News

Three new investment projects totalling $35 mln have been launched in the Kokand Free Economic Zone (FEZ), according to the Fergana Regional Administration.

Kursiv Uzbekistan reports that...

On June 27 in Minsk, during the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders discussed the current state of bilateral relations and prospects for future cooperation.

It was noted that Uzbekistan and Russia are successfully developing trade and economic partnerships, implementing joint projects, and strengthening regional ties. Cultural and humanitarian exchange between the two countries is also growing.

Vladimir Putin told journalists that he discussed the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine with both Shavkat Mirziyoyev and UAE Crown Prince Khalid Al Nahyan...

Several banks in Uzbekistan will open their currency exchange points and money transfer offices over the weekend, according to the Central Bank of Uzbekistan.

The list includes:
Agrobank, Apexbank, Asia Alliance Bank, BRB, Ipoteka Bank, Milliy Bank, Orient Finans Bank, Tenge Bank, Trastbank, Universalbank, Kapitalbank, Hamkorbank, SQB, Asaka Bank, Anor Bank, Garant Bank and Hayot Bank.

Additionally, 24/7 ATMs and mobile banking apps will also be available for currency exchange transactions.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that the Central Bank will assess the risk profile of all banks in 2025.

Uzbekistan’s junior freestyle wrestling team placed third overall in the team standings at the Asian U17 Wrestling Championship, according to the country’s National Olympic Committee.

The championship was held in Vietnam, where Uzbek freestyle wrestlers earned a total of nine medals:

On the final day of the competition, the team won two silver and three bronze medals, securing their position as third in the medal count.

? Silver medals were claimed by Ulugbek Rashidov and Abdumalilk Jaloliddinov.

? Bronze medals went to Mirjalol Mukammilov, Shakhobiddin Nurmanov, and Fakhriddin Nasriddinov.

Kursiv...

At the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed a number of initiatives aimed at deepening cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Trade and Technical Regulation

Mirziyoyev called for accelerating the coordination of initiatives aimed at simplifying trade procedures and harmonizing technical regulation systems. He emphasized Uzbekistan’s interest in joining digital trade support mechanisms, including systems for technical regulation, digital transport corridors, and the Eurasian Reinsurance Company.

Digital Cooperation

The president proposed the adoption of a special program for digital cooperation. This would cover:

Since early 2023, Uzbekistan’s State Environmental Oversight Inspectorate has issued 4,700 orders demanding compensation for environmental damage totaling 322 b UZS, according to the Ministry of Ecology.

Key findings:

The inspectorate conducted over 3,500 raids, uncovering 111,000 violations of environmental law and issuing 115 billion UZS in administrative fines.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports on Tashkent’s efforts to create a digital registry of city trees.

Financial stability, the development of a risk culture in banks, and personalized supervision are the key goals of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan in transforming its regulatory system. This was stated by Nigora Begmatova, Head of the Risk Management Department of the Central Bank, during the conference «Current State and Prospects of Risk Management, Compliance Control, and Internal Audit in Companies and Banks of the Republic of Uzbekistan» held on June 25, 2025. The event was organized by Orient Finans Bank. According to the regulator, the Central Bank will assess the risk profiles of all banks in...

Telegram’s message translation feature is temporarily down. Both the automatic translator and the menu-based option are not working. Users attempting to access the feature receive a message saying: «Translation temporarily unavailable.»

The issue is affecting users in various countries, but the cause of the outage and a timeline for restoration remain unknown. Telegram has not yet issued an official statement.

The disruption began on the evening of June 26.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that 64% of Uzbeks use artificial intelligence (AI) in their work.

Deputy Director of Uzbekcosmos joins UCast podcast and explain that Space exploration is different that we imagine. Photo: AI

Uzbekistan is exploring the possibility of launching a constellation of Earth Observation (EO) satellites, according to Mukhriddin Ibragimov, Deputy Director of the national space agency Uzbekcosmos, who spoke on the UCast podcast.

He noted that the domestic market for EO data is still in its infancy, with users limited to Uzbekcosmos, a few government bodies, and an emerging private sector.

