Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan to deepen cooperation in fintech and digital asset regulation

**Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan plan closer cooperation on fintech and digital asset rules**

The issues were discussed at a meeting between representatives of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan and an Azerbaijani delegation headed by Central Bank Governor Taleh Kazimov.

The two sides reviewed their current cooperation and ways to further strengthen ties, noting that collaboration between the financial regulators has expanded in recent years at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

Talks centered on cross-border fintech initiatives and deeper cooperation between the relevant institutions and experts. The sides also looked at approaches to regulating digital assets, using regulatory sandboxes to test financial innovations, supporting fintech startups and launching joint pilot projects.

Open banking and the development of an open finance ecosystem were also key topics. Azerbaijan said it was ready to share its experience in building centralized open banking infrastructure, including common application programming interface (API) standards, customer consent management mechanisms and the regulatory frameworks that support them.

The central banks also discussed possibilities for joint research in monetary policy, macroeconomic analysis and data management. Such cooperation could help both sides make better use of their expertise and broaden the exchange of practical knowledge.

The meeting ended with both sides reaffirming their commitment to turning the discussions into concrete initiatives, strengthening contacts between specialists and further developing long-term cooperation.