TASHKENT, Uzbekistan,
August 24. The Central Bank of Uzbekistan is
launching a number of new initiatives to develop the country’s
fintech ecosystem, including a Fintech Innovation Hub, a dedicated
venture fund and a program to train 5,000 young people, Governor of
the Central Bank Timur Ishmetov said, Trend’s special correspondent reports from
Tashkent.


He made the remark while speaking at the Silk Road Finance &
Technology Forum.


According to Ishmetov, the Fintech Innovation Hub will begin
accepting its first cohort of residents in the fourth quarter of
2026. The hub will provide a pathway for fintech startups through
incubation and acceleration, regulatory guidance and pilot testing
to assess market readiness. “We have established a dedicated
venture fund. We are discussing with experienced international fund
managers while building a direct pipeline from the Innovation Hub
to international scaling, with the aim of providing larger ticket
sizes and attracting international co-investments,” Ishmetov
said.


He noted that the Central Bank will also take its policies on
payments, payment systems, open banking and operational resilience
to the next level. The core framework, governance model and
technical architecture are already in place, according to the
governor. “This policy enhancement will make the financial system
future-proof,” he said.







Another initiative will be a program to train 5,000 young people
in fintech by 2028. The first cohort will begin training by the end
of this year under a program being developed with the participation
of universities in Singapore and GFTA, combining academic
foundations with practical fintech skills.


Ishmetov also announced that Uzbekistan will publish a white
paper on a central bank digital currency (CBDC) as part of its
broader fintech framework. “The paper will address the assessment
of potential use cases, design options, key trade-offs, and
implications for the financial system,” he said.


The Central Bank governor stressed that the initiatives form
part of a unified strategy focused on innovation, appropriate
regulation, modern financial infrastructure, access to talent and
capital, and positioning Uzbekistan as a gateway for fintech growth
across Central Asia.