«It’s mainly us, a few other state agencies, and a private sector that’s just beginning to...

On June 28–29, residents and visitors in the Samarkand region can attend the International Hot Air Balloon Festival in the Urgut District, according to Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee.

Alongside balloon launches, the event will feature a cultural program with folk ensembles, DJs and a symphony orchestra.

Guests can enjoy exhibitions of national costumes, painting, and calligraphy, as well as motorcycle shows and horse riding. The culinary highlight will be the baking of a record-setting 75-meter lavash.

Urgut is about 40 minutes by car or taxi from Samarkand. Public transport takes 1.5 to 2 hours.

Kursiv Uzbekistan reports on the...

The third and final season of the global hit series Squid Game is now available on Netflix, with all six episodes released on June 27.

The finale follows Seong Gi-hun as he returns to the deadly survival game in an attempt to end the inhumane experiment behind it.

Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game is a South Korean drama-thriller that premiered on September 17, 2021. The first two seasons attracted over 600 mln views, making it the most popular show in Netflix history.

Earlier, Kursiv Uzbekistan reported that production on the upcoming Harry Potter series will begin at the end of 2025.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to supporting journalists and strengthening media development as a key priority of the New Uzbekistan policy.

In a congratulatory message to media professionals, Mirziyoyev stated:

“We still have much to do to address pressing challenges such as ensuring objectivity and rule of law in mass media, enhancing professional skills, and adopting modern methods of information dissemination.”

The president also highlighted Uzbekistan’s recent progress in journalism. The country is now home to 2,400 media outlets, most of which are privately owned. He noted that ongoing...

At least 64% of employees in Uzbekistan use artificial intelligence (AI) in their work, according to a survey by HeadHunter, seen by Kursiv Uzbekistan. For 22% of respondents, using AI has already become part of their daily routine.

AI tools are most commonly used by employees in industry, IT, finance, and accounting. Most respondents apply neural networks for tasks such as information search and filtering, report writing, and responding to routine messages.

Only 5% of employees are currently willing to delegate document completion or client communication to AI systems.

The majority of respondents see AI development and workplace automation as part of technological progress. Around 54% describe generative technologies as helpful tools that save time and...

London-listed TBC Bank Group, which operates the leading financial services group in Georgia and the largest digital banking ecosystem in Uzbekistan, announces its acquisition of a majority stake in BILLZ, Uzbekistan’s leading retail management SaaS platform, further strengthening its offering for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country. 

Subject to standard regulatory approvals, this strategic partnership agreement signifies a landmark deal for Uzbekistan’s rapidly developing tech sector and ranks among the top M&As in the country over the past three decades. It will see TBC Uzbekistan, the Group’s digital banking ecosystem in Central Asia, partnering with BILLZ and incorporating the...

Cocaine production, consumption, and seizure volumes reached an all-time high in 2023, according to the latest United Nations report on global drug trends.

Experts say cocaine output rose by 34%, reaching 3,700 tonnes, while global seizures surged by 68% to 2,300 tonnescompared to the previous year.

The number of cocaine users worldwide has grown significantly, rising from 17 mln in 2013 to 25 mln in 2023. The UN warns that producers are increasingly targeting Asian and African markets, contributing to a sharp rise in cartel-related violence beyond Latin America.

Cocaine is now the fourth most consumed drug globally, following cannabis, opioids, and amphetamines.

Earlier, Kursiv Uzbekistan reported that smugglers attempted...

Tashkent has begun creating a digital registry of trees with the support of the Zamin Foundation, according to the organisation’s press service.

Authorities plan to compile a unified electronic database covering green spaces across the capital. By the end of this year, the registry is expected to include at least one mln trees.

The Ministry of Ecology and the Digital Development Department of the Tashkent city administration are developing the online platform.

The Zamin Foundation stated that the digital registry will enable full tracking of trees and integration with government information systems related to urban planning, land use, and development. The...

Fitch Ratings has upgraded Uzbekistan’s long-term foreign currency sovereign credit rating from ‘BB-’ to ‘BB’, assigning a stable outlook, the agency stated in its latest report.

