In the last 12 hours, coverage in and around Tashkent has been dominated by finance, infrastructure, and international cooperation. TBC Uzbekistan reported a strong Q1 2026 performance—net profit of 93 billion soums and 700 billion soums in total operating income—alongside growth in registered and active users and higher payments, deposits, and loans. In parallel, the Central Bank of Uzbekistan held talks with Standard Chartered on fintech and reserve management (including CBDC-related study), and with ZKB on reserve-management cooperation covering money/FX markets, gold trading, and training. The World Bank also opened a new office in Tashkent, signaling an expansion of its Uzbekistan footprint and ongoing support for reforms and private-sector development.
Economic policy and public services also featured prominently. Uzbekistan’s inflation slowed to 7% in April 2026 (with monthly consumer prices up 0.6%), while authorities discussed accelerating cashback payments on fiscal receipts (including fuel, catering, alcohol, and tobacco) as part of expanding cashless payments. The Ministry of Health approved an expanded free-medicine reimbursement list effective 1 January 2027, increasing free medicines from 28 to 69 items and outlining an electronic-prescription process. On the city level, Tashkent announced plans to renovate “Broadway” (Sayilgoh Street) and surrounding central pedestrian areas, including barrier-free access, landscaping, and upgrades to signage/advertising compliance and monitoring.
A second major thread in the most recent reporting is energy and cross-border connectivity. Uzbekistan’s renewable output rose 32% in early 2026 (Jan–Apr), and the ADB backed the 300 MW “Bash-2” wind farm in Bukhara with a financing package totaling US$116 million. Several international cooperation items also appeared quickly: Germany pledged €5.5 million to the ADB’s Nature Solutions Finance Hub; Uzbekistan and Belarus discussed anti-corruption cooperation between interior/law-enforcement bodies; and Uzbekistan repatriated 41 citizens from Iran via Turkmenistan. There were also legal/security developments, including a 12-year Russian sentence for an Uzbek citizen in a recruitment-related case and Uzbekistan extraditing a fraud suspect from Peru via Interpol.
Looking slightly further back for continuity, the broader policy and regional-integration agenda remains consistent with the recent focus on connectivity and development financing. Earlier coverage included ADB’s larger regional power-grid and digital-infrastructure plans, plus ongoing discussions around trade routes and logistics (including new China–Afghanistan transit corridors via Uzbekistan). The most recent 12-hour set, however, is more “implementation-forward,” emphasizing specific institutions (World Bank office, ADB wind financing, Central Bank fintech/reserves talks) and concrete domestic measures (inflation update, cashback discussion, expanded free medicines, and Tashkent street renovation).