BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 1. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved projects for Uzbekistan worth over $3 billion, making its investment portfolio the largest in Central Asia, AIIB’s Chief Investment Officer Konstantin Limitovskiy told Trend in an exclusive interview.
"On the sovereign side, our portfolio includes projects in local road rehabilitation, water supply, and urban infrastructure, designed to improve connectivity and resilience. On the private side, AIIB has financed major renewable projects in partnerships with developers like ACWA Power and Masdar under long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs)," Limitovsky emphasized.
According to him, although these initiatives are not formally considered public-private partnerships (PPPs), they mobilize significant private capital and contribute to diversifying Uzbekistan’s energy mix.
"AIIB remains open to contributing to the projects that align with the country’s development targets and the Bank’s thematic priorities," he noted.
Speaking about financing mechanisms, Limitovsky explained that for government projects, long-term loans on competitive terms are provided, while for the private sector, non-sovereign loans, equity investments, and guarantees are offered. The Bank also actively employs co-financing with multilateral development banks and commercial lenders to scale up projects, as well as blended financing and technical assistance to address early-stage challenges and prepare projects for financial closure.
"Depending on the complexity of a program, AIIB may use phased financing, releasing funds as key milestones are achieved, combine policy-based and investment financing instruments, or develop blended models," the bank’s VP concluded.