Uzbekistan unveiled an ambitious investment and reform agenda at the Fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum, bringing together more than 8,300 participants from 100 countries, including heads of state, government officials, global corporations and international financial institutions.
Addressing the plenary session, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined six priorities for Uzbekistan’s next phase of development: strengthening investor protections, expanding capital markets, attracting investment into strategic industries, accelerating green energy and artificial intelligence projects, improving transport connectivity, and advancing large-scale urban development.
Among the headline announcements was the creation of the Tashkent International Financial Centre, which will operate under a special legal regime based on English law and offer significant tax incentives to investors.
Plans were also unveiled to issue sovereign Islamic bonds, expand privatisation programmes and attract greater investment into critical minerals, renewable energy, digital technologies and infrastructure.
The forum comes as Uzbekistan continues to post robust economic growth and attract record levels of foreign capital.
According to President Mirziyoyev, the country has attracted more than $150 billion in foreign investment in recent years, including $123 billion over the past five years alone.
Last year, GDP grew by 7.7%, while $43 billion in foreign investment was attracted into the economy. International reserves exceeded $70 billion.
Uzbekistan’s economy is expected to exceed $180 billion this year, significantly surpassing the $100 billion target originally set for 2026.
The forum attracted an unprecedented level of political representation, including Albanian President Bayram Begaj, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Belarusian Prime Minister Alexander Turchin, Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev and Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda.
On the sidelines of the event, President Mirziyoyev held talks with the leadership of the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). Discussions focused on financing strategic projects in infrastructure, critical minerals, energy, artificial intelligence and digitalisation.
The two sides agreed to prepare a joint roadmap to advance investment initiatives, including energy modernisation, digital infrastructure, logistics facilities and healthcare projects.
The meetings come amid growing economic ties between Uzbekistan and the United States. Bilateral trade exceeded $1 billion in 2025, while cooperation has expanded across critical minerals, energy, infrastructure and advanced technologies.
President Mirziyoyev also welcomed a new initiative by the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to establish a regional alliance of investment councils across Central Asia and the Caucasus.
“When the markets are larger and the rules are more harmonised, the flow of investments to the countries of the region will be greater,” he said, expressing confidence that the initiative could become the first step towards creating a common regional investment space.
The President reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s commitment to remaining open to international investors, describing investment as more than a source of capital.
“For us, investment is far more than a source of capital. It is a catalyst for advanced technologies, modern knowledge and expertise, new jobs and development,” he said.
The Tashkent International Investment Forum has become Central Asia’s leading investment platform since its launch in 2022. Last year’s edition concluded with the signing of investment and trade agreements worth $30.5 billion, and organisers expect this year’s forum to generate another wave of major investment commitments for Uzbekistan and the wider region.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday after the U.S. launched a wave of military strik...
South Korea has said it will provide $100 million in non-lethal military aid to Ukraine, while Britain is set to unveil a $50 billion scheme to develo...
A Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo aircraft carrying five crew members disappeared on Tuesday night after reporting a navigational system problem ...
South Korea has said it will provide $100 million in non-lethal military aid to Ukraine, while Britain is set to unveil a $50 billion scheme to develop deep precision strike weapons, as day two of the NATO Summit in Ankara gets underway.
A Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo aircraft carrying five crew members disappeared on Tuesday night after reporting a navigational system problem while flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi, prompting a major search and rescue operation.
Switzerland reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1954 after defeating Colombia 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a tense 0-0 draw that lasted 120 minutes on Tuesday.
The United States, Japan and South Korea have signed an agreement to deepen cooperation on the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs), aiming to accelerate the rollout of next-generation nuclear energy projects in partner countries across the Indo-Pacific.
The U.S. says it has launched strikes on Iran after alleged attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Washington described the action as a response to threats against civilian shipping and a breach of the ceasefire.
The death toll from Venezuela's devastating twin earthquakes has risen to 3,342, according to the country's information ministry, as rescue teams continue searching affected areas and survivors face an uncertain recovery.
NATO leaders are unveiling multi-billion-dollar arms deals in Ankara as President Donald Trump joins the summit, highlighting Europe's increased defence spending amid tensions over Russia and Iran, and following years of U.S. criticism of the alliance.
Christian Dior has secured one of fashion's most coveted celebrity endorsements after both Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wore custom haute couture designs by creative director Jonathan Anderson for their wedding in New York.
Massive crowds are gathering in the streets of Tehran on Monday for the funeral procession of Iran's slain former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, as part of a week-long farewell. His son and designated successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make a public appearance.
Pakistan's military on Monday linked cross-border militancy, hybrid threats and water security during the 276th Corps Commanders' Conference, reaffirming continued intelligence-based counterterrorism operations and support for the government's position on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
Ramzan Kadyrov has been left off the ruling United Russia party's election list for Chechnya for the first time since 2007, fuelling fresh speculation about his political future and succession plans.
Afghanistan's disaster authority says it and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are seeking to expand cooperation on emergency response as the country continues to face floods, earthquakes, drought and the long-term threat from mines and unexploded ordnance.
The Green Climate Fund has approved a $30 million climate adaptation project for Tajikistan to help 73,500 people strengthen food security, protect water resources and build more resilient rural livelihoods.
Two bombs exploded near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron had spent the night, but his office said he did not hear the explosions and was on his way to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the time.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment