Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — TBC Bank and the international women’s foundation Sharq Ayoli have summed up the results of a charitable initiative during which 800 women entrepreneurs from Tashkent region received training on the fundamentals of online business and the use of artificial intelligence in business.

Ahead of International Women’s Day, TBC Bank used a media monitoring and analysis service to track how many congratulatory messages were posted publicly in honor of women. Each of the 191,412 online congratulations was converted into 1,000 soums, resulting in 191,412,000 soums being donated to Sharq Ayoli to organize events aimed at increasing the economic activity of women in rural areas and helping them effectively use digital technologies.

Nodira Shermatova, Marketing Director of TBC Bank, said: “We are convinced that digital skills and financial literacy are key to economic independence. Our cooperation with Sharq Ayoli will allow women from small towns and villages to enter new markets and use digital tools as confidently as large companies.”

The sessions were held in Nurafshan and seven districts of Tashkent region — Pskent, Kibray, Parkent, Akkurgan, Kuyichirchik, Urtachirchik, and Yukorichirchik.

During the training, participants learned the basics of e-commerce, business promotion on social media, and AI tools for demand analysis and inventory management. Each participant also received instructions on bookkeeping and how to use the CFO.UZ platform for financial management and document flow, an opportunity to showcase their products and services online on the Hovlee platform, and consultations on financial literacy and banking services for business.

Feruza Usmanova, a training participant and owner of the Cake Shop confectionery supply store, shared: “Six years ago, when I decided to start my own business, the small business support system was just developing, and loans for small companies were rare. At the training, I learned that lending has become much easier, more accessible, and more transparent. There are now many opportunities for those who want to start their own business.”

The initiative is a natural continuation of TBC Bank’s program to support entrepreneurship and work on reducing the gender gap in access to financial resources.

In November 2024, the bank received a loan from the world’s largest gender equality fund, the Global Gender-Smart Fund, which is being used to finance women’s businesses. In the first quarter of 2025, 36,000 women took loans from TBC Bank to start their own businesses.