Fitch attributes the upgrade to accelerated reforms and strong economic growth prospects.

«The rating continues to reflect Uzbekistan’s low government debt, substantial external and fiscal buffers, and strong potential growth, balanced by relatively low GDP per capita,» the agency noted.

In 2023, Uzbekistan’s consolidated budget deficit reached 3% of GDP, performing better than the government’s earlier estimate of 4%. Fitch projects the deficit will remain at 3% in both 2025 and 2026.

The agency also...

Jennifer Lopez will perform three concerts in Central Asia as part of her Up All Night: Live in 2025 tour:
? Astana – August 1
? Tashkent – August 7
? Almaty – August 10

Tickets are now on sale, and Kursiv Uzbekistan compared prices in both countries—revealing it’s more expensive to sit in Uzbekistan, but more expensive to stand in Kazakhstan.

Ticket prices were taken from Ticketon.kz (Kazakhstan) and Iticket.uz (Uzbekistan), then converted to USD using the average exchange rate for June 2025.

Ticket Price Comparison:

? The most expensive...

From January to May 2025, the median salary for journalists and correspondents in Uzbekistan reached nearly 5 mln UZS, according to job platform hh.uz. This marks a 13.9% increase compared to the same period last year.

Tashkent leads in job seeker activity, with nearly 50% of all resumes submitted from the capital. Activity also rose significantly in Fergana and Chirchik, where the number of resumes increased by over 50%.

Employers most frequently search for journalists in Tashkent and Bukhara, while the highest growth in job postings was seen in Navoi and Andijan. Despite demand, competition remains high, 21 resumes...

The Wolt delivery service has officially launched in Samarkand, offering access to 120 restaurants and 10 retail stores on its first day, according to a company press release shared with Kursiv Uzbekistan.

Wolt entered the Uzbek market in September 2024, initially launching in Tashkent, where it now partners with 1,400 restaurants and over 200 stores.

The platform uses a smart algorithm that considers location, courier activity, and mode of transport to optimize fast delivery. Couriers can track orders in real time, manage their schedules, and monitor earnings through the app.

Kursiv Uzbekistan reports that couriers in Uzbekistan will soon...

The bill was previously passed by Iran’s parliament. Photo: Mostafa Meraji / Unsplash

Iran’s Guardian Council has approved a bill to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Kommersant reports.

The day before, the bill was backed by the Iranian parliament. For it to take effect, it must now be approved by the Supreme National Security Council.

Earlier, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had proposed a meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss the continuation of nuclear inspections.

In late June, the U.S. launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. According to...

Wunder Digital has updated its ranking of Uzbek banks’ digital visibility, identifying the top performers in Google and Yandex search results (data obtained by Kursiv Uzbekistan).

Experts compiled the most popular banking-related search queries among Uzbek users and calculated how visible each bank was in the search results.

Compared to the previous report in February 2025, the latest rankings show significant shifts.

Former leader Ipak Yuli fell to second place, overtaken by UzNatsBank (NBU), which had previously ranked third. Aloqabank entered the top three, improving its visibility by 34% since February. Meanwhile, Uzpromstroybank dropped from second to fourth place. Asia...

Uzbekistan’s Senate has approved a law for the country to join the 1963 Vienna Convention, which governs liability for nuclear damage.

The move means Uzbekistan will adopt international standards outlining who is responsible and how compensation is provided in the event of incidents at civilian nuclear facilities. In the case of a nuclear accident, Uzbek citizens will be entitled to claim damages.

The main goal of the legislation is to establish operator liability, set minimum requirements for financial protection, and strengthen public trust in the country’s nuclear safety framework. According to senators, the law will improve protection for victims...

Uzbekistan has not yet made a decision to raise the retirement age, the country’s Pension Fund announced.

«At this time, no final decision has been made regarding pension system reform. The matter is still under study, with analysis and development of proposals underway,» the fund stated.

Previously, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommended that Tashkent increase the retirement age. Currently, men in Uzbekistan can retire at 60, and women at 55.

The Pension Fund emphasized that recommendations from international experts are not binding and will be carefully reviewed with respect to their potential...