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In 2024, the national digital ecosystem Uzum transferred UZS 1.2 trln in taxes to the budget of Uzbekistan, as reported by the press service of the company to Kursiv Uzbekistan.

The volume of contributions grew by 28% compared to the previous year. Uzum secured second place in the list of the largest taxpayers in the private sector.

By the end of 2024, every third Uzbek citizen used the marketplace and other services offered by Uzum. The company’s workforce increased by 3,000 employees.

The founder and CEO of Uzum, Jasur Jumayev, highlighted the company’s role in supporting small and medium-sized businesses. According...

US government vessels will now be able to transit the Panama Canal free of charge, the US State Department has announced.

«US government ships can now pass through the Panama Canal without paying fees,» the State Departmentstated in an official post on the social media platform X.

The department noted that this decision will result in annual savings of millions of dollars for the US federal budget.

The political debate over the Panama Canal has intensified following Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. Late last year, he threatened to bring the canal back under American control, citing its strategic economic and security importance.

As previously reported

Global demand for gold in 2024 reached a record high of 4,900 tonnes, reflecting a 1% year-on-year increase, according to a report by the World Gold Council (WGC).

In monetary terms, this figure amounted to $382 bn, driven by high gold prices.

According to the WGC’s estimates, investor interest in gold surged by 25% year-on-year, surpassing 1,100 tonnes. This growth was primarily fuelled by exchange-traded fund (ETF) investments in the second half of 2024.

The WGC also highlighted that central banks have been purchasing over 1,000 tonnes of gold annually for the third consecutive year. In 2024, they acquired 1,045 tonnes, with the National Bank being the largest buyer, followed by India’s and Turkey’s central banks.

Uzbekistan has expressed interest in importing coal from Afghanistan to achieve trade balance, according to the Tasnim news agency.

This statement was made by an Uzbek delegation during a meeting with representatives of the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Kabul.

Uzbekistan has previously shown interest in Afghan coal. In mid-May last year, it was reported that Tashkent planned to purchase 1 mn tonnes of coal. Afghanistan, a neighbouring country, has significant reserves of coking coal, with major deposits located in the northern provinces of the country.

Last year, Uzbekistan’s total imports of mineral fuels amounted to $3.9 bn, marking a 50.1% increase compared to 2023. Coal accounted for $180.2 mn, reflecting an 11.8% decline year-on-year.

Uzbek-Afghan trade turnover for 2024 exceeded $1.1 bn, with the bulk...

The BRICS bloc will not be able to find an alternative to the US dollar, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in an interview with Fox Business.

«They (BRICS members – Ed. Kursiv Uzbekistan) may try to challenge our status as the world’s reserve currency, but there is no alternative on the horizon,» he said.

Earlier, the Iranian government announced that the republic would be ready to adopt a unified BRICS currency should the organisation’s members decide to create one.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov clarified that the organisation is not currently discussing the creation of a single currency.

Chinese tech company ByteDance, the owner of social media platform TikTok, has introduced a new service called OmniHuman-1, which allows users to generate videos from images using artificial intelligence (AI), according to TechCrunch.

Analysts from the publication noted that the videos generated by OmniHuman-1 are currently among the most realistic available.

«AI for deepfakes (a term used for videos or images generated by AI – Ed.) has become a mainstream consumer product. There are numerous applications capable of inserting a person into a photograph or making someone appear to say something they never actually said. However, most ‘deepfakes’ – particularly videos...

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the Museum of Islamic Art during his trip to Malaysia, according to the Press-Office of the Uzbek President.

Established in 1998, the Museum is located near the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. It features over 10,000 Islamic art exhibits, including unique Quran manuscripts, jewellery, ceramics and coins.

The Museum’s collection includes about 200 exhibits created during various historical periods in what is now modern-day Uzbekistan.

Kursiv Uzbekistan reports that in late January of this year, Mirziyoyev also visited the Center of Islamic Civilisation, which is currently under construction.

The Ministry of Justice of Uzbekistan has officially registered Samarkand flatbread as a geographical indication, according to a report from the department’s press service.

