disclosed. There is also no information about ongoing negotiations with any financial institutions or formal acquisition offers.

Foreign expansion has become a key focus for the holding since the acquisition of Armenia's Ameriabank in 2024. In Uzbekistan, Lion Finance Group plans to leverage Bank of Georgia's experience, particularly in digital banking services.

In March 2026, Lion Finance Group shares were included in the UK's FTSE 100 index.

Cookies on xabarchi

We use cookies to remember your language and theme, and to count how many people are reading right now — that count is anonymous, lasts only while your browser is open, and cannot be tied to you or to another visit. With your permission we also measure how the site is read: Microsoft Clarity, which records page views and on-page interactions, and our own count of returning readers. Nothing that recognises you across visits is measured until you accept.