Uzbekistan to Expand Digital Financial Support for SMEs

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reviewed proposals aimed at expanding financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and improving access to financial services, according to a presentation held on 26 May 2026.

Officials noted that entrepreneurship development and increasing the share of SMEs in the economy remain key reform priorities. In recent years, Uzbekistan has expanded mechanisms for providing loans, compensation, and guarantees, but certain barriers to access to finance still persist.

According to the presented data, the loan portfolio allocated to SME support amounts to 218 trillion soums, equivalent to 12% of gross domestic product. However, the share of unsecured online microloans remains low, and the average processing time for such loans is up to seven days. Entrepreneurs also currently lack a unified platform to compare banking products.

In response, it was proposed to create a unified digital financial platform that would allow entrepreneurs to submit loan applications, receive offers from banks, compare conditions, and select the most suitable options.

The platform will be integrated with the e-government system, enabling automatic transfer of SME data to banks. This is expected to reduce application processing time and decrease documentation requirements.

Starting from 1 December 2026, Uzbekistan plans to introduce alternative credit scoring using artificial intelligence. Unlike traditional scoring methods, it will assess business activity, utility payments, turnover, tax records, and other digital data, expanding access to financing for entrepreneurs without credit histories.

AI-based systems will also generate recommendations to improve credit history, assess risks, and support business development.

In addition, a new “AI consultant” program will be launched in commercial banks to assist with business idea development and financing opportunities, taking into account the economic potential of local communities (mahallas).

As part of the continuous SME support program, the unsecured portion of microloans for entrepreneurs with a positive credit history will be increased from 100 million to 200 million soums.

Furthermore, part of interest expenses on loans and leasing up to 5 billion soums will be compensated by the state.

Each year, grants of up to 300 million soums will also be allocated to 100 entrepreneurs demonstrating strong performance and implementing digital solutions, international standards, and green technologies.

The head of state approved the proposals and instructed relevant agencies to expand access to financial services for SMEs while ensuring the security of the digital platform and protection of data.