This designation aims to protect the exclusive rights of local entrepreneurs to use the name and to prevent counterfeit products from entering the market.

Justice Minister Akbar Tashkulov presented the registration document to Adiz Boboyev, the regional governor.

Previously, other items such as Kokand knives, Margilan atlas, Margilan adras, Zaamin tandirgush, and Gijduvan shashlik have also been registered as geographical indications.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that Taste Atlas included Shakarob salad Achichak on...

The Humo payment system, operated by JSC National Interbank Processing Center, may soon have a new chairman of the board, according to an announcement on the Unified Portal of Corporate Information.

An extraordinary meeting of shareholders is scheduled for February 21. The agenda includes the early termination of the contract with the current chairman, Shukhrat Kurbanov. Following this, the shareholders will elect a new chairman and supervisory board members.

In early January, the Paynet service owned the Humo payment system, purchasing a state stake in the company for $65 mln.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports on potential changes...

Uzbekistan is set to launch a daycare service for children with disabilities aged between 3 and 18, following a decree from President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

These day care services will be available in Tashkent, Karakalpakstan and five other regions of the republic starting March 1. By October 1, the service will expand to the remaining regions.

Entrepreneurs will provide daycare services under the principles of public-private partnership (PPP). Businesses will receive a subsidy of 25% of the basic calculation value (BCV) or 27%, depending on the child’s age, for each day of service provided.

The subsidy will be increased by...

On February 5, the dollar decreased by 13.59 soums, settling at 12,985.32 soums at the currency exchange. The Central Bank of Uzbekistan maintained the U.S. dollar exchange rate at this level.

The dollar is purchased for 12,925 to 12,965 soums at banks’ exchange offices and sold for 13,000 to 13,060 soums.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports on dollar exchange rate forecasts in Uzbekistan, as published by S&P.

The Uzbek salad Shakarob (also known as Achichuk) was included in Taste Atlas’s ranking of the 100 least appetising dishes in the world. The salad, which consists of tomatoes, onions and peppers, was ranked 43rd on the list. In addition to Shakarob, the list featured other exotic dishes, such as duck head, blood pudding and even chocolate bacon.

Topping the ranking are Blodplättar, or blood pancakes, from Sweden. In second place is a dish called Kalskrov, which comes from the Swedish restaurant The Kronor. This unique dish is a pizza calzone filled with burgers and fries.

The third dish is...

In 2027, an international center for industrial cooperation called Central Asia will be launched on the border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The Majilis, the Parliament of Kazakhstan, has ratified the intergovernmental agreement for this initiative.

The center will be situated near the checkpoints Gulistan and Atameken. Plans include building warehouses, terminals, processing plants for agricultural products, and various other enterprises on its one square kilometer of land.

Chinese investors have expressed interest in participating in the project.

The center is anticipated to boost trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to $10 bn, a significant increase from the...

British sociologist Michael Burawoy tragically passed away after being struck by a car in Oakland, California, on February 3, as reported by The Mercury News. The 77-year-old professor from the University of California was hit by an off-road car while crossing the street, and the driver fled the scene. Authorities are actively searching for the perpetrator.

Burawoy was renowned for his extensive research on labour sociology. Since the 1970s, he has focused on workers’ experiences and working conditions in factories in Africa, the United States and post-socialist countries. His significant scholarly contributions revolved around labour relations within monopolistic...

The price of a five-gram gold bar in Uzbekistan exceeded UZS 6.1 mn on February 5, setting a new record, according to data from the Central Bank of Uzbekistan.

The prices of other gold bars on the same date were as follows:

At the same time, global gold prices reached an all-time high of $2,880 per troy ounce, marking a 41.7% increase over the past year.

Analysts attribute the rise in gold prices to...

By October 1, 2025, Uzbekistan will supply 16 bn cubic metres of water to Kazakhstan. The agreement was signed by Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan, and Shavkat Khamraev, Minister of Water Management of Uzbekistan.

This means that in the 2024–2025 agricultural season, Uzbekistan will provide 1 bn cubic metres more water to Kazakhstan than in the previous year.

