President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced a new set of business-support initiatives during the meeting with business leaders in Khorezm province today 18.
The first initiative involves building a support system for businesses at every stage of development, from launching a business to scaling it up.
According to the president, the share of small-business loans in banks' overall credit portfolios has risen from 45 percent to 63 percent. In the first half of this year alone, banks channeled 76.5 trillion soums in financing to small and medium-sized businesses.
Mirziyoyev said the country recently launched a unified digital portal for credit services. Businesses need only submit a single application, after which banks compete for their business, and first-time businesses will be able to apply online for loans of up to 5 billion soums.
Business Start, Business Lift and 'Business Yuksalish
The president announced the creation of an integrated business-support ecosystem tailored to a company's stage of development.
A Business Start program will serve businesses just starting out; Business Lift is aimed at those who have already set up production; and Business Yuksalish — from the Uzbek word for rise or ascent — will support companies moving into a new phase of growth.
Under Business Start, artificial intelligence will help businesses prepare project proposals and loan documentation and manage their bookkeeping. The program will receive 100 billion soums in funding, and participants will be offered ready-made business plans along with collateral-free loans of up to 200 million soums.
We will build a comprehensive system that doesn't just hand an entrepreneur a loan, but supports them from their very first step all the way to becoming a major business, Mirziyoyev said.
Businesses will need collateral for only 25% of a loan
The president also addressed the issue of loan collateral, which remains one of the biggest obstacles for small businesses.
To tackle this, the government plans to introduce a counter-guarantee mechanism that officials say will allow loans to be issued based on the real value of a business.
For loans of up to 10 billion soums, the state will cover 30 percent of the required collateral, the Business Guarantee Company will cover another 30 percent, and banks will cover 15 percent — meaning businesses themselves will need to secure only 25 percent of the loan amount.
In addition, the country has launched an AI-powered Virtual Tax Consultant portal called Soliq AI, designed to help businesses cut costs and reduce errors. Starting in 2027, similar AI assistants are planned for construction, labor relations, foreign trade and public services.
Uzbekistan also plans to launch a logistics center with a capacity of 500,000 tons at Georgia's port of Poti in 2027 and begin work at the port of Anaklia. Mirziyoyev additionally announced the elimination of customs duties and recycling fees on truck imports, along with a zero VAT rate for railcars used in international freight transport.
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