Uzbekistan and the EBRD discussed new investment projects and banking sector reforms
Jamshid Khodjaev and Matteo Patrone discussed business financing, the privatization of Asakabank, and the launch of the ANORA platform.
Uzbekistan and the EBRD discussed new investment projects and banking sector reforms
Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjayev held a meeting with Vice President of Banking at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Matteo Patrone. The negotiations focused on expanding cooperation, preparing new investment projects, and implementing joint initiatives.
According to Khodjayev, the total volume of Uzbekistan's cooperation with the EBRD has already exceeded $7 billion. The bank remains one of the republic's main partners in supporting economic reforms and developing the private sector.
In 2025, the EBRD directed €880 million to Uzbekistan across 39 projects. By this indicator, the country became the largest recipient of the bank's financing in Central Asia.
At the meeting, the parties discussed expanding business access to financial resources, preparing new investment initiatives, and further reforming the banking sector, including the privatization of Asakabank.
Special attention was paid to mechanisms for joint project preparation and co-financing with the Reconstruction and Development Fund of Uzbekistan. The meeting participants also reviewed further steps to launch the ANORA platform, aimed at attracting investment to the agri-food sector.
Another topic was the participation of local companies in EBRD-funded projects. As Khodjayev noted, the capabilities of domestic enterprises must be taken into account as early as the initial stage of initiative preparation so that they can bid for contracts and participate in project implementation.
"Our task is to develop this partnership in such a way that mobilizing and allocating more than $1 billion annually becomes a sustainable practice," stated the Deputy Prime Minister.
He added that the attracted funds should open up additional opportunities for business, contribute to the modernization of infrastructure, and improve the population's quality of life.