Uzbekistan has also committed to ensuring a stable water supply to Kazakhstan via the Dostyk Canal during the 2025 irrigation season.

Additionally, Tashkent and Astana have agreed to jointly repair water channels between the two countries...

The decline in trade volumes between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2023 and 2024 was primarily driven by price volatility in Kazakh raw materials, according to a report by KazTAG, citing Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration.

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade, Arman Shakkaliyev, stated that while the physical volume of exports to Uzbekistan remained stable over the past two years, the monetary value of trade declined.

According to Kazakh estimates, bilateral trade between the two countries has averaged $4–4.1 bn over the last two years.

Meanwhile, data from Uzbekistan’s Statistics Agency shows that in 2023, trade turnover between the two...

Uzbekistan has uncovered a criminal scheme that targeted, among others, Russian citizens, according to the Press Service of the State Security Service (SSS) of Uzbekistan.

Authorities in Fergana Region identified a criminal group that had been illegally obtaining large sums of money. A video released by the SSS shows the arrest of 32 individuals. The perpetrators operated from three call centres—two in Fergana and one in Tashkent.

According to RIA Novosti, which cited the video footage, the scheme was organised by a Fergana resident who led an entire network specialising in the fraudulent acquisition of funds from Russian...

Uzbekistan and Malaysia will draft an agreement on preferential trade, following discussions between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Both nations plan to strengthen cooperation in electronics, green energy, and pilgrimage tourism. To support joint projects, work is already underway to establish a special economic zone in Tashkent Region.

The years 2025–2026 will be designated as a period of innovative development in Uzbekistan-Malaysia partnership.

Cultural collaboration was also a key topic. This year, Uzbekistan and Malaysia will host mutual culture weeks, further enhancing ties between the two nations.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides agreed...

The construction of a large-scale textile cluster is underway in Andijan region, with the total project value estimated at $300 mn, according to the regional administration.

The industrial site is located in the Khayotbakhsh neighbourhood of Pakhtaabad District. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed within two months. The project is overseen by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan.

The cluster covers 55 hectares, with facilities on its territory made available to businesses under the industrial mortgage programme.

The Bonaf factory, located in Tashkent Region, is considering sourcing berries from Kyrgyzstan, according to the Kyrgyz Trade Representative Office.

Representatives of the trade office hold negotiations with the company’s management, during which Bonaf highlights the high quality of Kyrgyz agricultural products. The factory explores the possibility of importing both frozen and fresh berries from its neighbouring country.

Each year, Kyrgyzstan exports thousands of tonnes of raspberries and strawberries to international markets. Additionally, the country exports grapes, blackcurrants, cherries, and sweet cherries.

Bonaf specialises in the production of freeze-dried fruit and vegetable products, which are used as...

On February 4, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, arrived in Malaysia on an official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Upon his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, President Mirziyoyev was greeted with full honours by the Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives, Johari bin Abdul, Minister of Education Zambry Abdul Kadir, and other senior officials. A guard of honour was assembled, and the national flags of both countries were raised in tribute to the occasion.

During his meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, President Mirziyoyev discussed key issues ahead of the upcoming negotiations...

A project office will be established in Uzbekistan to oversee the implementation of land reforms in agriculture, as stated in a decree by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The country will introduce a system for allocating land specifically for cultivating high-value crops.

The first phase of this initiative is expected to be completed by March 1, 2025, just before the start of the spring planting season. By the fall planting season, the number of available plots is set to increase significantly.

Farmers engaged in organic farming will receive certain benefits. Agricultural enterprises holding international certification will be subject to a...

On February 4, the dollar’s value increased by 13.90 soums, reaching 12,998.91 soums at the currency exchange. The Central Bank of Uzbekistan maintained the U.S. currency rate at this level.

At banks’ exchange offices, the dollar is bought for 12,925 to 12,950 soums and sold for 12,990 to 13,045 soums.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports on forecasts for the dollar exchange rate in Uzbekistan, as published by S&P.