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.
